We are about two weeks into the MLB season and just like every other season, baseball fans were waiting to see what great stories and breakouts would happen this year. Yes, the baseball season is still very young and the sample sizes are small, but we can now see and follow how players and teams who start the season off hot continue their success or tail off in the upcoming months. Here are the players and teams that have surprised early this season.
Players:
Jose Abreu
Cuban born players are becoming very reliable ballplayers in the MLB. Players like Aroldis Chapman, Yasiel Puig, and Yoenis Cespedes come to mind, but now it’s Jose Abreu’s turn. The 27 year old is certainly making an impact with the Chicago White Sox as he has the characteristics of a power hitter. Through 12 games Abreu has 4 home runs and 14 RBI’s. He shows no signs of stopping so keep on eye on him, he could have a special rookie season.
Charlie Blackmon
Charlie Blackmon opened some eyes up on April 4th in a game against the Diamondbacks as he accomplished a very rare feat which was getting 6 hits in a game. In that game he only fell a triple shy of the cycle, but Blackmon hasn’t hung his hat on one night, he currently is hitting for a .500 batting average with 19 hits in 12 games. Playing most of his games in hitter friendly Coors Field should only help Blackmon continue his hot streak.
Chris Colabello
Colabello has been a nice surprise to the Twins lineup so far. We first saw him play in the WBC with team Italy in 2013 and now he is an everyday major league player. Chris has a .286 batting average with 14 RBI’s through his first 11 games including a 6 RBI game. He has shown some decline in his average in his last games so now he will have to prove that he can continue to hit throughout the full year.
Emilio Bonifacio
If I were to ask you “who is leading the league in hits?,” the first player that comes to mind probably wouldn’t be Emilio Bonifacio, but yes, he currently leads the MLB with 20 hits in 10 games that he has played. After a disappointing season with the Toronto Blue Jays last season, it appears that Bonifacio has found a home in Chicago. Unfortunately for the Cubs though, Bonifacio’s success hasn’t really translated into the Cubs record which is 4-7.
Teams:
Milwaukee Brewers
Very few people had the Brewers as contenders for this upcoming season and that’s what they look like right now, contenders. They now have a 9-2 record which is the best in the MLB. They also had a impressive first road trip of the season going a combined 6-0 in their first two visits to Philadelphia and Boston. If the middle of this lineup can stay healthy with Braun, Ramirez, and Lucroy look for this team to be able to compete as they have shown a potent offense and some very decent starting pitching with Gallardo, Lohse, and Garza.
Miami Marlins
Yes, their record is only 5-7 and they have lost their last 6 games, but this team will be much better than once expected. Jose Fernandez is the ace of the staff and will carry most of the load of the rotation, but when you add Nathan Eovaldi and Henderson Alvarez, that’s a pretty good 1-2-3 in the rotation. The offense has some good moments as well, Giancarlo Stanton keeps hitting long home runs and the additions of Casey McGehee and Jarrod Saltalamacchia have added some depth to the Marlins’ lineup.
Fun Fact:
The Milwaukee Brewers and the Washington Nationals have both been playing good baseball with records of 9-2 and 7-4 respectively, but the interesting thing about their records is that if they didn’t have to face the Atlanta Braves early in this season both the Brewers and Nats might have been undefeated until now. All of the the Brewers and Nationals losses have come against the Atlanta Braves. Let’s see who becomes the next team(s) to beat these two teams.
