The Surprise Team in Each MLB Division

On today's episode of This Is Baseball we are doing a review of the month of April. We look at each division and focus on one team that surprised us either for rising above expectations or due to underperforming.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Welcome back to this is Baseball.
My name is Brandon Johnson.
Thank you for tuning in to theshow today.
So it is officially May.
So we are a month into theMajor League Baseball season and
I want to just take a look atApril and move around the divisions

(00:22):
and talk about my biggestsurprises within the six divisions.
So we went into this seasonand did a preview and some predictions
of what I thought was going tohappen based off of the data that

(00:43):
we had in front of us.
And a lot of what I have seenso far kind of goes with that.
But there are a handful ofteams that are performing either
really well or really poorlythat I just did not see coming.

(01:04):
So we're going to get intothat a little bit.
So we're just going to runthrough each division.
I'm going to start in theAmerican League east.
So let's just go through thestandings in the AL East.
The Yankees are on top of thatdivision at 18 and 12.
They sit a game and a halfabove Boston at time of recording,
but I'm not surprised theYankees are on top.

(01:29):
I also am not surprised about Boston.
I talked about them being amuch improved team heading into the
season and they've lived up tothat so far.
The biggest surprise to mewithin this division is actually
the Baltimore Orioles.
I really liked Baltimore.
They were a wild card teamlast year and won the American League

(01:52):
east the year before that.
So they had been to thepostseason two times in a row and
there was no real reason tothink that that wouldn't be the case
in 2025 as well.
I know we were all happy aboutthe offense.
I know that they lost a playerin Anthony Santander.
I know that there werequestions about the pitching staff,

(02:13):
but I am shocked that they arecurrently sitting at 11 and 18.
They're six and a half gamesbehind the Yankees and unfortunately
I know it's early, but it'snot looking good.
Yankees are good.
Red Sox are much improved andthere are two teams in between them

(02:36):
as well in the Rays and Blue Jays.
And plus there's just a lot ofgreat teams in the American League.
So your, your chances ofwinning your division have already.
They're already looking smalland now you've got a lot of work
to do to even be in the theconversation for a wild card team.
So let's just kind of look atsome things that are happening for

(03:00):
Baltimore.
The biggest concern isobviously the pitching.
They are just horrendous as apitching staff that they have the
second worst ERA in the league at.552.
They've given up the secondmost hits in the league.
They've given up the secondMost home runs in the league at 69.

(03:21):
And they have the second worstWHIP at 1.5 9.
And their batting averageagainst is.292.
So they're not really doingmuch of anything that is going to
give them much success from apitching standpoint.
And offensively they're notreally getting it done either.
They're 27th in the league andbatting average at.221.

(03:44):
They are getting on base.
They're getting on base.
They have the six best on basepercentage as a team at.294.
So I think they can correctsome of their stuff offensively.
But it's hard to correct yourpitching in the season unless you're

(04:05):
going to go get some arms.
So I know it's early, but I'mstarting to probably count the Baltimore
Orioles out of the playoffpicture, which stinks because I really
root for a team like them.
I love to see other teams cometo the top, especially in a.

(04:25):
In a team and a division withthe teams like the Yankees and Red
Sox.
It's cool to see the BaltimoreOrioles, the Rays, the Blue Jays
kind of go and have somesuccess as well.
So stinks for them.
But let's move on to theAmerican League Central.

(04:47):
In the American LeagueCentral, I felt like there were really
three teams that could becompetitive and it was the Detroit
Tigers, the ClevelandGuardians and the Kansas City Royals.
And if you look at thestandings now, that is the top three
teams in the division.
Tigers are 18 and 12.
They're a game and a halfahead of the guardians and they're

(05:12):
three ahead of the royals.
Twins are in fourth.
They're 13 and 17.
White Sox at seven and 22.
And it was hard for me to findsomething super surprising because
a lot of metrics had the Twinswinning the division.

(05:33):
I didn't feel that way.
I felt like it was going to bethe Tigers, Guardians and Royals
and that's what's happened so far.
But I went with the Tigersleading the division as kind of my
biggest surprise.
Not necessarily that they'releading it, but just the success
that they are having.
They have a top five pitching staff.

(05:55):
The third best ERA.297 WHIP istheir six best 1.14.
You want your WHIP to bearound one batting average against
fifth best.218.
And their offense is basicallyleague average which if your pitching
staff is going to be top fivein the league then being league average
offensively is going to Winyou baseball games.

(06:19):
And I was looking at this andthe Royals fan in me is going okay.
The Royals pitching staff isin my opinion just as good as Detroit's
pitching staff.
The problem with the Royals istheir offense is bottom five.

(06:40):
So I think that if the Royalscan get their offense fixed, then
it's going to be Kansas Cityand Detroit in the Central.
And looking at it, I thinkCleveland's going to fall off.
Their pitching staff isn'tdoing that great and their offense

(07:02):
is not doing as well either.
So I actually think it's kindof a miracle that Cleveland sits
at 16 and 13 right now.
I actually think that that issomething that will fall off as the
season goes on and they'llfall down in the standings and the
Royals will go up because I dothink that their offense will get

(07:22):
better.
But for the Central it'sDetroit having the just amount of
success that they're currently having.
Now let's move on to theAmerican link West.
This is an interesting division.

(07:42):
So previewed this thinkingTexas was going to be good again
and they're getting there.
Houston is always going to bea factor, but the biggest surprise
so far is Seattle Marinersbeing on top of the division.
So the standings in theAmerican League west The Mariners

(08:02):
are 17 and 12.
They sit a game ahead ofHouston and a game and a half ahead
of Texas.
Even the A's are sittingat.500, but angels are at the bottom
of the division.
So the problem with Seattle, Italked about Seattle.
I do not think that they'rereal contender.

(08:22):
I think we're going to know inthe next 30 to 60 games where they
stand.
And I don't think it's goingto be a playoff team.
I think their pitching is just okay.
It's not great, it's not terrible.
They get on base and theyscore a ton of runs offensively.

(08:43):
But I think right now Houstonand Texas both have significantly
better pitching staffs.
I think they have top 10pitching staffs actually both of
them there.
Houston and Texas is.
Offenses aren't quite there yet.

(09:04):
So I think if and when Houstonor Texas get their offensive game
going, then they're just goingto jump.
They're just going to jumpover Seattle.
And even if it's maybe Houstondoesn't get their offense going,
but Texas does.
It's one or both of them aregoing to leapfrog Seattle in the

(09:26):
standings.
And it's to me a matter of when.
And it stinks that I feel thatway about Seattle.
I want them to succeed, but Ijust, I Don't see it.
I've just, even based off oftheir recent track record, they just,
they do this where they'rereally good for a little bit, then

(09:47):
they fall off and they're good again.
And then they fall off andthey never actually get over the
hump.
So that's my, that's my lookon the American League.
I would love to look at this amonth from now and see where everything's
sitting as far as standingsand where teams are.

(10:10):
But moving to the NationalLeague, you'll start with the National
League East.
And this is an interestingdivision because it is still in my
opinion a three team race withthe Mets, Phillies and Braves.

(10:31):
The Mets are on top.
The Mets are actually, theyhave the most wins in the league
right now.
They're sitting 21 and nine.
They're four and a half gamesahead of the second place Phillies.
Atlanta is in third.
They're 14 and 15.
We've talked about Atlanta aton on this podcast so far and the
just awful, awful start thatthey've gotten off to, they've turned

(10:54):
it around a little bit.
They're 8 and 2 in their last10 games.
Like I said, just, just under 500.
So not out of it.
But they've still got a lot ofwork to do playing against a really,
really good Mets team.
A Mets team that has a top 10pitching staff as well and an offense
that just scores a ton of runs.

(11:15):
Very, very good team in New York.
I am, I am surprised a littlebit that the Mets have gotten off
to as good of a start as they have.
I know they signed Juan Soto,they brought back Pete Alonso, Shamania,
all that.
I just thought that it mightbe a little bit of a slow burn to

(11:38):
get things going and then belike a mid season jump.
But so far, obviously betweenthem getting off to a hot start and
then Atlanta not quite havingthings go their way with they didn't
have Spencer Schreider tostart the season, don't have Ronald
Acuna Jr.
They lost Jerks and Profar tothe PED suspension.

(12:02):
But I think the Braves aregoing to turn around a little bit
and we're still going to havea lot of fun in that division.
But so far, yeah, Mets are abig surprise not only because they're
at the top of the division,but because they have the most wins
in the league right now thatwould be something that I would assume
that the Los Angeles Dodgershave, but that's not the case right

(12:22):
now.
Now The Dodgers are 20 and 10.
We'll get to them In a second.
But yeah, let's go ahead andtalk National League west actually.
So let's go through those standings.
Just said it.
The Dodgers are 20 and 10.
They sit on top of the division.
They're one game ahead of theGiants and a game and a half above

(12:43):
the Padres.
So Dodgers, Giants, Padres,Diamondbacks, Rockies.
The Rockies, by the way, are 4and 25.
They are miserable.
Okay, that's not the biggest surprise.
That's.
I, I knew that the Rockieswere going to be bad, but 4 and 25
is embarrassing.

(13:05):
So let's look at the biggestsurprise in the west though.
And for me it's the SanFrancisco Giants.
I know they've madeimprovements, but I felt like the
Giants, or excuse me, theDodgers were just going to run away
with this division and thePadres were going to be a really

(13:28):
good team as well that fellshort and became a wild card team.
That the Diamondbacks would beall right as well.
The Diamondbacks are gameover.500, but it's the Giants for
me.
I do wonder if it's sustainable.
They have an okay pitching staff.

(13:50):
They strike out a ton of batters.
I have a lot of questionsoffensively, but they do know how
to score runs.
They're one of the best runscoring offenses in the league and
at the end of the day, scoringruns is the name of the game.
So we'll see.
I, that's a team that I wouldbe excited to look at a month from

(14:13):
now and see where they are.
Let's move on though.
We have one division left totalk about in Major League Baseball
and it is the National League Central.
So just checking out thestandings there.
Cubs are on top 18 and 12.
They're a game and a halfabove Cincinnati and then goes Brewers,

(14:34):
Cardinals, Pirates and talkedabout this division as well before
the season.
I thought it was the Cubs yearto get back to the top and get back
to the winning ways of theCubs, that the brewers would be there
as well.
I knew that the Cardinalswould be headed in the wrong direction.

(14:56):
Talking about the Reds,though, I wasn't very high on them.
I thought, okay, they havesome fun players over there, but
are they really going to compete?
And they are really, reallysurprising in the best way possible.

(15:19):
So looking at their offensebasically in every category, they're,
they're top 10.
And same thing with their pitching.
They're just as a rosterperforming at a really high, really
high level right now.
And looking at the division, Iactually think, you know, you can

(15:44):
question whether or not whatthe Reds are doing is sustainable.
But the Reds could give theCubs a run for their money in the
National League Centralbecause the Cubs have a phenomenal
offense.
The Cubs, I think, have abetter offense than the Reds, but
they have a lot of questionson pitching.
So it's can the Cubs keeptheir offense going the way it is

(16:10):
and can they get theirpitching staff back up to where it
needs to be?
Now I say it.
I say it.
It's easier to have an offensekind of turn it around than it is
a pitching staff.
So I do wonder if the Cubswill be one of the first teams that

(16:31):
maybe goes out and gets somearms in the trade market.
But that's going to be a fundivision to watch if the Reds keep
doing what they're doing.
Because at the end of theseason, we could, we could have the
Reds be National LeagueCentral champs.
So that was my one month justseason in review so far episode.

(16:57):
I think we'll do this againheaded into June, kind of see where
everybody's at as well, and Ithink by then we'll have a much better
idea of where everybody'sreally at in the league.
Obviously still with a longway to go, but so far the 2025 season's

(17:18):
been been great.
There's been a lot ofstorylines that have been expected,
and then there's some teamsthat you're like, oh, you're up here
as well.
That's.
That's pretty fun and I hopethat that success continues.
But that is all I have for today.

(17:39):
Thank you for listening.
If you enjoyed the show today,leave a rating or a review and I'll
see you in the next one.