Reading Every MLB Fanbase's Panic Meter

Being a fan of any team can be an exhausting proposition, especially when you're talking about baseball.

When things are going well with your team, it's a wonderful thing to behold. You walk around with a swagger, proudly displaying the logo of the team you support.

Conversely, when things aren't going well, you don't have that swagger—you're not as apt to walk around wearing a t-shirt, hat or jersey.

No other sport has a season that is as long or full of as many ups and downs; a season that takes fans on a emotional roller coaster—from elation and joy to despair, misery and panic.

Panic. That's an interesting one.

Sometimes it manifests itself from a simple overreaction to an event that truly isn't as important as you initially believe it to be.

Other times, it's entirely warranted.

Let's take a look at what fanbases are feeling like they're relaxing by the pool sipping a frosty beverage and who is getting close to plunging off the nearest bridge thanks to their favorite baseball teams.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Sitting with a .500 record, fans of the 2011 National League West champions expected more from their team thus far.

That being said, with a number of key players on the disabled list—namely Stephen Drew, Daniel Hudson, Takashi Saito and Chris Young—remaining within striking distance of the division leading Los Angeles Dodgers is a testament to the talent on the team and the job Kirk Gibson is doing as manager.

Panic Meter:  3

Atlanta Braves

If you asked Braves fans prior to the regular season what team would be the highest-scoring team in all of baseball a month into the season, you'd likely have heard the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels, New York Yankees and Texas Rangers as the most popular choices.

Nobody would have chosen their own team—yet it's the Braves, with 155 runs scored, who lead all of baseball in runs scored.

The starting rotation, aside from Brandon Beachy, has been inconsistent at best. But it's an incredibly talented rotation that will only get better—with the offense clicking on all cylinders, any shortcomings in the rotation have been covered up nicely.

Panic Meter:  2—They need to see more out of the rotation, but nobody has any complaints with the overall results.

Baltimore Orioles

You likely would have been committed if you walked around telling people before the season that not only would the Baltimore Orioles be nine games over .500 a month into the season and contending for the AL East pennant, but that they would have allowed less runs than anyone else in the American League.

The Orioles have done it without much production from J.J. Hardy, Nick Markakis or Mark Reynolds, and aside from Reynolds, the other two should start to pick it up sooner rather than later.

Whether or not the Orioles can maintain this in the AL East remains to be seen, but fans have to be pleased with how the team has played so far.

Panic Meter:  3—Not so much panic as waiting for the other shoe to drop. Baltimore has started off hot before only to fade quickly.

Boston Red Sox

A 7-1 finish to April has done nothing to alleviate the panic sweeping through the Fenway faithful, and for good reason.

They don't like manager Bobby Valentine one bit, and the new skipper has the team under .500 and seven games behind the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays.

While the offense has been pretty good, even in the wake of Jacoby Ellsbury's injury, the pitching has been downright atrocious, ranking near the bottom of the majors in ERA (5.44), WHIP (1.47), quality starts (12) and BAA (.274).

Did I mention they don't like Bobby Valentine?

Panic Meter:  10—The sky is falling in Boston.

Chicago Cubs

Cubs fans know that the team is finally headed in the right direction now that Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer are running the front office and Dale Sveum is at the helm in the dugout.

A proud, ravenous group of fans who wants nothing more than to see the Cubs play meaningful baseball late into the season. They're pleased with the continued development of All-Star shortstop Starlin Castro and the emergence of slugging first baseman (and early NL Rookie of the Year favorite) Bryan LaHair.

That being the case, getting rid of the albatross that is Alfonso Soriano would be a welcome sign of the team's continued progress in their rebuilding efforts.

Make no mistake about it—fans knew coming into the season that it would be a long one. Just as they did in Boston, Cubs fans are starting to buy into the mantra, "In Theo We Trust."

Panic Meter: 4—While the fans are excited about the future, they'd still like to see a competitive team on the field more often than not.

Chicago White Sox

Very few people outside of Chicago, myself included, expected the White Sox to be any good this season, but I stand corrected—White Sox fans knew what they were talking about.

While the team is hovering around .500 and their offensive production puts them right around the middle of the pack in baseball, their pitching, aside from the closer spot, has been outstanding.

Fans are far from panicked in the Windy City, though Gordon Beckham's continued inability to hit the ball has become a major concern, and Dayan Viciedo has yet to deliver on the hype that surrounded his arrival.

It's all a testament to new skipper Robin Ventura, who seems to have things moving in the right direction as GM Kenny Williams continues to rebuild on the fly.

Panic Meter: 4—Strong pitching has limited the panic in Chicago, though as mentioned, there is significant concern over the lack of production from Beckham and Viciedo in the lineup.

Cincinnati Reds

While the team is hovering around the .500 mark, Reds fans are pleased to know that the pillars of their offense—Jay Bruce, Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto—are all signed to long-term deals.

Of course, they'd feel even better if everyone not named Bruce and Votto were producing with the bat this season, as the Reds offense—hitting .236/.303/.385 as a group— ranks in the bottom third of baseball in nearly every major offensive category.

Conversely, their pitching has been solid overall, with spectacular seasons thus far from Aroldis Chapman and Johnny Cueto standing out above the rest. 

Panic Meter: 5—Fans expect the Reds to contend for the NL Central crown and need to see more out of the offense in the near future.

Cleveland Indians

It's hard to panic when your team is in first place in a division that most expected to belong to the Detroit Tigers all season long, but there are some concerns for Indians fans.

On offense, Shin-Soo Choo has battled injury and done virtually nothing on offense, resulting in him recently being dropped to the sixth spot in the lineup in an attempt to get him going.

While Derek Lowe and Jeanmar Gomez have been very good so far, the rest of the starting rotation—Ubaldo Jimenez and Justin Masterson specifically—has been brutal.

Panic Meter: 5—Pleased with the results so far, Indians fans know that in order for the team to succeed this year, Choo, Jimenez and Masterson will need to get back on track—and soon.

Colorado Rockies

In what comes as no surprise to anyone, the Rockies offense is performing while their pitching is not.

Sooner or later, fans are going to tire of the Dexter Fowler experience—he continues to not capitalize on his extensive talent.

Jamie Moyer has been the Rockies' best starter, which, while a great story, is not a good sign for a team that hoped to contend for the NL West this year. 49-year-old pitchers generally aren't the aces of a contender's pitching staff.

Panic Meter: 6—It's all about pitching, and the Rockies simply don't seem to have enough quality arms to be legitimate contenders at this point.

Detroit Tigers

A team expected to run wild through most of the American League has done anything but that so far in 2012.

Sitting with a .500 record and trailing the Cleveland Indians in the AL Central, the Tigers offense has been mediocre at best, posting a combined .247/.308/.392 hitting line.

After Justin Verlander and the surprising Drew Smyly, the starting rotation has been a disaster, providing only 14 quality starts.

Jose Valverde, who was perfect in save situations in 2011 has been anything but that in 2012. It won't be long before fans are clamoring for a change in the ninth inning.

Panic Meter: 7—Much was expected from this team in 2012 and they've managed to fall short of even the most modest expectations.

Houston Astros

There's not a whole lot to get excited about in Houston, but Jose Altuve and J.D. Martinez certainly offer some hope for the future.

Panic Meter: 2—With their impending move to the American League splitting the fanbase—a fanbase that wasn't expecting much from the team to begin with—there's more a sense of apathy than anything else.

Kansas City Royals

Royals fans expected more from this team that seemingly took the next step in their rebuilding process in 2011 with the promotion of prospects Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas to the team.

While Moustakas has played well (.304/.360/.533 with four home runs and 15 RBI), Hosmer has been dreadful (.192/.270/.385 with five home runs and 15 RBI). As a whole, the Royals' entire offense has struggled to score runs—their 100 runs scored rank 11th in the American League and 21st in all of baseball.

Even more concerning than their lack of run production is their pitching, which with a 4.53 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and .270 BAA ranks among the worst in all of baseball.

Panic Meter: 7—Fans and pundits alike expected the Royals to make some noise in the race for the two wild-card spots available this season, but so far, they've played as if they'll be making noise trying to stay out of the AL Central's basement.

Los Angeles Angels

Angels fans sure weren't expecting this.

Six games under .500, nearly eight games behind the Texas Rangers in the AL West and virtually no signs of life from the most expensive Angel in history, Albert Pujols, makes for a nervous fanbase.

Panic Meter: 9—One home run doesn't make up for a month of ineptitude by Pujols. This team needs a big winning streak and to make up ground on the Rangers for fans to feel somewhat at ease.

Los Angeles Dodgers

I'm not sure that it really matters what happens on the field for Dodgers fans at this point.

They entered 2012 with one thing on their minds—getting a competent owner in place and the crooked Frank McCourt as far away from the team as humanly possible.

That's happened, and along the way the team has played very well, holding a nearly five-game lead over second place Arizona in the NL West.

Panic Meter: 2—Fans would like to see some production out of Dee Gordon, James Loney and Juan Rivera, but overall there's really nothing to complain about in Dodgertown.

Miami Marlins

Well, it didn't take long for Ozzie Guillen to alienate his new fanbase, that's for sure.

Aside from Josh Johnson and Heath Bell, the Marlins pitching has been excellent.

Unfortunately, their offense has been in a state of constant struggle.

Offensively, Hanley Ramirez, Jose Reyes, Gaby Sanchez and Giancarlo Stanton (until recently) have been major disappointments, hitting a combined .230 with 11 home runs and 45 RBI.

Panic Meter: 9—Their offense needs to get going, and soon. Fans are at their wits' end with this team and for a team that struggles to attract people to the ballpark to begin with, they can't afford—literally—to continue disappointing those who do show up.

Milwaukee Brewers

Only the New York Mets, who have been outscored by 30 runs, have a worse run differential in the NL than the Brewers, who sit at minus-28.

Ryan Braun has played well, but nowhere near the production he had last season when he took home NL MVP honors. The rest of the offense has struggled.

Pitching hasn't been much better, with only free agents to be Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum having what you would call decent seasons.

Now with first baseman Mat Gamel out of action with a torn ACL, things could get worse before they get better in Milwaukee.

Panic Meter: 7—Fans knew things would be difficult without Prince Fielder, but they didn't expect the team to be below .500 and underperforming in nearly every facet of the game.

Minnesota Twins

Only three batters—Joe Mauer, Denard Span and Josh Willingham have done anything worthwhile on offense.

Only a handful of middle relievers—Alex Burnett, Jeff Burton, Brian Duensing and Jeff Gray have been even close to effective on the mound.

It's going to be a long season in Minnesota. 

Panic Meter: 10—Fans know that the Twins need to rebuild, but they don't have much in the way of legitimate impact prospects in the system.

New York Mets

Mets fans are pleased with the team's performance on the field—so pleased that some have gone out and gotten some artwork done on their arms.

The team has been competitive and are a fun bunch to watch.

But being the Mets, fans are leery of what lies around the corner—and with good reason.

There's a two-syllable word that still has major influence with the team that will keep Mets fans up at night until the day they're no longer associated with the franchise.

That word?

Wilpon.

Panic Meter: 5—Excited about how they're playing now, fans are leery of having the rug pulled out from under them again.

New York Yankees

The rotation is a mess.

The middle of the order hasn't really produced.

Mariano Rivera is out for the season.

The Bronx isn't burning, but people are out collecting kindling.

Panic Meter: 9—A combustible situation could explode with another major injury or a losing streak.

Oakland A's

Playing .500 baseball is the best-case scenario that A's fans saw heading into the season, and that's exactly where the team stands just over a month into the season.

With the continued development of the young pieces acquired in exchange for starters Trevor Cahill and Gio Gonzalez the real focus of the 2012 season, A's fans can look forward to an even better 2013.

Panic Meter: 5—They'd love to have a contending team, but they are content with the slow and steady progress the team's young players are making.

Phildaelphia Phillies

The rotation is great but the offense is in shambles.

Ryan Howard and Chase Utley are still out with injury and nobody's quite sure when either will be able to return.

Cole Hamels and the team have not spoken about an extension in well over a month.

Oh, and the team is playing sub-.500 baseball and finds itself in the basement of the NL East.

Panic Meter: 9—It's early, but this isn't how fans expect the Phillies to perform and they have legitimate concerns about the futures of Hamels, Howard and Utley.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Excellent pitching combined with an offense that cannot score runs equals a record under .500.

Pirates fans were hoping for more than this, that's for sure.

The Pirates offense has generated 78 runs in 27 games—an average of 2.89 per game and the worst in all of baseball.

Conversely, their pitchers have a combined ERA of 3.38—good for seventh in the game.

Panic Meter: 6—The offense needs to start producing in the Steel City.

San Diego Padres

The problem in San Diego is a familiar one—solid enough pitching but little-to-no offense.

Orlando Hudson is gone and Jason Bartlett is on his way out.

Cameron Maybin and Nick Hundley are both hitting below .200.

Yonder Alonso and Chase Headley are essentially the only two regulars who are contributing anything on offense—and Padres fans know that it takes more than two bats to win games.

Panic Meter: 6—Not that the Padres faithful had high expectations for this team to begin with, but they surely expected more offense than they've seen so far.

San Francisco Giants

As in San Diego, the problems up the California coast are the same—plenty of pitching but not enough offense.

Buster Posey has picked up where he left off prior to his injury last season and Melky Cabrera has been a pleasant surprise.

Injuries to Pablo Sandoval and Brian Wilson are troubling for a team that has been playing .500 baseball.

Panic Meter: 7—Losing Sandoval is a major blow, and nobody believes that Barry Zito can continue to pitch well.

Seattle Mariners

While their record doesn't reflect it, things aren't all bad in Seattle.

The team has some building blocks on offense in Dustin Ackley and Jesus Montero, Felix Hernandez is still pitching like the king, and top prospects Danny Hultzen and Taijuan Walker aren't far from contributing to the Mariners rotation.

Panic Meter: 4—Fans would like a winning team on the field to cheer for, but the future is getting brighter in Seattle.

St. Louis Cardinals

The defending World Series champions continue to weather the storm.

After dealing with the defection of Albert Pujols to Los Angeles and the retirement of Tony LaRussa, they've dealt with the ineffectiveness of Adam Wainwright and injuries to Lance Berkman and Chris Carpenter.

Yet they sit in first place in the NL Central, six games over .500.

As they get healthier, they'll get better.

And that makes Cardinals fans happy.

Panic Meter: 2—Fans would like to see Adam Wainwright get back on track, but there's no real issues in St. Louis at the moment.

Tampa Bay Rays

Losing Evan Longoria for up to two months is a major concern, but the Tampa Bay Rays have a deep, talented roster that should be able to keep them in the playoff hunt until their All-Star third baseman returns.

Panic Meter: 4—Concern over losing Longoria can't be understated, but the Rays still have the deepest pitching rotation in the game.

Toronto Blue Jays

Blue Jays fans were saying it heading into the season, and perhaps now others are starting to believe it—the Blue Jays have as good a shot to win the AL East as anyone else.

With a talented roster and an excellent manager, Toronto fans are extremely pleased with what they've seen so far.

Panic Meter: 2—Blue Jays fans are happy with how things are going thus far, as they should be.

Texas Rangers

The Rangers have the most potent offense in baseball and a solid pitching staff that has some spectacular pieces.

You'll find no panic in Arlington.

Panic Meter: 1—The only fears in Arlington revolve around everyone staying healthy and a possible relapse by Josh Hamilton.

Washington Nationals

The early leaders in the NL East and the owners of the best starting rotation in all of baseball, the Nationals are dealing with a plethora of injuries to key players, most notably Michael Morse, Jayson Werth and Ryan Zimmerman.

With über-phenom Bryce Harper now playing for the team on a daily basis, fans are optimistic that the team can weather the storm until their injured stars return to action.

Panic Meter: 4—As long as the team keeps winning, the panic will remain subdued. Should an extended losing streak befall the team, a wave of panic could quickly sweep over the fanbase.