Baseball’s Five Biggest Surprises

As it is nearly every year, the early part of the Major League Baseball season includes a number of surprises. Some of those surprises fade into an assertive "I knew it wouldn't last," while others carry on and make us wonder how long they will last. With a month and a half gone in the 2005 season, there are (in the eyes of this reporter) five things that have raised people's eyebrows.

1. Baltimore Orioles

Think of how lousy the Orioles have been over the past five or six years. Since winning their last division pennant in 1997, the O's have finished 20 games or more out of first place six times and the closest they've been was 13.5 back in 2000. Now, all of a sudden, they're back on top of the American League East, ahead of the defending world champs and baseball's all-time dynasty. That's right — the Birds cling to the division lead over both the Red Sox and the Yankees. But the fact that they're doing it without Sammy Sosa and a marquee pitcher is what is astounding.

In what can only be described as a total team effort, Baltimore lads the league in hitting (.291), home runs (53), and hits (379). Their top offensive player so far is 2B Brian Roberts with an AL-leading .382 average to go along with 10 home runs and 32 RBI. Former MVP Miguel Tejada is right up there with him with a .333 average, 10 home runs, and 38 RBI. Once Sosa returns to the lineup, the Orioles' offense should only get better.

But it hasn't been just the offense that has risen to the occasion in the early going of the season. Sidney Ponson has compiled a 5-1 record in spite of a fairly large 4.93 ERA, Erik Bedard is 4-1 with a 2.35 ERA, and closer B.J. Ryan (who?) has 10 saves and a nice 1.66 ERA. Plus, the staff combined has 273 strikeouts, tops in the league. If they can maintain what they've started, they'll keep themselves in a lot of ball games down the stretch.

2. New York Yankees

I know it's still early, but the Yanks only a .500 ballclub? With the offense they have, they should be a lot better. But it's not the offense's fault why they're not atop the division. The pitching, which traditionally has been the best around, has faltered. With names like [Mike] Mussina, [Randy] Johnson, and [Kevin] Brown, most lineups would be shaking in their boots heading to the dish. Not so this year.

Those three, along with the rest of the Yankee staff, are letting opposing teams hit them to the tune of a .289 average. That's worst in the AL. Not only that, but they're giving up runs with a fourth-highest 4.62 ERA. Johnson and Mussina have won more than they've lost (4-2 each), but they're the only ones on the staff with ERAs under 4.00. And the only pitcher with an ERA of under 3.00 is closer Mariano Rivera.

The offense, though, is the only thing that's keeping the Yanks' heads above water. They're third in the league in home runs with 49 and runs scored with 217, and fourth in batting average at .277, but it's been just a handful of players who have really been carrying the team at the plate. Alex Rodriguez and Tino Martinez share the league lead in home runs with 12, and Derek Jeter and Gary Sheffield are both hitting above .300. But the well-documented struggles of Jason Giambi continue and "Godzilla" Matsui has hit only three home runs thus far after knocking 31 out last year. If the pitching can ever catch up to the offense, though, don't discount the Yanks having a midseason surge toward the pennant.

3. Washington Nationals

Maybe the idiom that a change of scenery does a world of good really is true. After languishing in Montreal since the 1994 strike, the former Expos are making a good showing early on. Who'd have thought they'd be above .500 and in position to battle for the wildcard at this point?

Offensively, the Nats aren't the most potent club in the league, ranking in the lower third of the National League in the power stats. But, they're the third-best hitting team in the league at .272. Nick Johnson and Jose Guillen both are hitting above .300 and when Wil Cordero comes back from his injury, the offense should gain a little more pop.

On the hill, John Patterson's 2.98 ERA ranks 10th in the league and Livan Hernandez is second in wins with six. Both Hernandez and Esteban Loaiza have respectable ERAs of under 4.00 and Chad Cordero is tied for sixth in the league with nine saves. And while the pitching staff isn't leading the league in any of the major categories, they've been quite consistent, ranking in the middle of the pack in the vital stats like ERA, opponents' batting average, runs allowed and walks allowed. If the pitching can stay consistent and the offense pick up just a tad, Washington could make things quite interesting down the
stretch.

4. Jon Garland

Wow. Seven and oh. And he's the White Sox' number five guy. That in itself is surprising. But a pair of four-hit, complete game shutouts is pretty amazing, along with an AL third-best 2.39 ERA. Here is a guy who's had only one winning season in the majors, and that was a less-than-stellar 12-11 record last year. His first five seasons in the bigs have been uneventful, but he somehow has gotten it together this season. Could we be seeing the beginning of a Sandy Koufax-esque turnaround?

5. Clint Barmes

Tell me quickly: who is the leading hitter in the major leagues right now? Ichiro? Albert Pujols? Johnny Damon? How about the guy mentioned at the beginning of this section. That's right. Colorado shortstop Clint Barmes is hitting a MLB-best .386. Maybe not too surprising since he's a rookie hitting in Coors Field, but glancing back at what he's done in the past and how he's doing it this year is quite astounding.

Barmes was a career .281 hitter in the minor leagues and managed only one season hitting better than .300 (.328 last season at AAA Colorado Springs). Maybe that was a shadow of things to come because not only is he hitting the ball well, he's hitting it consistently. It's not like he's going 0-4 one night and 4-5 the next. He's hit safely in 13 of his last 14 games and is the only NL shortstop to rank in the top 50 in home runs and RBI. Maybe this guy will be the next A-Rod or Jeter of the National League.

Maybe diehard fans of these teams or players aren't surprised by what's taken place so far (unless you're a Yankee fan), but they were able to get a brief "Really? Wow!" out of me. Now it will be interesting to see if these surprises fade away or become standard.