Scott Garceau: MLB's 2015 Booms & Busts
With MLB teams nearing game 100 on the schedule we've had a good chunk of hardball to analyze the 2015 field. It would downright boring if everybody was average but that's not the way this works, we've been surprised by a few teams with terrific results and there are others who have imploded between the white lines, but that's why we watch. Here are some of those teams.
Boomers
Astros
The LAstros have averaged 104 losses the last 4 years and have finished as far back as 45 games out of first place. Not this year, they've led the NL Central for most of the season and have a legit shot at post-season baseball. 2B Jose Altuve is one of the most exciting players in the game, rookie shortstop Carlos Correa is a budding star and lefty Dallas Keuchel is one of the top pitchers in the league. Looks like the LAstros have dropped the "L".
Twins
Full disclosure, I expected them to lose 90 to 100 games in '15, instead under rookie manager Paul Molitor they've done an Astros like turnaround. If the playoffs started today the Twins would qualify as a Wildcard team. They went 70-92 a year ago and with a bunch of top prospects in the system the Twins have a present and a future.
Royals
Theirs's is not a turnaround story but the defending American League champs look better than the team that made it to the 2014 World Series. The Royals have the best record in the American League and the second best record in baseball (St. Louis). The Kansas City bullpen is deeper and better than a year ago when it was lights out.
Yankees
Have they surprised you as much as they have me? I thought they would be 4th or 5th in the East. Tanaka's arm, A-Rod and Teixeira's age, the weak hitting middle infield the shaky starting pitching yikes! Instead A-Rod and Tex have found the fountain of youth, Tanaka's arm is still attached and they shorten the game to 7 innings with bullpen stars Betances and Miller. Damn Yankees!!
Busts
Mariners
A very trendy pick in '14 to win the West and perhaps make it all the way to the World Series. Forget about it! Last time I checked the Mariners were in last place about a dozen games back. Robinson Cano was 0 for April, May and June; Nelson Cruz has been very good but the Mariners still rank 14 of the 15 AL teams in runs scored. They're last in batting average and even with King Felix the team ERA ranks 11 of the 15 AL teams.
Phillies
Not much to say here we expected them to be bad and they've delivered. Manager Ryne Sandberg couldn't take it and Andy McPhail has been called in to dismantle the worst team in baseball.
Red Sox
The "experts" saw a worst to first story in the making this summer at Fenway. Instead it looks like a worst to worster nightmare in New England. The last place Red Sox have lost 7 straight to fall 11 games below .500. Boston has 17 more errors than the Orioles and their pitching is the worst in the American League.
Tigers
Detroit's run at 5 straight AL Central titles has run out of gas. The Tigers look more like a .500 team than a championship team. The Tigers are old (see Verlander, V-Mart) and hurt (M. Cabrera and V-Mart) and star pitcher David Price is on the block. It's time to re-tool in the Motorcity.
White Sox
They won in the off-season but are losing in the on-season. The Sox were busy in the winter signing Yankees closer David Robertson, bringing in the bats of Adam LaRoche and Melky Cabrera and trading for talented Oakland pitcher Jeff Samardzija. Add this to one of the top pitchers and hitters in the game (Sale and Abreau) and it should be better than last place about 15 games out.