The first few weeks or even a couple of months of the MLB season bring unexpected surprises and stories. The good starts that the players do not reach, as well as the early season crashes in which the big names fall.
Some of the biggest surprises of the ’09 season are examined here.
Pittsburgh Pirates / Florida Marlins / Toronto Blue Jays
Each team is off to a fast start with the Pirates at 9-6, the Marlins at an impressive 11-4 and the Blue Jays at 10-5 in the AL East. A story could be written about each of these three teams and how effective they have been through April 22. The Pirates have had some lights out pitching and have been solid at the plate. The Marlins have produced some great scoring games and mixed in some great outings on the mound. The Blue Jays have had one of the best offenses in the entire league thus far, putting up big numbers almost every night.
Fantasy Hits – Naturally, winning teams produce some of the best and most productive fantasy players. Since the three teams mentioned above were not expected to start this way, many producers have so far not been selected in most leagues. Scan your league to see if any of Toronto’s best hitters remain in free agency (Hill, Scutaro, Lind), as well as the pitching in Florida and the balance sheet that Pittsburgh has so far.
Nelson Cruz (TEX) / Carlos Quentin (CHW)
When you see these names, you’re probably wondering why I chose to put them in this surprise article from ’09 when they both have pretty colorful pasts in the league. Quentin had a monster ’08 and Cruz’s potential has been talked about in the past. Well, they both had a blast this season with Quentin already hitting 7 home runs by April 22nd. Cruz has been solid himself, hitting 6. Quentin’s wrist injury at the end of the ’08 season made people doubt that he could produce HRs at the rate he did in the early parts of 2008, but he has shown that they were wrong so far. Cruz has never lived up to his potential, but to date he has been a driving force in the Texas lineup.
Aces being mistreated
You name the ace on staff and it’s likely been enlightened in early 2009. Sabbathia, Hamels, Wang, Webb, Lincecum, etc., etc. have all seen nasty ERAs next to their name. Dan Haren, one of the best pitchers yet, has 17k in 19 innings and a less than 2 ERA, but he has a 0-3 record to prove it. Big-name pitchers across the board have not fared well and this will be an ongoing situation to follow to see which players emerge from their downfall at the start of the season and which ones continue to struggle.