Surprising Starts for Teams A Week Into the Season

It’s been just over a week since Opening Day launched the 2014 Major League Baseball season back on March 31st, and there have already been a lot of ups and downs for teams all around baseball, some of which were anticipated, but some that have come as a shock to many. Though we’re less than ten games into the long 162-game season, and many things can and will happen over the next several months, it’s interesting to take a look at how teams are beginning their season.

The most surprising good starts to the year, in my opinion, have to be the Mariners, Brewers, Marlins, and Rockies, as each have gotten off to an unpredicted great start.

While the Mariners picked up Robinson Cano this offseason, and made a couple of other great additions to their team as well, I’m not sure anyone predicted them to pitch and produce runs the way they’ve been able to do thus far. Everyone up and down their lineup is clicking for the most part, and their pitching has been really good. It should be interesting to see if they can keep up their 4-2 start.

The Brewers don’t really have all that much above average talent past Ryan Braun and Yovani Gallardo, who can be hit and miss, but they’ve been able to put together a great start to the season. Going 4-2 so far this year, the Brewers, while still not predicted to do much, have shown that they have the potential to cause some problems with the rest of the teams in the National League Central division.

Down in Miami, it takes a lot to get fans excited about the Marlins, ranking year after year towards the bottom in overall attendance, however, the start to the season the Marlins have produced is more than anyone could’ve asked for. Jose Fernandez has been fantastic in his two starts, and Giancarlo Stanton seems to have found his groove earlier than usual. Looking to build on their 5-2 start, the Marlins are worth watching.

One of the great things about baseball is that you never know what may happen, and that holds true with the Rockies, who have gotten off to a .500 start of 4-4 to begin the season. Though they’re still expected to finish near the bottom of the division, with Carlos Gonzalez clicking as usual and Troy Tulowitzki finally healthy, in addition to a good start for their pitchers, they could surprise a lot of people.

But those are just the surprising good starts to the year.

On the other side of the spectrum, the most surprising bad starts to the year, in my opinion, are the Rangers, Diamondbacks, Reds and Orioles, who haven’t been able to put much together yet.

The worst start to the 2014 season in all of baseball goes to Diamondbacks, who currently stand at 2-7. That comes as a big surprise, as they made several good moves this offseason, including acquiring power bat Mark Trumbo, who is currently one of the only bright spots on the team, besides Paul Goldschmidt, who is always consistent. The D-backs certainly need to turn things around, but they have plenty of time to do so.

Cincinnati is one of those teams that can be good or bad, however, I thought they’d begin the year better than they have. With a 2-5 record, they sit at the bottom of their division, and with several players struggling (mainly Billy Hamilton) or injured, it could be awhile before they begin to rebound. Though, they’re still too good of an overall team to keep doing this poorly as the season goes on, in my mind.

Like the Reds, the Orioles can be good or bad depending on several factors, but what it really comes down to is their pitching. Their offense is one of the best in baseball, with strong points up and down the lineup, but they need their newly added starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez to return to form for the Orioles to make a run in the division. Sitting at 2-5, it will be fun to watch the O’s in the difficult American League East.

Picking up Prince Fielder this offseason, many people (myself included) predicted the Rangers to have a great year, possibly winning the division. However, due to a ton of pitching injuries, among other things, they haven’t been able to perform to their potential, currently sitting at the bottom of the division with a 3-4 record. But despite the poor start, the Rangers should be just fine.

As stated, there is still a ton of season remaining where anything could happen. The teams that are off to a fantastic start could end up taking a tumble as the year goes on, while other teams that are struggling at the moment could very well take off on a major run. You never know what will happen throughout a given MLB season, and that’s what makes baseball so much fun.

Bryce Harper & Mike Trout: New Season, Different Start

When Bryce Harper and Mike Trout were called up to the Major Leagues last season, both, coincidently, on the same day (April 28th), Trout started off his season tearing it up out of the gate, while Harper struggled a bit before finding his groove to finish out the season strong.

Both would go on to win the 2012 Rookie of the Year, however, this season around, it’s Harper who is making some noise to start the year, while Trout is off to somewhat of a rough start. Things are certainly not playing out like I had expected.

Bryce Harper blasted two home runs on Opening Day, and now sits at five home runs for the season. Harper also currently holds a .372 batting average, including 10 RBI’s, through eleven games played. Mike Trout, on the other hand, has a mere batting average of .245, with no home runs and only one RBI, through the same number of games played. While there’s still plenty of time left in the season, in which either Harper or Trout could continue on their current paths or have things turn around, it’s something worth noting, nonetheless.

Which leads me to my main question, of if Harper will keep up his hot start and if Trout will continue to struggle. For both, I say no.

Harper is going to have an incredible year, but he’s by no means going to hit for a near .400 average all season long, as well as keeping on his current pace to blast 80 home runs and 160 RBI’s. I see Harper slowing things down in the coming weeks, to lower his stats back down to a realistic level. Even so, I’m predicting him to finish the season with even better stats than last year, with a .315 batting average, to go along with 32 home runs and 98 RBI’s. (But as with most predictions, this is all merely speculative.)

As far as Trout goes, he’s bound to bounce back to being his normal superstar self, increasing his batting average and squaring up the baseball more often. Trout’s just in a bit of a slump that he’s sure to pull out of before too long. If I had to make a prediction for how he’ll finish the year statistically, I could see Trout slugging 26 homers and batting in 80 runs. Slightly down from the monster numbers he put up last season, but the poor start he’s off to is sure to have an effect on his long-term stats.

In the end, however, both Bryce Harper and Mike Trout are likely to have stellar seasons.

That’s almost a sure bet.

Who will have the better 2013 season: Harper and Trout? Will either win MVP? Leave a comment below.