MLB: Taking Stock Of The Divisions

By Stephen Baker CPKSports Senior Writer

We’re one month into the baseball season and we can start sizing up how this season is going to go. A bad April does not necessarily mean a team is dead, but it definitely changes the whole outlook of the season. Let’s drop in on each division and see how this season looks so far.

AL EAST

It could be a three-team race all season long. Toronto has the #2 offense in the AL, with mashers at almost every position. The sudden emergence of Chris Carpenter and Estaban Loiaza gives their pitching some credibility as well. Boston looked to be in severe trouble before the season started, but Manny Ramirez has simply been the best player in either league. Hideo Nomo has thrown a no-hitter and come close to a second while Tom Ohka and Frank Castillo provide needed depth behind Pedro. This team was supposed to just limp along with Nomar, but instead has played outstanding defense and scored runs in bunches. They can make a case for best team in the AL. The Yankees are slightly off the pace, thanks mainly to incredible starts by O’Neill and Tino Martinez. However, Jeter has been mediocre as has been Mussina and El Duque in the rotation. It’s the complete opposite of who should be producing and not producing, but it all balances out. Besides, Cashman can always make a big trade to shore up his team. The O’s have played an easy schedule so far and are still flirting with .500. Their offense is terrible and the pitching has been decent, and that’s a trend that shows no signs of stopping. Tampa is simply the worst team in the majors.

AL CENTRAL

I’ve already devoted a full column to the Twins, but let’s be clear, they are not a complete fluke. While they can’t continue at a .700 clip, they are a good team. The Tribe might be their only real competition as every other team in the division is out by over 8 games already. A huge gap to make up, and the only team that really has the firepower to make a run is the White Sox, but terrible pitching and a worse than expected offense might doom them to the second division. The Indians’ pitching has been a pleasant surprise, particularly the emergence of CC Sabathia, and the team can still hit, even though Thome and Vizquel look like they have forgotten how right now. They’ll be okay.

AL WEST

Seattle has a nine-game lead. Texas can’t pitch, Anaheim can’t hit, and Oakland can’t seem to do anything. I hate to write off a division in May, but do you honestly believe the Rangers or Angels can make up nine games against the Mariners? Heck, I don’t think they could make up nine games on anyone outside of the O’s or the Devil Rays. The A’s are out by twelve games. That is a huge margin to make up, especially for a team with the worst defense not in Tampa Bay. The Mariners can play .500 ball for the rest of the year and still go to the postseason with a comfortable lead.

NL EAST

Philadelphia has four game lead on every team in the division, who are all in a virtual deadlock for second. This is a division in transition, as the Expos and Marlins are getting better and the Mets and Braves are getting worse. This is the year everyone meets in the middle. The Phillies have never made any sense to me. They have great young pitchers and an incredible core of young hitters: Lieberthal, Rolen, Burrell, and Abreu. Well, the offense has still been inexplicably terrible, I call it the Marlon Anderson Effect, but the pitching has been great. While last year’s top two are showing their age, the Phillies seem to benefiting by developing first. Anyone can win this division, it is incredibly wide open, as every team has serious flaws.

NL CENTRAL

The Cubs are in first and the Brewers have the best expected winning percentage based on runs scoring and runs against. What is going on here? At least the Pirates still stink or else I wouldn’t be able to take this division at all. What we have are five decent teams which should all hover around .500 all season, except for perhaps the Cubs. It’s a fine start, but this team has only allowed 100 runs so far, and there is no way their pitching holds up like that all season. The Reds still have an amazing bullpen and are simply waiting for Griffey to get healthy. The Cardinals need McGwire to get healthy and find some pitching. And the Astros need to get Lima out of their rotation. This should be a fun division, but not as fun as the West.

NL WEST

Four teams within one loss of first place. San Diego trails by four, and they aren’t a bad team, but they can’t compete with the rest of the division just yet. The Giants have a run differential of –22 and that is not good at all. If they don’t turn that figure around, their record will start to drop. You can’t outrun Pythagoras. Team Turmoil has a hold on first place thanks to some stellar pitching. Arizona’s offense has been surprisingly effective, but their pitching, particularly Brian Anderson, has been poor. And then there are the Rockies. All four teams are good, and all four teams should make a run and hopefully give us the best pennant race of the year.

Look, no one is mathematically eliminated just yet, but teams have to face up to the fact that if your are out by five games at the end of the first month, the chances of making the postseason are very slim. There is no margin of error for the teams sitting below .500 right now. It might not seem like the season is that old, but there’s only 5/6 of the way to go.

Article provided courtesy of CPKSports