Where Things Stand: MLB Edition Part 1

Photo Credit: kbhradio.com

With the marathon that is the MLB season, I was wondering what kind of articles I could write. It’s the beginning of June now, and I thought why not cover the season in a three-part series, covering two months of the season each (with some of my humor and snark mixed in).

The few games played in March will be accounted for in this first edition, with the next edition being posted in early August, and the final edition being posted right around the start of the postseason.

I initially wanted to cover every single team individually, but for simplicity purposes, I’ll go by the AL divisions and then the NL divisions, touching on some things happening in each division.

With that said, let’s start with the AL East.

____________________________

 Note: All Standing are from games completed prior to June 1

AL East:

1. NY Yankees: 37-19
2. Tampa Bay: 35-20
3. Boston: 29-28
4. Toronto: 21-36
5. Baltimore: 18-39

State of the AL East:

For all the injuries the Bronx Bombers have withstood, I’ll give them credit (for as much as I hate them) for doing what they have done, winning. With a ton of injuries.

Now I believe I picked Boston as my team to win the division back in March on Fitz and Spinell, but right now, I think this division is in the hands of Tampa Bay. They have better pitching in the rotation over the Yanks, and a better bullpen than Boston, but I’m not counting out Boston just yet. After that horrid start, they have righted the shift significantly.

AL Central:

1. Minnesota:  38-18
2. Cleveland: 28-29
3. CHI White Sox: 28-29
4. Detroit: 22-32
5. Kansas City: 19-38

State of the AL Central:

We are at DEFCON 1 for Cleveland. Minnesota has the second best record in MLB, and the Indians are below .500. I wouldn’t have thought that Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco would be performing so well following extensions this spring, and Byron Buxton experienced a bit of a revival.

But, the Indians-THE INDIANS- have been horrible. The only part of the Indians roster that is actually exceeding expectations is the bullpen. Yeah, they’ve been good, but when Jason Kipnis is hitting cleanup with a minus 0.7 WAR (Wins Above Replacement), you are in trouble, more so than when Kluber and Clevinger went down (with the latter nearing a rehab assignment).

Quite frankly, the only way Cleveland wins the division is if they win 20+ games in a row again. And I doubt they can do it.

AL West:

1. Houston: 38-20
2. Oakland: 29-28
3. Texas: 28-27
4. LA Angels: 27-30
5. Seattle: 25-35

State of the AL West:

Remember when the Mariners started out 13-2 and were in first place? Good times.

Since then, Houston has put a chokehold on the division, Oakland has risen back from the dead (again) and the Rangers look like a competent ballclub again.

Now, if only Mike Trout got more luck on the field. Honestly, I was seriously hoping the Angels would be better to get this man to the postseason again. Because he’s Mike Trout.

Now it’s time to move over to the National League, where the intrigue really ramps up.

NL East:

1. Philadelphia: 33-24
2. Atlanta: 30-27
3. NY Mets: 28-29
4. Washington: 24-33
5. Miami: 19-36

State of the NL East:

Washington, please don’t make me look dumb. And really, what has gone wrong? Most of me believes the ownership should have given Dusty Baker what he wanted in a new contract, and they’d not be in this position.

But, this should be a fun race between Philly and Atlanta. I think it’s a good thing when those two franchises are actually relevant.

NL Central:

1. Milwaukee: 32-26
2. CHI Cubs: 31-24
3. Pittsburgh: 28-28
4. St. Louis:  28-28
5. Cincinnati: 27-30

State of the NL Central:

I’m still taking the Brew Crew and Yelich to pull this one out. But I applaud the Cubs, who looked half dead in April to storm right back to the top.

Pittsburgh has been decent, but not good enough (buyer’s remorse for Chris Archer?) but still a good group of guys with Trevor Williams, Starling Marte and the finally-very true breakout of Josh Bell.

St. Louis though, c’mon! This club has disappointed me more than most, and I expected more from them than to be a “boring” group. I hope they regroup for a Wild Card and break Chicago’s hearts just like Milwaukee did last year.

NL West:

1. LA Dodgers: 39-19
2. San Diego: 30-27
3. Colorado: 29-27
4. Arizona: 28-30
5. San Francisco: 22-34

State of the NL West:

No surprise at the very top, but how about those Padres? Chris Paddack, Manny “$300 Million” Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr and so much more talent. Yes, they are a team to watch, and I am very intrigued by this group. Now if they and Colorado could proceed to knock the Dodgers off their throne, my quota for big markets losing divisions would be met.

Sean Fitzgerald is a member of the Black Squirrel Radio Sports Department and a Sports Coordinator. Follow him on Twitter @fitzonsportsbsr