6 MLB Teams in Danger of Disappointing in 2012

Every year the MLB is full of surprise teams, but this year, more teams than usual seem like they will disappoint.

Four division winners from last year are currently out of first place, and multiple other teams who had large expectations for 2012 are struggling.

Here are six teams that seem likely to continue to disappoint as the 2012 season continues.

Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox enter every season with high expectations, and this season was no exception.

With a strong offense featuring Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz, the Red Sox were expected to be among the league leaders in runs, and indeed, they are at this point in the season.

Unfortunately, their pitching has been abysmal, ranking 28th in the MLB in ERA. Josh Beckett has been the best of the starters, and his ERA is still hovering at 4.04. 

Out of the bullpen, the Sox aren't much better, with closer Alfredo Aceves blowing three of his 17 save opportunities and being the owner of a 4.99 ERA. 

Nobody questions the Red Sox talent, but they desperately need to figure out their pitching, or their high expectations going into the season will be for nothing.

Detroit Tigers

Like the Red Sox, the Detroit Tigers have featured a solid offense with horrendous pitching, which has limited the 2011 AL Central champs from being a standout team in 2012.

After a successful 2011 campaign and the acquisition of Prince Fielder, the Tigers were confident heading into 2012.

Unfortunately, that confidence hasn't translated into wins yet for the Tigers. Despite solid seasons from Fielder and Miguel Cabrera, the Tigers are well below .500 and don't appear to be heading in the right direction.

The Tigers do have hope though. Their pitching has been bad, but Justin Verlander remains one of the game's best pitchers. Meanwhile, Rick Porcello and Max Scherzer have the ability to bounce back from rough seasons.

Jose Valverde has not been his usual sharp self this season either, blowing three save opportunities this year. He is too good to not bounce back, and the rest of the bullpen has performed reasonably well.

Ultimately, the Tigers' season will come down to the quality of their pitching, which has been poor outside of Verlander, Valverde and the occasional solid performance from Drew Smyly.

They have the ability to bounce back, but for everything to come together in that pitching staff would be a minor miracle, so the Tigers will likely end up disappointing this year.

Los Angeles Angels

The Los Angeles Angels made the biggest move of the offseason, signing megastar Albert Pujols to kick-start the offense.

Making a major signing like Pujols greatly increases expectations, so for the Angels to be behind the Texas Rangers for the AL West crown and the New York Yankees for the wild card spot is alarming.

Unfortunately, Pujols has been unable to do carry the offense, as the Angels are in the bottom third of the league in run production.

The problem with the offense is mainly a lack of power. The Angels are towards the bottom of the league in extra-base hits.

On the flip-side, the Angels starting pitching has been excellent. Four of their five main starters tout ERAs below 4.00, and as a team, the Angels are sixth in ERA.

Unfortunately, the bullpen has let the Angels down at times, with nine blown save opportunities.

The Angels are still in contention for a playoff spot, but they'll need Pujols to continue to acclimate to Los Angeles, and they'll need their relief pitchers to step up and perform under pressure.

Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks were heading into 2012 hoping to maintain their level of play from their excellent 2011 season, but to this point, they have been unable to do so.

Sitting at .500 and well behind in the division and in the wild card races, the Diamondbacks are struggling to be anything more than a marginal team this season.

With an offense than ranks 19th in run production, the Diamondbacks have not been able to reliably produce run support for their surprisingly good group of starting pitchers.

Like many of the disappointing teams from this season, the Diamondbacks are mostly let down by their bullpen, which has blown nine saves to this point.

The Diamondbacks are simply an average team statistically, which means they could still go either way. They have talent in their pitching staff, but they must produce more runs and be able to close out games if they hope to defend their 2011 NL West championship.

Milwaukee Brewers

After losing one of their major stars in Prince Fielder, the Brewers expectations were tempered slightly after a superb 2011 season, but with Ryan Braun leading the way, they still should be in playoff contention.

Unfortunately, the Brewers sit below .500 and are in fourth place in the NL Central, with their pitching mostly to blame.

The Brewers actually have a decent core of starters in Zack Greinke, Shaun Marcum and Yovani Gallardo, but a rough season from Randy Wolf has really hurt the Brewers. Likewise, Gallardo seems to have digressed from his excellent play the past three seasons.

The bullpen has also struggled at times, with a mediocre ERA as a group. Despite quality seasons from Greinke and Marcum, the Brewers are 24th in team ERA, mostly due to the performance of Wolf and the bullpen.

Ultimately, the Brewers have a better chance to bounce back than a lot of the teams on this list, as they are not far away from contending in a weaker NL Central. With some minor improvements to their pitching, they could contend again this season.

Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies' resurgence as one of the MLB's major powers was perhaps the story of the past ten years in baseball.

Unfortunately, all good stories have to end, and this could be the year the wheels finally fall off for an aging franchise.

The loss of second baseman Chase Utley has hurt the team immensely, as his leadership and his bat are invaluable.

Ultimately, though, the problem lies in the bullpen.

Eight blown save opportunities and poor performances from the team's middle relievers have made no lead safe in Philadelphia.

Even a solid season from Jonathan Papelbon is not enough to save this group from being the bane of Philadelphia sports.

The Phillies are a team that is built to win now. Players like Jim Thome, Jimmy Rollins, Roy Halladay and even Shane Victorino are aging and might not get another chance like this.

If Philadelphia, anything less than a playoff berth is a disappointment. Unfortunately, that looks like where this season is heading for the Phillies.