The narratives of the 2023 Major League Baseball season up to this point
It has been a fun full month of baseball so far. Let’s dig deeper in to the teams and their respective division.
American League West
Now that the Texas Rangers have moved to the American League and are top of the West, their big free agent deals to Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi seems to be paying off so far. The Los Angeles Angels are currently No. 2 in the division, just ahead of the reigning World Series champions Houston Astros, but many expect the Astros to get back on track sooner or later. The biggest question mark surrounding the Angels has nothing to do with games this season because they don't have high expectations, but will Shohei Ohtani stay in Anaheim or sign somewhere else during the offseason? We will have an idea as the season starts to play out. The Seattle Mariners are hitting the .500 mark, but prodigy Julio Rodriguez is struggling to get into the starting lineup. But, like last year, there is some optimism that the summer will bring together a solid season. The Oakland Athletics who potentially might leave to Las Vegas in the future, have not been good thus far. With over 50 years the franchise has been in Oakland and this season, they have worst record in all of baseball.
American League Central
Like the rest of the Central division, the AL Central has been considered one of the weaker divisions in the majors in recent years, but the advantage of this division is that it usually has a new leader every year. In 2021, the Chicago White Sox lead the race. In 2022, the Cleveland Guardians led the race. And now it's the Minnesota Twins. The rest of the division's teams are under .500, and the Twins aren't considered American League contenders, but they have a chance to be competitively behind in October if they can hold on to the top spot. We will see if the Twins can hang on and clinch the division, making it a third consecutive year with a different team crowning the AL Central.
American League East
Given that every team in the AL East has a respectable record of .500 or better, it's easy to say that this division is the best thus far. The New York Yankees struggled with injuries earlier this year, including superstar Aaron Judge, who spent time in the IL, but the Bronx Bombers remain in contention with the rest of the team despite the end of the season. The Tampa Bay Rays came down from earth from a stellar 13-0 start, but still lead the way, with the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays all holding on to secure a wild card spot. Usually after a month, a team has a losing record, but it is impressive all five teams are still competitive.
National League West
The Los Angeles Dodgers remain top of the division despite missing shortstop Gavin Lux and top player Walker Buehler. Both players are expected to miss out on the action this season due to injuries. The San Diego Padres are currently batting around .500, but as the momentum picks up, especially with the return of Fernando Tatis, Jr., they are close to being considered a front-runner. The Arizona Diamondbacks are batting .500 and above, but still have amazing results and are my top pick for most surprising team this far. For several months during the season, there is some uncertainty as to whether they will be able to continue playing into the summer. Still, they've been a respectable team so far. As expected, the San Francisco Giants and Colorado Rockies both got off to a slow start to their seasons, batting below .500, lower than other divisions.
National League Central
No one saw the Pittsburgh Pirates coming. Certainly, given that the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds are probably playing at the level they can play, and that the St. Louis Cardinals had some serious problems earlier in the year, this division can be considered one of the weaker sectors. They are my other surprising pick this year with how poor the team performance has been. It's already an impressive feat that the Pirates are now leading the division ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers after the Pirates finished last season in triple figures. It's meant to serve as another reminder of how radically baseball teams can change from season to season.
National League East
The Atlanta Braves are once again on top in the East with a sizable lead in the division, just like the Dodgers in the West do. However, they will have to deal with some pitching staff problems because Max Fried and Kyle Wright will be sidelined for the next two months. Despite signing Trea Turner in the offseason, the defending National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies have had a mediocre start to the season. However, they are hoping to turn things around now that their star outfielder Bryce Harper has returned after missing the first month of the season while recovering from offseason elbow surgery. The New York Mets are below .500 and have struggled in large part as a result of the injuries to their pitching staff, losing their closer Edwin Diaz during the World Baseball Classic, and missing out on numerous of their scheduled starts without their aces Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. The Washington Nationals are in last place, as most people anticipated given their continued rebuilding efforts, and the Miami Marlins are in second despite the Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcántara's early problems.
With a few surprising starts we will see how the remaining season goes for all 30 teams.