MLB's Biggest Winners and Losers from the First 2 Weeks of the 2018 Season
The 2018 Major League Baseball season hasn't yet escaped small-sample-size territory. But after two weeks of play, we certainly know more now than we did on Opening Day.
So, let's go ahead and break it down.
We're here to discuss the early winners and losers of the 2018 season. Officially, there are only five of each. Unofficially, there are actually a lot more. Because in times like these, underneath all the big stories are plenty of smaller stories that are at least deserving of a shoutout.
Going in no particular order, let's take it away.
Winner: Shohei Ohtani
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Shohei Ohtani came from Japan with the goal to be MLB's first two-way star since Babe Ruth.
"Yeah, right," said everyone as he struggled in spring training. But now, the only thing to say is "holy" followed by a four-letter word of your choosing.
Ohtani's two starts for the Los Angeles Angels have produced 18 strikeouts, four hits and three runs allowed in 13 innings. The 29 plate appearances he's taken have turned out a 1.183 OPS and three home runs.
The 23-year-old's pitching has been marked by elite 97.2 mph fastballs and split-finger fastballs that seem to be tied to invisible strings. And among all hitters who've put at least 10 balls in play, his average exit velocity of 97.0 mph ranks fourth.
It takes real talent to do these things, folks. And if Ohtani has his way, his talent will be on display even more often as the Angels seek to return to the postseason.
Speaking of which, that quest is off to an 11-3 start that has the Angels atop the AL West standings. And Mike Trout, who was everyone's biggest baseball crush before Ohtani came along, has only recently gotten going.
Loser: Giancarlo Stanton
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As Shohei Ohtani has succeeded at impersonating Babe Ruth, another of this past offseason's high-profile acquisitions hasn't had such an easy time with Ruth's alma mater.
Giancarlo Stanton joined the New York Yankees fresh off a 59-homer season with the Miami Marlins that netted him the National League MVP award. The implication was almost unfathomable: A lineup that already had Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez was about to become even more powerful.
Stanton lived up to the hype on Opening Day with a pair of dingers and an RBI double. In 12 games since then, however, he's produced a .204/.304/.347 batting line and a 39 percent strikeout rate. His first homestand at Yankee Stadium was bookended by five-strikeout games that brought out the boo birds.
"They're not going to cheer," Stanton said of the K's. "What do you expect? I'll figure it out. I'll get to the video, figure it out."
In Stanton's defense, his figuring-it-out process is going well. He collected six hits in the Yankees' first meeting with the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. All but two of them came off his bat at over 105 mph.
Still, Stanton's struggles are one of many weights—others include Sanchez's struggles and an underperforming bullpen—on the shoulders of a team that's off to a disappointing 6-7 start.
Winner: Boston Red Sox
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Magnifying the disappointment of the Yankees' start to 2018, meanwhile, is the scorching temperature of the Red Sox.
Boston began 2018 by fumbling a lead against the Tampa Bay Rays and their Quadruple-A roster on Opening Day. But before Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Doom-and-Gloom even had a chance to get comfortable, the Red Sox ripped off nine wins in a row to claim the best start in franchise history.
Although the good times finally stopped rolling in a dinger- and anger-filled loss to the Yankees on Wednesday, the Red Sox bounced back with a win Thursday and generally have little to complain about.
On the mound, Boston is enjoying an MLB-best 2.01 ERA from its starting pitchers. At the plate, the team has enjoyed a deeper and more powerful brand of offense than it got in 2017.
In a related story, the Red Sox must be especially thrilled about the return of Mookie Betts to super-duper-stardom. With a 1.085 OPS through 12 games, he's back to hitting like the 2016 Betts who made even Mike Trout look over his shoulder in the wins above replacement race.
Add it up, and the Red Sox sure look like a team that can win a third straight AL East title.
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Loser: Los Angeles Dodgers
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And then you have the Los Angeles Dodgers, who don't seem to be fully aware the season is underway.
The 2017 Dodgers hit, pitched and fielded their way to 104 wins in the regular season and then went to the World Series. Although they were ultimately bested by the Houston Astros, the Dodgers sure as heck gave everything they had.
The 2018 Dodgers, on the other hand, are off to a 4-7 start and seemingly lucky to even be that good.
Apart from Yasmani Grandal and a rejuvenated Matt Kemp, the Dodgers offense has been unable to pick up the slack for an injured Justin Turner. And while Clayton Kershaw and his fellow starters continue to do fine work, Kenley Jansen and the bullpen have spurted out a 4.50 ERA.
The nadir of the team's season just happened on Wednesday, when the Dodgers endured a 16-6 trouncing at the hands of the Oakland A's.
"You don't see it very often, but tonight we got our butts kicked in every part of the game," manager Dave Roberts told reporters.
Elsewhere in the NL West, the Arizona Diamondbacks aren't done being a threat to the Dodgers. After winning 93 games a year ago, they're up to 9-3.
Winner: Bryce Harper
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The Washington Nationals are having their own issues living up to expectations, but things would be worse if it weren't for Bryce Harper.
Although injuries and inconsistency have regularly contributed to Harper's results lagging behind his talent, there's none of that going on in 2018. The 25-year-old has a 1.181 OPS and leads MLB with six homers.
If the fact that Harper has balanced 16 walks against only 10 strikeouts isn't a tell-tale sign that he's focused, perhaps his demeanor is. As ESPN.com's Eddie Matz tells it, Harper has toned down his outspoken personality in favor of one that's much more quiet and calculating.
That's no wonder.
For one thing, this may be Harper's last chance to lead the Nationals to the World Series title that's been frustratingly elusive since he and the team rose to power in 2012.
For another, he has a record-sized contract to secure in free agency this winter. He'll only get that if he hits like the guy who won an NL MVP in 2015 and was on track to win another in 2016 before the injury bug returned to bite him.
So far, so good.
Loser: Dallas Keuchel
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Right now, the closest thing there is to an inverse of Bryce Harper is Dallas Keuchel.
Granted, there's less pressure on Keuchel to carry the Astros to a championship. Nor do they really need him to carry them. Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, George Springer and Justin Verlander are perfectly capable of doing that.
However, Keuchel's slow start to 2018 doesn't bode so well for him personally.
There are worse ERAs than the lefty's 4.20 mark, but that's about the only positive to be gleaned from his first three outings. He's allowed 18 hits in 15 innings, and eight of his nine walks have come in consecutive four-walk games. He had only one such game en route to winning the AL Cy Young Award in 2015.
All this is happening after Keuchel finished 2017 with a 4.24 ERA over 12 starts following a stay on the disabled list. He also had injury issues in 2016, which had a hand in his finishing with a 4.55 ERA.
All told, the 30-year-old has encountered more than his fair share of trouble over the last three seasons. If it continues, he may find that his Cy Young will only get him so far in an offseason free-agent market that's grown wary of older, past-their-prime stars.
Winner: Gerrit Cole
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Oh, right. There's another guy who can help carry the Astros this season: Gerrit Cole.
Cole was somewhere between a sure thing and a project when the Astros acquired him in a January trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He'd contended for the NL Cy Young Award as recently as 2015 but slumped to a 4.12 ERA across 2016 and 2017.
Well, the Astros have Cole looking like an ace.
The 27-year-old has allowed just one run over 14 innings in two starts, with 22 strikeouts and only three walks. His fastball is going strong at 95.6 mph, except it now comes with more rising action. He's also added movement to his slider and curveball.
Thus, Cole is no longer allowing way more contact than his stuff dictates. His contact rate has plummeted to a level that only Shohei Ohtani has beat.
"Gerrit's just making everybody look bad right now," Keuchel said after Cole punched out 11 San Diego Padres on April 7.
Cole's pitching is a big factor in Houston's AL-best 2.57 ERA. By extension, it's also a huge factor in the club's 9-4 start.
Loser: Texas Rangers
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Several hours to the north of Houston reside the Texas Rangers, who are wallowing in the sort of misery that was supposed to be reserved for the dregs of Major League Baseball.
The Rangers are 4-10 and every bit as bad as their record indicates they are. Their run differential is minus-33, which is eclipsed only by the Marlins and Cincinnati Reds.
Much of the blame is on a front office that filled out the team's pitching staff on the cheap over the winter. It's produced an ugly 4.94 ERA, with the starters' share accounting for an even uglier 5.64 ERA.
The only thing to say in defense of Texas' mound staff is that it's gotten little help from the team's offense or defense. The latter ranks dead last in efficiency. The former has mustered just a .655 OPS and 3.1 runs per game.
Matters aren't likely to improve for either unit in the coming weeks. Elvis Andrus, the ever-steady shortstop who's started hot with a .926 OPS, is going to be out for a while after breaking his elbow on a hit-by-pitch.
It was only two years ago that the Rangers led the AL with 95 wins. But if this keeps up, a rebuild may already be in order.
Winner: New York Mets
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Ah, the New York Mets. Now there's an example of a fringe contender making good.
The Mets finished well behind the Nationals in the 2017 NL East race, and the general consensus before 2018 opened was that history was due to repeat itself.
Instead, they have a 10-1 record.
One thing driving the team's improvement is a lineup that's not so one-note anymore. It used to revolve around power and...well, power. Now, the Mets have more synergy on offense and life on defense. The results: a solid .736 OPS and an elite rank in defensive efficiency.
But just like in 2015 and 2016, the thing driving the Mets is their pitching.
Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, Steven Matz and Zack Wheeler have been solid at the start of games. At the back end of games, the Mets owe a lot to Jeurys Familia and to the two-headed monster of Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman.
The result: a 2.47 ERA that ranks as the best in MLB so far.
Provided the Mets can avoid any "LOLMets"-related disasters, this looks like plenty to keep challenging the Nationals.
Loser: Florida Baseball
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Granted, happy times for Major League Baseball in the state of Florida have been few and far between. Neither the Rays nor the Marlins have been consistent contenders since they came into being in the 1990s.
But even by these standards, 2018 is shaping up to be a rough one.
The Rays went a respectable 80-82 last season but nonetheless stripped their roster of Evan Longoria, Steven Souza Jr., Logan Morrison, Corey Dickerson, Alex Cobb, Jake Odorizzi and Tommy Hunter—to name just a few.
The upshot is about as bad as anyone could have expected. The Rays are 3-9 and struggling to do anything well. To add insult to injury, Dickerson is responding to his baffling designation for assignment by continuing to play like an All-Star for a surprising Pittsburgh Pirates team.
The Marlins are also about as bad as expected after their own offseason fire sale. They have a 3-9 record of their own to go with their minus-35 run differential.
The insult to their injury is twofold. First: Nobody is showing up to watch their games at Marlins Park. Second: New owners Derek Jeter and Bruce Sherman are still making head-scratching moves behind the scenes.
Florida, you deserve better than this. Heck, everyone deserves better than this.
Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs, Brooks Baseball and Baseball Savant.
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