Around the League - 4/23/10

We're about 1/10 of the way through the season, so let's see how things are shaping up early.

EAST

- The East Division has the biggest spread of records, with Atlanta and Jersey City locked up for first place. Atlanta, whose draft strategy puzzled GM's around the league (they didn't take their first starting pitcher until Round 23) seems to be working, with #1 overall pick Hanley Ramirez jumping out to a .302/.392/.714 start and Adam Lind providing an unexpected spark.

- The Jackals have won on the strength of their offense, but some shoddy pitching is bound to catch up with them eventually. Joe Mauer looks like a strong MVP candidate early, boasting a robust .415/.500/.815 line with 11 doubles. Team HR leader Magglio Ordonez is on the shelf, but ancient Cliff Floyd is filling in nicely. While James Shields and Hiroko Kuroda are doing well at the top of the rotation, Olsen/Buehrle/Porcello are getting hammered.

- Miami isn't hitting too well as a team, but they've managed to do enough things right to start 9-7. The pitching is doing very well outside of Dan Haren, who has been lit up in his first 3 starts. Nick Blackburn got hurt during his first start, but Kyle Kendrick has posted two quality starts in his wake.

- Columbus sits at .500 thanks to great starting pitching and an under-performing offense. Halladay, Liriano and Martinez have combined for 9 QS, but Brandon Webb has yet to get it going. On offense, Carlos Pena has started to heat up, recently hitting 3 HR in one game. Speedy center fielder Brett Gardner is out with a broken leg, while Utley and Figgins have yet to find their strokes.

- New York failed to hit its first HR until the second week of the season, leading to a string of early low-scoring losses. The offense is starting to come around, though from unlikely sources; Geovany Soto, Ty Wigginton and David Murphy are leading the team while Albert Pujols scuffles. The pitching has been hot and cold, with Cliff Lee (early CY contender) and Derek Lowe being offset by Boof (more like "oof") Bonser.


WEST

- Outside of Springfield, the entire division is with one game of first place. Great competition, or a boatload of mediocrity?

- La Brea has gotten some surprisingly good starting pitching from guys like Towers and Wang, but does it last? Cristian Guzman is an on-base machine, and controversial first round pick Matt Wieters leads the league in walks. The offense looks solid, especially if Adam Jones continues to hit for power.

- The Bisons have benefited from some hot hitting early, as five regulars are above .300. The starting rotation is the definition of "feast or famine", as Lilly/Johnson sport sub 2.00 ERA's while Kazmir/McGowan have posted 7.00+ ERA's. The bullpen is a mess right now and could cost the team down the stretch.

- After sorting out their financial mess during spring training, Kansas ended up with a roster that many thought would be the best in the West. The team has hit a lot of HR's, even from guys who aren't hitting for average (Phillips, Reynolds). Alexei Ramirez is hitting .455....maybe time to get him out of the 8-hole? Chris Carpenter has more K's than IP and a reasonable WHIP, but is 0-3, 9.00 ERA thanks to giving up 8 long balls in just 20 IP. The bullpen has been very good.

- Many believed that Sioux Falls' roster was too young to compete this year, but so far, the young bats have come to play. Erick Aybar (of all people) has had a torrid start, only recently falling out of the league lead in hitting. The pitching has only been "just okay." Verlander, Price and Carmona have yet to pitch to their potential.

- Springfield is off to a woeful 3-11 start, mostly due to inexplicably bad pitching from what, on paper, is the best rotation in the division. Lincecum, Greinke, Santana and Hamels are a combined 2-9, and all have ERA's 5.28 or higher. What gives? Wright, Lee and Morneau are providing power, but you aren't going to win many games when three of your hitters are batting below .200. Already time for a shake up?


WORLD

- Like the West, the league leader here is just above .500. No clearly dominant team so far, but we've seen no divisional games yet. Who will step up in the coming weeks?

- Brisbane holds a slim lead for first place and is the only team in the division with a winning record. Carl Crawford has reached base in every game so far and has an 11 game road hitting streak. Unfortunately, he and Nick Markakis are the only hitters who have done much so far. The rotation has been pretty good, especially Cook and Pineiro, but the bullpen has lost them 3 games already.

- Quebec sits at .500 despite both of their first basemen being knocked out early with injuries. The team is doing well in the power department, but Teahen is hitting poorly and Jose Reyes has yet to take a walk. The Horned Frogs have had the best rotation in the league early on, but the bullpen is getting hammered.

- Fremantle invested a ton of money into their starting rotation (a little over $25M) but a slow start (and little offense) has hurt them early. Sabathia and Lackey are very good, but AJ Burnett has been terrible. The offense is hitting just .230, with Nelson Cruz (.328) hitting 50 points higher than the second best hitter (Theriot). Bay, Teixeira and Rios need to step it up.

- New league, same story with Tom He's Caracas Bolivares. Amazing offense, terrible pitching. A-Rod (league leading 9 HR and 21 RBI) and Prince Fielder (13-game hit streak) are a terror, while Chris Coghlan (.333) is a great table setter. Derek Jeter has yet to leave the yard, but has six stolen bases. Johan and King Felix are off to great starts (though they have just 1 win between them in 6 starts), but Happ/Livan/Lester are getting knocked around. It's early, and there is no clear cut leader in the division, so it's not time to panic (yet).