Start of 2018 MLB Season

There was a lot of anticipation for the 2018 baseball season after the exciting 2017 playoffs and World Series. The wait was almost over and many people were looking forward to the off season player moves, but since no moves were made disappointment was widespread. However, there was one big move: Derek Jeter bought the Miami Marlins and soon traded Giancarlo Stanton to the New York Yankees.   Everyone went wild and the hype around the Yankees began. The Yankees are struggling within their lineup, and have a record of 6 wins and 7 loses, thirteen games in. Cross state rival, the New York Mets, has the best start in franchise history, starting the season with a 10-1 record.

The Washington Nationals are also in the NL East with the Mets and are coming off their 2017 playoff run. They are not coming out of the gate as they’d hoped, starting with a 6 and 7 record and a slow offense. The Cleveland Indians are coming off a World Series loss and an ALCS loss last year. Indians had a slow start with a 4 and 5 record and a high of .200 batting average. The warmer weather did them some good, as they have had 4 straight wins and back to back 10 hit games. The Astros are coming off of their World Series win and are doing as expected with a 9 and 4 record. There is a new leader in the AL West, the Los Angeles Angels. With the addition of Japanese star Shohei Ohtani, a dual threat player who hits and pitches for the team, which is having a tremendous start with three home runs,  2 wins with a 2.08 ERA while on the mound and 18 strike outs.

Back in the NL, the Diamondbacks have a 3 game lead in the West, starting off right from their playoff run last year. The NL Central has an unexpected leader, the Pirates coming up strong with a 9 and 3 record, while the Cubs are sitting at .500 on the season. While it is still early in the season, we already have a good idea of what teams have for this long season.