We are a third of the way through the MLB season. There has been much to see so far, but there is also a lot to come.
The Nationals have been the best in the National League while the Phillies and Padres have continued their latest history of being the worst.
There have also been many surprises like the Milwaukee Brewers being tied for first place and the Giants and Mets both being way behind after just last year facing off in an epic wild card game.
Freshman Mike Dolce said, “It’s hard to believe those two teams are doing so bad.”
The biggest surprise has to be that the Chicago Cubs, who won last year’s World Series, are struggling immensely. They stand in 2nd place with a 31-31 record, while many expected them to roll through that division.
In the American League, there has been a major surprise in the form of the Minnesota Twins, a perennial loser now in 1st place with a 32-27 record. The New York Yankees and their young star Aaron Judge are running through opponents in the east. However, no team has been as great as the Houston Astros who own an amazing 44-20 record and have a 12 game lead in first place.
There have also been a fair share of disappointments in the American League. The Texas Rangers are in fourth place and 13 games back in the AL West. The Kansas City Royals, just two years removed from a World Series title, are dead last in the American League, and still falling lately.
The truth is that none of this will be the same soon. The season still has 66 percent left, so a lot can and will change. Teams like the Mets and Giants will get the help they need and probably compete for the final wild card spot. The Yankees will not win eight of 10 games every home stand. The only thing that is certain is there is a lot of baseball left.
Teams like the Astros who are on pace for 106 wins will most likely finish with 93. The Phillies, who are on pace for 105 losses, will wind up with 92. That’s the great thing about baseball – there’s a lot that can change in the course of four months.
Freshman Brenden Ryan said, “Even though my team isn’t doing well I still think it’s been a great season so far.”
This season has already been very eventful, however. The Mets lost their ace pitcher Noah Syndergaard to a torn lat muscle. The Texas Rangers also lost their ace Cole Hamles to a oblique injury. The worst injury of all has been to Mike Trout, undoubtedly the best player in the MLB today. Trout is out for six to eight weeks with a hand injury.
On a better note, Edison Volquez threw a no hitter on the same day as his deceased friend and former Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura would have turned 26. That same night, Albert Pujols hit his 600th career homerun.
Eric Thames, now first baseman for the Milwaukee Brewers, has torn it up at the plate, hitting 16 homeruns so far. His story is impressive – a player who could not find a job after being released by the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners, he went to Korea and in 2015 won MVP for a Korean professional baseball league. He then found his way back to America.
How do you think this season will play out?
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