Midterms, Part 1

Since the MLB season is just about halfway completed, I thought I'd grade each team's performance thus far, given the expectations they all had before the season started. Today I will comment on the American League, and tomorrow will be the National League. Let me know your thoughts.

AL EAST

Boston Red Sox (47-31) Grade: A
A slow start could have demoralized a bad team, but not the veteran Red Sox. This team is tough, with a ton of fight, and the countless injuries don't seem to be affecting them at all. The more they get hurt, the better they play. After nearly being written off by the media, the Sox are only a game out of 1st in the division, and have the best hitting squad in MLB. Expect Boston to be in the playoffs.


Toronto Blue Jays (40-38) Grade: A-
Sure they are in 4th place, but I expected very little from this team after losing Roy Halladay in the trade to the Phillies. With a recent history of under performing stars, this team seemed destined for the cellar. The playoffs are certainly out of reach, but the Jays have shown they can win some exciting games. Consider this, three of the last five seasons, the Jays had a record better than .500. Imagine if they played in the AL Central.


New York Yankees (47-29) Grade: B+
Sure they own the best record in baseball right now, but give it a week and we'll see if that is still true. Too many stars have underperformed; AJ Burnett, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Javy Vazquez. They continue to win games, so fans need not be too worried, as playoffs should definitely be in their future, but if they want to win the division and repeat as champs, they'll need those stars to shine.


Tampa Bay Rays (44-32) Grade: B-
All of the baseball world was patting themselves on the back for picking the Rays to do great things this season. They finally started showing some weakness though and have been spiraling downward. Their dominant lead over the Yanks/Sox early on is now a two game deficit. This is a very good team, but they have to play near perfect baseball all season to keep up with the Yanks/Sox. They were for a couple months, but not anymore.


Baltimore Orioles (23-53) Grade: Epic F
It is hard not to feel bad for O's fans; or Royals, Pirates, and Reds (until this season) fans. These teams have gone decades without seriously competing for a championship. The O's are attempting to break records, only for the wrong reason, (they are on pace to win less than 50 games). They do have young talent in Adam Jones, Felix Pie, and Matt Wieters, but to put a season's hopes and dreams on just them and little pitching is ridiculous. The O's need drastic help in drafting, player development, and free agency, which can only be done by firing the general manager.

AL CENTRAL

Minnesota Twins (43-35) Grade: B+
The Twins seem to stay competitive every season, and this year is no different. Losing Joe Nathan could have ended their season before it started, but his replacement, Jon Raush has filled in nicely, and Ron Gardenhire knows how to manage teams to win, so the Twins barely stumbled. The new stadium looks great and overall, the Twins have a good outlook to make the playoffs.


Detroit Tigers (41-36) Grade B
Another team in this division with a superb manager, in Jim Leyland. The Tigers have the umpires against them, it seems, (Armando Galarraga's perfect game, Johnny Damon's called third strike; both admitted failures of umpires), but they still remain in contention. The moves they made in the offseason seem to be paying off, Austin Jackson in particular, so hopefully Joel Zumaya's injury doesn't affect them too much.


Chicago White Sox (40-36) Grade B
The top three teams in this division all have great managers in common. The only difference with the ChiSox is that Ozzie Guillen tends to be dysfunctional. He has kept that in check thus far, and so the Sox are winning. The Cubs are keeping the spotlight off their neighbors to the south, so the Sox have been flying under the radar. Unless injuries plague one of these teams, it seems that another one game playoff is likely.


Kansas City Royals (33-45) Grade: F
I am tired of the small market excuse for these perennial losers (Royals, O's, Pirates, etc.). If the Rays, Padres, Twins, etc. can compete with little funds, the only thing holding the "losers" back is poor management. I blame the general managers more so than the coaching staffs. The GM decides who to put on the team, and the Royals only have a couple talented players each year. To have to depend on that is a joke. Zach Greinke can't be expected to carry a team and that is showing in some bad starts. The Royals only bright spot is that they are not the worst team in the division.

Cleveland Indians (29-47) Grade: F
Imagine the Tribe won the AL Pennant in 2007. Imagine they kept CC Sabathia and Cliff lee to make Fausto Carmona a great number three starter, instead of a forced number one. Imagine the Indians' management spent more money to build a dynasty. Imagine the Tribe was selling out games at record pace again. Well that is all Indians' fans can do, imagine. This team is still rebuilding since the dismantling of that 2007 squad, so they shouldn't be expected to win championships yet. But as a fan, you would want them to remain competitive in a division that sees a different winner almost yearly.

AL WEST

Texas Rangers (46-30) Grade: A+
The Rangers' game plan for pitching, written by Nolan Ryan, is paying off, though we'll see how strong their arms are in October. Their pitching will be what brings them to the playoffs, and after years of stacking their teams with just hitting, management learned pitching is what they needed. That and Nolan Ryan.



Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (44-35) Grade: A
As usual, the Angels are contending for the division crown. I should have known better than to bet against them, especially after last season's remarkable run. This year, they are minus their ace (Jon Lackey), minus their big bat (Vladimir Guerrero); but plus an All-Star game and plus younger talent. The Halos are proving that maybe they didn't need Vlad or Lackey. They can win regardless.


Oakland Athletics (38-40) Grade: B
This team revolves around Dallas Braden. He ignited them twice so far; the first in verbally fighting through the media with Alex Rodriguez, and the second in notching a perfect game. They probably won't win the division, but they are definitely playing respectably and finishing above .500 is in sights.



Seattle Mariners (32-44) Grade: F
High hopes after a promising finish last year and a spectacular offseason quickly faded with an awful start. Cliff Lee and Felix Hernandez were supposed to hurl through the AL West to win the division. Chone Figgins and Milton Bradley were supposed to provide slugging support to help make the playoffs. Milton had a breakdown and Ken Griffey, Jr. slept through games (both in the dugout and at the plate). All hope of getting Griffey his ring are now thrown out of the window.