MLB: 5 Pleasantly Surprising Teams This Year

This year has been full of surprises both negative and positive. We've seen the almighty slump of Albert Pujols, along with Matt Kemp's scorching start. Not to mention, Derek Jeter has gone back to the Yankee shortstop of old, clubbing the ball at near .400 clip. Guys like David Wright, Josh Willingham, and Josh Hamilton have found there stroke and are crushing the ball. Not to mention, youngsters such as Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Mike Trout, and Bryce Harper have gotten us excited for the future.  

Through all of it, five teams have stood out to me as pleasant surprises thus far. Written off as non-playoff contenders at the beginning of the year, these squads have fought their way into being noticed.

Although we are just one month into the season, these teams aren't looking like they will slow down any time soon. And if things keep steady, we will be in for another amazing year in baseball.

Now without further ado, let's begin!

#5: New York Mets

Since day one, the Mets have been written off as last place, bottom feeders in the NL East. While each team was improving, the Mets just got worst. This offseason they took the largest payroll cut in history and were on their way into the rebuilding stage.

However, the Mets stayed optimistic. After getting off to a scorching start, the Mets have slow down a bit, but recently won two out of three from the D-Backs. If they can somehow manage to stay contenders throughout most of this year, it should be considered a success. Especially since guys like Jason Bay, Ike Davis and Mike Pelfrey have made little impact due to injury or lack of production.

The Mets are certainly not a good team on paper, but they just find ways to win. While their team ERA is pretty bad, it is mainly due to a couple of really bad starts. Johan Santana has been the Johan of old and R.A. Dickey is a solid No. 2 man. With the Phillies and Marlins off to rather pedestrian starts I'm excited to see what the Mets can do as they fight in the National League East.

#4: Tampa Bay Rays

I considered the Rays to be a contender this year. In fact, I thought they had a great chance of winning the division or coming in second behind the Yanks. However, I never dreamed of them getting off to this type of start. They hold the best record in baseball, and it doesn't seem like they will ever lose. Their small, pedestrian payroll makes this even harder to understand. Behind Joe Maddon, the Rays look simply unbeatable.

Coming into the year, the Yankees were the easy choice for the AL East crown. Many planned it out as such: 1.Yanks 2/3. Rays/Red Sox 3. Blue Jays 4. Orioles. However, due to cold starts by the Sox and Yankees, the division standings have nearly been flipped upside down. If this young team can continue to produce at a high level, I think the Rays have a good shot to make it all the way back to the World Series.

Not to mention, Evan Longoria has fallen to an injury that will put him out of action for a few months. What the Rays do without their star third baseman in these next few weeks may tell us exactly what kind of a team they can be. 

#3: Washington Nationals

With all the pickups the Nationals got over the offseason, I had them as one of my sleeper teams out in the NL East. However, I never thought they would be playing this well. Their pitching staff is flat out nasty, and Bryce Harper's call up has put more fans in the seats. Fans in D.C. are getting excited, as they should be.

Ever since moving to Washington, it's been pretty simple: The Nationals have been just terrible. However, to get to the top, you often have to hit rock bottom. This has definitely been their tactic, as they finally are contenders after years of failing. Their farm system is stacked, and you have to think they will only get better from here.

With Jayson Werth out, the Nats could cool down a bit, but not too much as they are getting production up and down their lineup. As a Mets fan I hate to say it, but I'm excited to watch this team down the road.

#2: Los Angeles Dodgers

There is only one way to describe the Dodgers thus far: Wow! Despite their torrid start where they lost only one game through the first two weeks, I wasn't too impressed. They had faced mediocre teams and took advantage of their easy schedule. However, since then they have continued their success, including a sweep of the Nationals.

Last year's MVP is picking up where he left off at the end of last season, while Andre Ethier is back to being his normal self. With the amount of talent on their roster, it is hard to understand why nobody (including myself) saw this coming.

Despite lacking a shutdown closer, their pitching has been just as solid as their hitting. Chad Billingsley and Clayton Kershaw may make up the best 1-2 punch in the National League (Could be outdone by Halladay-Lee or Strasbug-Gonzalez). The Dodgers could easily be the No. 1 team on this list, if it wasn't for one very surprising team so far...

#1: Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles haven't been good for years. For what seems like forever, they have sat at the bottom of the AL East, struggling to stay 30 games out of first place. Even after starting out hot last year, they managed to slip away into obscurity yet again. However, this year has been different. They have come out firing on all cylinders. 

It is hard to point out one thing they have done right, because they have succeeded at all aspects of the game. Their hitting was expected to be solid, but the pitching staff has surprised thus far. I hadn't really been following the team up until their series in New York. I expected the Yanks to run all over them, but the opposite happened. In the last two games of the series, the dangerous Yankee lineup was simply blown away by Jake Arrieta and Brian Matusz. 

As a pure Yankee hater, I'm happy to see the Orioles off to a good start. If they continue their success, they could be the Rays 2.0. After struggling for so many years, the Orioles have built up from within and are finally succeeding because of it.