This year, the Major League Baseball (MLB) season kicked off in Tokyo, where the defending World Series Champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, faced the young and talented Chicago Cubs. The Dodgers went on to win both games to start the season on an upbeat note, 2-0. On March 27, 26 teams played their opening day games of the year, with almost all being close games. The next day, the Rockies and Rays played their first games of the year. The MLB season was finally in motion, with all 30 teams in action.
By mid-April, there was already a lot of excitement about how teams had performed so far in the year. The National League (NL) West arguably has had the best three teams in the MLB, with the Dodgers, Giants, and Padres all starting their season with a win percentage over 70% through their early seasons. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Braves, who were expected to be one of the best teams in the MLB, started their season 0-7 with injuries throughout their whole team. Though there is still time for them to recover, history is not on the Braves’ side as teams starting 0-7 have never made the playoffs before. In the NL Central, things are going almost as everybody expected: The Cubs have an early division lead, but the Brewers aren’t far behind. The Cardinals are also lurking in the shadows and trying to come back after a surprisingly disappointing season last year.
In the American League (AL), there has been no clear favorite: The Yankees, who made the World Series last year, will have to work through a tough division to make their way back. The Yankees started their season strong, winning their first three games. By mid-April, they were around the .5 win percentage mark. Within the division, the Blue Jays signed their star player, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., to a 14-year, 500 million deal. The Red Sox also extended some of their best players. The Orioles, who have made the playoffs two years in a row and have an exciting young team, can’t be counted out and have lots of reasons to be hopeful this year with a more experienced team. The sneaky Rays can’t be counted out either and have been known to surprise teams in the past. The AL East should be an interesting division to follow as the season goes by.
In the AL Central and West, no clear favorites have emerged: Both divisions have very similar teams. In the AL Central, the Guardians, Tigers, Twins and Royals have good odds of taking the crown. In the AL West, the Rangers, Astros, and Mariners are all in the mix. There is even a chance for the Angels, who have been playing good baseball.
Right here in Michigan, the Detroit Tigers are emerging as one of MLB’s most fun teams to watch. Last year, the Tigers were 55-63 in early August with less than a 1% chance of making the playoffs. With everybody doubting them, the Tigers finished their season 31-13 and had one of the most historic baseball comebacks of all time. After beating the Astros twice and then playing Cleveland in an epic, five-game series for a chance to go to the AL Championship Game, the Tigers showed people that anything is possible with the players they had.
The saying last year was, “Don’t let the Tigers get hot.” Well, it might be too late for anyone around the league to stop Detroit now: The pitching has been stellar, with Tigers’ pitchers only having an Earned Runs Allowed (ERA) of 2.94, which ranks third in the MLB behind only two teams, the Padres and Mets, who have the two best records in the league. Even with a high strikeout rate and not a lot of stolen bases, the Tigers have found ways to win thanks to breakout years by Spencer Torkelson, Dillon Dingler, and Zach McKinstry. Those three are batting a combined .284 with 11 home runs. Kerry Carpenter is also playing well and batting .299 with five home runs. The Tigers are currently 15-10 and lead their division, but with the season still young, Detroit still has a lot to prove.
Around the league, there have been lots of surprises and disappointments. Even though it is early, it should be interesting to see how things shake out this year in the MLB.
