So far, a little over 40% into the 2010 MLB regular season, the time has come to distinguish between the pretenders and contenders. With interleague play just around the corner, there has been a competitive imbalance in both leagues. Arguably four out of the five best teams in the American League play in the AL East, while every team in the NL East had a winning record just a mere ten days ago. On the other hand, both the AL and NL Centrals have been mediocre at best, and each division boasts three of the five worst teams in each league. Thus, in this relatively young season, there have been three extremely competitive divisions (AL and NL East, NL West) and three lackluster divisions (AL and NL Central, AL West) in the majors.
First, the AL East has been nothing short of spectacular this season, as the Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees, and Boston Red Sox have played exceptional baseball, accumulating a combined 142-93 record. The Rays, after a disappointing 2009 campaign, have bounced back admirably in 2010, led by a younger starting rotation anchored by David Price and an explosive lineup featuring Carl Crawford and Evan Longoria. They have the best run differential in the major leagues. The Blue Jays have relied predominantly on their offense and their breakout star, Jose Bautista, who leads the team in home runs, runs, OPS, and RBI’s. After a disastrous start to this season, the Boston Red Sox have bounced back nicely, winning 24 of their past 35 games. Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz have posted a combined 2.56 ERA, while Adrian Beltre and Kevin Youkilis have a .400 OBP. The New York Yankees have the league’s best offense led by second baseman Robinson Cano, who leads the team in nearly every major statistical category. Overall, the AL East is the best division in baseball by a landslide and boasts the top four offensive teams in the majors.
The other two divisions in the American League are nowhere near the caliber of the AL East. The AL Central is currently a two-team race between the Minnesota Twins and the Detroit Tigers, as the Indians, Royals, and White Sox have all underachieved. After trading for Jake Peavy and Alex Rios last season, the White Sox have failed to capitalize on their pricey investments, as they rank in the bottom five in both pitching and defense. The Indians and Royals both have tremendous offensive deficiencies caused by lineups. Meanwhile, the Twins and Tigers have continued to separate themselves from the rest of the division. Though the Twins and Tigers are ahead of the pack, both teams have faced some major problems. The Tigers are the worst fielding team in the American League, having already committed 46 errors this season. The Twins have no established ace on their staff, as Kevin Slowey, an average pitcher, has the most wins on the team with seven. In all, the Twins should win this division under the leadership of catcher Joe Mauer and manager Ron Gardenhire, but this is primarily a result of the weak competition of their division.
In addition, the AL West lacks a dominant team in this division. In fact, though three out of the four teams in the division currently have more wins than losses, the leader of the AL West, the Texas Rangers, are only four games above .500 at 31-27. Three of the four teams in this division have scored fewer funs than their opponents, with the Angels and Athletics being the only two teams in the major leagues to have a winning record with a negative run differential. The Rangers have received a breakout performance from Vladimir Guerrero, whom they signed to a one-year contract following his tenure with the Angels. He leads the team in batting average, RBI’s, and home runs. The Angels and A’s have been exceptional in close games, posting a combined 22-7 record in one-run games. The Mariners, meanwhile, have been disastrous offensively, as they have scored the fourth most runs in the major leagues. Every team in this division has dealt with or is dealing with a severe injury, and the AL West appears to go down to the wire.
In the National League, two out of the three divisions are tremendously competitive. First, the National League East remains the most competitive team from top to bottom, as the first and last place teams are separated by a meager six games. In addition, each NL East team has had at least one new acquisition that has made a tremendous different on the team. In Philadelphia, Roy Halladay has lived up to the expectations of being the ace of the Phillies staff, as he recently threw a perfect game against the Florida Marlins. In all, he has accumulated a 2.03 ERA, 77 strikeouts, and an 8-3 record this season. In Washington, Stephen Strasburg did not disappoint in his major league debut, posting 14 strikeouts and a win for the surprising Nationals, who appear well on their way to shattering last season’s record. The Atlanta Braves have received tremendous contributions from outfielder Jason Heyward and pitcher Billy Wagner. Wagner has 10 saves and 36 strikeouts in 24 appearances this season, while Heyward is well on his way to earning Rookie of the Year honors, posting a whopping .906 OPS with 10 home runs. The New York Mets have improved considerably from last year thanks to the arrival of Ike Davis, who already has made a flurry of spectacular defensive plays and has 18 extra-base hits in 45 games this season. The Florida Marlins, like the Nationals, also received a rocking debut from outfielder Mike Stanton, who went 3-for-5 in his major league debut and will pair up with shortstop Hanley Ramirez to form one of the most exciting young combinations in the majors. From top to bottom, the NL East has all contending teams, and this race should go down to the wire.
Furthermore, the NL West has four extremely talented teams that have all played well recently. The Colorado Rockies, which stormed into the postseason under Jim Tracy’s leadership last year, has received incredible contributions from Ubaldo Jimenez, who already has a 0.93 ERA and a 10-1 record into June. Though they have struggled with pitching recently, the San Francisco Giants, behind a four-headed monster of Tim Lincecum, Barry Zito, Matt Cain, and Jonathan Sanchez, have carried the Giants to a 32-26 record behind a 3.30 staff ERA. The San Diego Padres have been the surprise team of the National League thanks to a NL-leading 2.99 team ERA. After a slow start, the Los Angeles Dodgers have won 23 of their past 30 games behind the NL’s fourth leading offense. As long as the Padres, Giants, and Rockies continue to pitch well, this race will also go down the final days of the season.
On the other hand, the worst division in the National League is clearly the NL Central, with four teams well out of contention and another, the Cincinnati Reds on the verge of a downfall. The Cubs, Pirates, Astros, and Brewers have all tremendously underachieved. The Astros and Brewers have the two worst offenses in the National League, while the Cubs have received almost no contributions from their power hitters Aramis Ramirez and Derrek Lee. The Brewers have the NL’s second worst team ERA at 5.30. The first-place Reds have a surprising lead in the NL Central thanks to the NL’s best offense, but can the youthful Reds carry their momentum in the latter stages of the season? The Reds are led by young pitchers Mike Leake and Jonny Cueto and hitters Joey Votto and Jay Bruce, none of whom have experienced a pennant race. The St. Louis Cardinals, despite slow starts from Matt Holliday and Albert Pujols, are right in the mix under a tremendous starting rotation featuring Jaime Garcia (1.43 ERA), Adam Wainwright (84 strikeouts), and Chris Carpenter (7-1 record). Once Pujols and Holliday step it up, the Cardinals should be able to win this underachieving division.
Overall, there is a tremendous competitive imbalance in the MLB. With four high quality teams in the NL West and AL East and a division full of contending teams in the NL East, it is unfortunate that deserving teams from one of these divisions will be left out of the postseason, while mediocre teams from both the other three division can reach the playoffs. With the four top teams in the AL East playing each other approximately 60 times each year, they face a much more daunting schedule than any other team in baseball. In addition, due to the tremendous competition in the AL East, arguably two of the top six or seven teams in baseball will be left out of the postseason. It’s what happens when there is such competitive imbalance between the six divisions in baseball.
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