MLB's Biggest Winners and Losers at the 3-Quarter Mark

As sad as it is to say, the Major League Baseball season is winding down. We have reached the point where most teams have played roughly 75 percent of their schedule, leaving a lot of room for discussion about what we have seen so far and what is still to come. 

The good part about the season nearing its conclusion is very little has been settled. Sure, we know Atlanta, Detroit and Los Angeles will win their respective divisions. Miguel Cabrera will win another MVP award, regardless of how great Mike Trout has been and will be down the stretch. Clayton Kershaw is the best pitcher on the planet and will get another Cy Young Award. 

But other than those few items, there is very little we can say with absolute certainty. That's good news for us because it gives us plenty to discuss and debate. But before we move forward, it is time to take a look back at what we have seen so far. 

Here are the biggest winners and losers up to this point in the 2013 MLB season. 

Note: All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and Fangraphs unless otherwise noted. 

Winner: Chris Davis, 1B, Baltimore Orioles

One of the great thrills of watching baseball is seeing a player "get it." Chris Davis came up with the Texas Rangers and had a bright future ahead of him as a traditional first baseman (big power, lot of strikeouts). 

Unfortunately, as tends to happen with young players in this sport, Davis wasn't able to translate his skills into results. He spent parts of four season in Texas, having instant success in 2008 with a .285/.331/.549 line in 80 games before struggling to adjust when the league caught up to him. 

The Orioles traded for Davis in 2011. He played 31 games with Baltimore that season but had his breakout campaign the next year, hitting .270/.326/.501 with 33 home runs and 85 RBI in 139 games. 

But no one could have predicted what Davis had in store this year. The 27-year-old has already blown past his home run total from 2012 with 44 in 118 games. He's gotten more patient this season, walking more than ever. The strikeouts are still a part of his game, as they always will be (29.1 percent strikeout rate). But when you have 77 extra-base hits and slug .682, it is hard to find a lot of fault with what you are doing. 

Davis has put himself into the conversation with the best power hitters in baseball, alongside the likes of Miguel Cabrera, Jose Bautista, et al. Not bad for a guy who was traded for Koji Uehara. 

Loser: Starlin Castro, SS, Chicago Cubs

If Chris Davis was a player who took the leap, Starlin Castro is one who has hit the wall and is at a crossroads in his young career.

Castro has been, based on Fangraphs' Wins Above Replacement, the third-worst player in the National League behind Milwaukee's Rickie Weeks. The Cubs shortstop has a WAR of negative-0.1 with an atrocious .247/.282/.350 slash line.

His walk rate, which was never good, has fallen to 3.7 percent. He doesn't know how to work a count or let his insanely good plate coverage work for him. 

On top of that, Castro's already porous defense continues to be problematic. He has cost the Cubs six runs with a UZR of negative-5.3, worst in the National League. 

At just 23 years old, it isn't time to completely sell on Castro. He debuted when he was 20—one year before most college juniors get drafted—and was a budding star after hitting .300-plus in each of his first two seasons. 

But this year has taken a toll on Castro's stock and left so many questions about how high his ceiling really is. Considering the money the Cubs invested in him last year, this is not looking good.

Winner: Pittsburgh Pirates

After two years of great first-half records (95-80) followed by dreadful second-half showings (60-89), the Pittsburgh Pirates are so close to breaking all of their streaks in 2013 it's not even funny. 

They currently have 70 wins, all but ensuring Pittsburgh its first season of winning baseball since Barry Bonds' final year with the club. The Pirates lead the NL Central by 2.0 games over St. Louis and 3.5 games over Cincinnati. 

Given the lack of depth in the NL after the top five teams, Pittsburgh included, right now the Pirates look like locks to at least make the postseason. Time will tell if they can outlast St. Louis for the division title. 

Pittsburgh's pitching has been incredible, ranking first in ERA (3.13), batting average against (.231) and tied for second in shutouts (14). That has helped offset the mediocre (at best) performance of the offense (19th in OPS, 23rd in runs scored). 

But even with the porous offense, the Pirates have, in my opinion, the leading contender for NL MVP in Andrew McCutchen. I can't wait for the world to see what he can do in a playoff series. 

Loser: Aging Big-Market Teams

To be a bit more specific, we are discussing the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Angels. 

The Yankees and Phillies, at least among preseason prognosticators, did not have high expectations coming into the year. We knew they were getting older and didn't have the resources (prospects or financially) to make any in-season upgrades. 

The Giants and Angels, meanwhile, were thought to be title contenders. The former because they were coming off a World Series title and essentially returning the same roster. The latter because they added firepower to an already potent offense with Josh Hamilton to offset a lack of pitching depth. 

Instead, as we reach the middle of August, only the Yankees are over .500 (61-57). Not one of these teams is going to the playoffs; they have all sorts of question marks heading into the offseason and very little answers. 

If ever there was an argument against just throwing around huge contracts to free agents to try and patch together a championship, these four teams are giving it to you on a silver platter. 

Winner: Atlanta Braves

If I told you that Justin Upton would have a three-month stretch where he hit just four total home runs, Jason Heyward's slash line would be .253/.350/.405, B.J. Upton's batting average would be around his listed weight, and Tim Hudson was out for the year, you would assume things had turned into a disaster for Atlanta.

Instead, after 118 games, the Braves have the best record in baseball (73-47), a commanding lead in the National League East that all but guarantees them a playoff spot (14 games), and just had a 14-game winning streak snapped. 

Thanks to the emergence of Mike Minor in the rotation, the deepest bullpen in baseball, incredible defensive work at shortstop from Andrelton Simmons, Brian McCann making a strong statement heading into free agency with 17 home runs and a .514 slugging percentage, and Chris Johnson's surprising .337 average, the Braves have gone from interesting contender to potential favorites. 

Of course, the road through October won't be easy with the Dodgers hitting their stride and St. Louis, the deepest team in the NL, still lurking. But the Braves are on the right track and will be able to set everything up perfectly after they clinch the division in the middle of September. 

Loser(s): Washington Nationals and Toronto Blue Jays

One year after having the best record in baseball, the Washington Nationals have hit the skids in a big way. Their offense, which wasn't great to begin with, has scuffled all year with disappointing performances (Adam LaRoche) and injuries (Danny Espinosa, Bryce Harper). 

But we thought the Nationals would be able to offset any regression from the offense with the deepest pitching staff in baseball. After all, this was a group that led the NL in starters ERA and batting average against and ranked third in strikeouts. 

Things were only going to get better in 2013 with Stephen Strasburg not having any inning restrictions, right?

The best-laid plans of mice and men...as the old saying goes. Strasburg, fresh off his first career complete-game shutout against Philadelphia, has been erratic at times this season. The rest of the rotation has also taken a step back, ranking sixth in batting average against and seventh in ERA. 

Washington's bullpen hasn't picked up any of the slack, either. That group ranks eighth in WHIP and 10th in ERA. 

Nothing has worked for the Nationals this season, making you wonder how much of that 98-win season in 2012 was more smoke and mirrors than a sign of things to come in the nation's capital. 

If we are talking about disappointing teams, you also have to include the Toronto Blue Jays. Everyone expected the Jays to at least contend for a playoff spot after adding Josh Johnson, Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and R.A. Dickey in offseason trades. 

Things haven't worked out as expected. Toronto is currently bringing up the rear in the AL East with a 54-64 record, Johnson has an ERA over 6.00, Dickey and Buerhle aren't much better at 4.46 and 4.43, respectively, and Brandon Morrow has made 10 starts. 

General manager Alex Anthopoulos has done everything he can—drafting well, trading well, increasing payroll—to get the Blue Jays back to the postseason for the first time since 1993. 

For whatever reason, the formula just hasn't worked, leaving Toronto with an offseason filled with questions about the direction to go. 

Winner: NL Rookie of the Year Contenders

Last year, the American League rookie class was kind enough to give us Mike Trout, Yoenis Cespedes, Yu Darvish and Matt Moore. We were all left to wonder when we might see a rookie class that good again. 

It turns out there was no lag in the rookie pool, but you did have to switch leagues. Here are some of the names to break out in the NL rookie class for 2013: Shelby Miller, Jose Fernandez, Yasiel Puig, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Julio Teheran, Tony Cingrani and Trevor Rosenthal. 

There may not be a star in that group at the level of Trout—because no one in baseball is at that level (sorry, Miguel Cabrera fans)—but it is deeper in star power than said AL class. 

Fernandez has actually made Miami relevant once every five days. Miller continues to be the most consistent performer in the class. Ryu has turned into a nice mid-rotation starter. Cingrani is incredibly valuable as a do-everything arm for the Reds. Teheran has turned his season around after a slow start to prove he belongs. Rosenthal has followed his breakout postseason last October with a 79-14 strikeout-to-walk ratio. 

Then there is Puig, who has been the talk of baseball for nearly two months with his all-out, energetic style of play that can get him in trouble when he isn't hitting mammoth home runs or making throws from the warning track to first base on a rope. 

Just an incredible collection of young talent in the National League this season. 

Loser: AL Rookie Class

I don't think anyone was expecting this year's AL rookie class to be great or deep because a lot of the high-ceiling talent (e.g. Boston's Xander Bogaerts and Jackie Bradley, Cleveland's Francisco Lindor, Minnesota's Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano) were at least one year away from the big leagues. 

It also didn't help that we knew the Rays weren't going to bring up Wil Myers until midway through the season to delay his arbitration clock, and Texas had nowhere to put Jurickson Profar (despite keeping him on the 25-man roster while playing sparingly until the start of July). 

But this year's group has been filled with a lot of part-time players or players coming back from injury and unable to accrue enough service time to put a dent in the rookie race. 

Myers would have to be considered the favorite for the award right now despite playing just 44 games. He also has the hype and upside to be a very good winner when looking back on it in the future, even if his total games played is a little low. 

Texas' Martin Perez could be the No. 2 candidate with a 3.44 ERA in just 68 innings over 11 starts. 

Chris Archer could challenge his teammate in Tampa but will have to sustain a .238 BABIP and pedestrian 1.90 strikeouts per walk the rest of the year. 

Jose Iglesias, traded from Boston to Detroit (not sure how that will stick with voters), will have the chance to play every day at shortstop, where he is a sterling defender despite not being able to hit. (His slash line since the All-Star break: .209/.209/.254.)

Cleveland's Yan Gomes leads all AL rookies with a 2.6 WAR but serves as a backup catcher and has only played in 53 games. 

It would not be a surprise if the AL Rookie of the Year winner played in less than 100 games or threw less than 120 innings.

At least next year we will (likely) be able to talk about Bogaerts, Sano, Lindor, Mark Appel, Kyle Zimmer and others.

Winner: People Who Like Playoff Races

I completely understand those who don't like the addition of a second wild card in each league. I am not a fan of it, even if it does give some semblance of hope to franchises that otherwise would not have any right now. 

But it is hard to argue with the results right now. Looking at the standings, there are three division races that I am confident in saying are over (NL East, NL West, AL Central). But even the teams in the NL West and AL Central, specifically Arizona, Cleveland and Kansas City, still have hope because of the second wild-card spot. 

The three other division races are incredibly compelling. Boston, Tampa Bay and Baltimore are all within 6.0 games of each other in the AL East. Texas and Oakland are separated by just one game in the AL West. Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Cincinnati are separated by five games. 

Yes, some of the drama gets taken out of those races because of the two wild cards. St. Louis and Cincinnati are both going to the postseason—the only question is if they play each other in a one-game playoff or in the division series. 

But the AL wild-card race will provide you with plenty of drama, as the loser of the AL West will be battling it out with Tampa Bay and Baltimore for the final playoff spot. 

All told, there are still 14 teams with legitimate playoff hopes. That will make for a very interesting August and September as we try to separate the wheat from the chaff. 

Loser: Biogenesis Suspendees

It seems only fitting to end with the one thing that has hovered over the 2013 season like a dark cloud just waiting to rain down on the sport. Biogenesis was a story that was unleashed in January, only to see MLB keep it alive by doing an internal investigation into the players mentioned in the Miami New Times report. 

Things slowly started to take shape in July when Major League Baseball suspended Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun the rest of the season (65 games) for his involvement with the Anthony Bosch-run clinic. 

The hammer finally dropped on everyone else Aug. 6, when suspensions of 50 games were announced for a dozen players. Included in that list were Detroit's Jhonny Peralta and Texas' Nelson Cruz, key cogs for two teams with playoff aspirations, and San Diego shortstop and 2013 All-Star Everth Cabrera. 

But the biggest fish in the pond was Alex Rodriguez, who was given a 211-game ban through the 2013 season. He has since appealed that suspension and a ruling is expected to come after the season, allowing him to play the rest of this year. 

This whole situation has taken away from what has been an incredibly compelling season up to this point. Cruz and Peralta, both heading into free agency after the season, are reportedly "highly unlikely" to appear in the postseason, should their respective teams make it that far, after they are eligible to return. 

Who knows what, if anything, the impact of this whole scandal will be in the future. But no one can say that Bud Selig and MLB didn't at least try to do everything in their power to send a loud, clear message. 

If you want to tell me your biggest winner or loser so far this season, or anything else baseball related, feel free to hit me up on Twitter with questions or comments. 

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