It’s still early in the 2023 MLB season, but we are starting to see some trends.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have been a pleasant surprise, the Oakland Athletics remain very bad, and the St. Louis Cardinals have been inexplicably struggling.
Most teams have played four series already, and three of them still haven’t lost one.
Three teams still haven’t lost a series this season 👀 pic.twitter.com/ByTxLpCJDo
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) April 13, 2023
The Tampa Bay Rays not only haven’t lost a series, but are MLB’s only undefeated team and hold an incredible 12-0 record as of Thursday afternoon.
The New York Yankees have a fairly solid 8-4 record that would be good enough for first place in most divisions.
The Arizona Diamondbacks, however, have perhaps been MLB’s biggest surprise together with the Pirates.
They are 8-5, leaders of the tough NL West that also includes the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants.
Led by brilliant young outfielder Corbin Carroll and ace Zac Gallen, Arizona has been more competitive than previously anticipated.
They had been toying with a breakout for a couple of years now, and might be ready to take that step this year.
They have very good young pieces: Carroll, Josh Rojas, Geraldo Perdomo, Gabriel Moreno, Ryne Nelson, Drey Jameson, Jake McCarthy, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and more.
Veterans like Christian Walker and Merrill Kelly could be really useful once they find their top form, and if the team makes the bold, but right decision to replace Madison Bumgarner in the rotation (7.27 ERA and similarly bad performance in recent years) it could take another step forward.
The D-Backs might not be good enough to finish first in the division, but they may fight for a spot in the playoffs via one of the Wild Cards.
NEXT:
The Diamondbacks Suddenly Have A Star Behind The Plate
