7 reasons this has already been a season for the ages
We’ve solely reached the midway level of the baseball season, but it surely already seems like a lot greater than that, as if we’ve crammed an entire season’s value of motion and pleasure into the primary 81 video games, earlier than we even reached the Fourth of July. Because of every thing that’s occurred and due to the best way the rule modifications have labored, it seems like this could be the very best first half we’ve ever seen.
Here are simply among the issues which have occurred to date — and belief me, that is the brief record — lower than two weeks away from the All-Star Game in Seattle:
1. Shohei Ohtani continues to make historical past
He continues to be a once-in-a-hundred-years expertise. He leads baseball in house runs with 29 and has an OPS of 1.058 with 66 RBIs. Oh, and as a beginning pitcher? He has a 7-3 file and has struck out 127 batters in 95 1/3 innings. He isn’t only a power of nature. He’s a magnum power, because the Angels have lastly develop into a respectable playoff contender, for him and for his wingman Mike Trout, who has 17 house runs this season and appears to be getting again on monitor after coping with accidents the previous few years.
2. Ronald Acuña Jr. is chasing 40/40
Acuña is again to being absolutely wholesome once more, which suggests he is absolutely again to reminding us why he was as a lot the Next Big Thing as anybody when he hit the large leagues in 2018, the identical season Ohtani confirmed up in Anaheim. The Braves speedster has 19 house runs, 51 RBIs and a .331 batting common by means of 80 video games. He is the very best participant on what appears to be like like the very best workforce, no less than to date: He has stolen 36 bases, scored 71 runs and has an on-base proportion of .408.
(While you had been studying the earlier paragraph, I’m fairly certain Acuña simply stole second.)
3. Meanwhile, Luis Arraez is chasing .400
The Marlins second baseman remains to be flirting, large time, with .400 on the midway level of the season. He got here out of the Marlins’ sweep in Boston on Thursday at .392. Wouldn’t or not it’s one thing if he hit sufficient between now and the All-Star Game to be at .400, or higher, when he exhibits up in Seattle? Oh, and the Marlins are exceeding everybody’s expectations, and they might be within the playoffs if the season began immediately.
4. Elly De La Cruz is making us say “wow”
De La Cruz, the No. 2 prospect in baseball, is so proficient and a lot a streak of sunshine, that it’s generally simple to overlook that he’s solely performed 20 video games within the large leagues. But he’s the new child on what has been such a scorching Reds workforce — one other shock membership — and a giant one. De La Cruz has already hit for the cycle, and he’s batting .301 with three homers and 11 RBIs. He is getting a variety of assist in Cincinnati, an amazing baseball metropolis coming again to life.
6. The Rays and Orioles are organising an amazing division race
These two are nonetheless 1-2 within the American League East. Coming into the season, who noticed these two golf equipment locked in a scorching divisional race? Only the Braves are on a roll much like the Rays, who in some way proceed to do all these Tampa Bay issues with a modest payroll. But as we head into the vacation weekend, the Orioles are proper there with them, simply 5 1/2 video games behind.
7. The Rangers are the brand new workforce in Texas
If you had the Rangers being the finest workforce within the Lone Star State coming into the season — and 5 video games forward of the Astros at this level within the season — you’re smarter than the remainder of us. Not solely are the Rangers, who can actually mash, taking part in this manner for the nice Bruce Bochy, they’re doing it with out Jacob deGrom, who’s out for the season after Tommy John surgical procedure.
The Reds are again. The Marlins are again. The Angels are all in for Trout, who’s solely performed three postseason video games in his profession. The Giants, who received 107 video games in 2021, are on their means again. And did I point out that the video games are quicker, together with what seems like the entire sport?
