10 Crazy Things so Far in a Young 2011

With the season roughly 8 games in, it's tough to put too much stock in anything just yet. However there are some things that cannot be overlooked no matter how early you are in the season. So feel free to share your thoughts on the following list and even add some if I've missed any. I will say that there is no sign of Manny on this list. I'm done talking about this guy and glad he has decided to call it a career. A great career for sure but became a distraction too often and he's probably happy to be finished. Alright here we go...



1) Tampa Bay has only scored 19 runs all season (and at the time of writing this, they're currently losing 4-0 to the White Sox). The MLB leader is the White Sox with 56 runs (now 60) and that's without Rios doing anything or Dunn being hurt. I expect the Rays to bounce back, but no team has ever won the world series after starting this terribly... just sayin'

2) For all the talk about the Phillies offense before the season started, they seem to be showing no signs of slowing down. They lead all MLB teams in total hits, team batting average and RBI's. Utley who...?

3) Baltimore leads the AL East. This won't last but at least people in Baltimore have a lot to be excited about. Adam Jones looks like this could finally be his year and Britton through his first two starts has been dominate. All this without Matusz.

4) The Blue Jays are second in the majors with a team ERA of 2.78. They have a great young pitching staff and their bullpen has been basically unhitable. They also sit second in MLB for total strike outs. Farrell seems to be getting the most out of his guys, which is a great sign for Jays fans.

5) Howie Kendrick with 4 bombs so far this year. ESPN's Matthew Berry doesn't believe in him, but I'm buying in for sure. He had 41 doubles last year, showing he has the pop. If only he could get some base runners on for those bombs, they've all been solo shots. Kendrick still just 27 years old.

6) Oakland has 9 errors so far. For a team that prides itself on it's defense, this is not a good sign. The A's have a lot of ground ball pitchers and to be effective they need good defense. I know they'll tighten up and this trend won't continue...hopefully.

7) San Francisco only 4-4 thus far. Many have them back in the World Series come fall (myself included), yet the Rockies are playing so good and will only get better once Jimenez returns. Should be a tight division all season long, good baseball.

8) Alex Gordon leads the bigs with 14 hits. I don't think anyone saw this coming, Gordon was immensely hyped coming out of college and was dominate his first year in AA, however was slowed by injuries and poor play. Now at 27 he appears to be showing us signs of what all the hype was about. (I hope so because I have him on my fantasy team).

9) Neil Walker and Pedro Alvarez are on pace to each have over 230k's this season. Not exactly what Pirate's fans were hoping for, yet they continue to find ways to win ball games. The Pirates sit at 5-4, good for second in the NL Central.

10) Vernon Wells is hitting a pathetic .111 so far for the Angels. This has to be the trade of the off season for sure, not because of what the Jays received but for what they were able to unload. Wells looks just out of sorts so far this season, he can't hit anything. If this keeps up he'll be hard pressed to even coming close to reaching what ESPN has him projected at 25/82/.271

Most of these will all change by the end of the season, just given the length of the season, however wouldn't it be crazy to see the Orioles take the AL East and have Tampa finish last? or how about Alex Gordon leading the MLB in hits? Too crazy to believe for sure, but anything can happen. Thanks for reading.