The thing I love about baseball is that you never know what is going to happen from game to game, series to series, or even season to season.
I am going to dissect the five best records in Major League Baseball, to see exactly why this season has been full of surprises.
Here are the top five records in MLB as of today:
5. Florida Marlins (30-22)
In a division where the Mets, Phillies, and possibly the Braves, were supposed to battle it out, the Marlins are winning with a team salary of $22.65 million.
Do you know what other teams have chosen to do with that kind of money? Let's start with the Yankees. We all know that Alex Rodriguez is making more money this year than the whole Marlins squad, but did you know that Jason Giambi was too?
Giambi is scheduled to collect $23.48 million this year. That is crazy!
What would a team like the LA Dodgers do with $22.65 million? I'm glad you asked.
They would spend a little more frivolously and split that money between two players. Which two players? A leadoff hitter who doesn't walk, Juan Pierre, and a center fielder who is 1-33 with runners in scoring position with 20 Ks. Yes, the latter is none other than Mendoza-line hugging Andruw Jones.
Are the Marlins really playing this well? I say no, and here's why.
As I was doing some research, looking for evidence to back this team up, I simply couldn't find any. Florida is eighth in the NL in team ERA and eighth in the NL in batting average.
I thought, "Well, they have to be playing good team defense, right?"
Wrong! They have the worst fielding percentage in all of Major League Baseball. Maybe playing the fourth-easiest schedule in baseball has helped them out. It's a nice story for now, but with the Phillies coming on strong, I think the Marlins' joy ride is coming to an end soon.
4. L.A. Angels (32-23)
The Angels are a team that is expected to be here. The Seattle Mariners were supposed to give the Angels a run for their money in the AL West, and instead the Oakland A's are proving to be the most competition. Somehow Billy Beane has done it again.
A little side note, go read Moneyball. Those of you who have read it I'm sure can agree that it is a great read.
Anyway, back to the Angels. It was panic time early in the season when John Lackey was out and Vlad wasn't hitting. Now, they are back to the L.A. Angels that won a World Series back in 2002. They can slug out wins or manufacture runs to get wins behind stellar pitching.
Their pitching is sixth in ERA in the AL, while their batting average ranks ninth in the AL. The Angels catch the ball. They field the ball. They have played the best defense in MLB thus far.
When you don't give the other team runs, you keep yourself in games. I expect the L.A. Angles to represent the AL West in October.
3. St. Louis Cardinals (32-23)
I don't think anyone expected much from the Cardinals this season. Their ace Chris Carpenter was out, and Albert Pujols was going to be battling a sore elbow all season.



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