AL East

1. Toronto Blue Jays (33-24)

The Blue Jays are one of the hottest teams in baseball. They went 21-9 in May to propel themselves to the top of the division. They win with one of the best offenses in baseball that hits a lot of homeruns. Their strong May was primarily sparked by a historic month from slugger, first baseman Edwin Encarnacion who hit 16 homeruns and had 33 RBIs. Overall, he has 19 homeruns and 50 RBIs. Superstar Jose Bautista is having another monster year batting .313 with .438 OBP, 15 homeruns, and 44 RBIs. The two stars are getting plenty of help. Outfielder Melky Cabrera is having a much better second season in Toronto batting .308 with 10 homeruns. Former top prospect Brett Lawrie is also heating up with 10 homeruns. This team has plenty of power. Of course, the return of leadoff man and star shortstop Jose Reyes has helped. He is an electrifying player and is a game breaker at the top of the lineup with his speed. While their offense will continue to carry them, they will need their pitching to stay adequate to maintain their performance. Mark Buehrle is off to a great start at 10-2 with a 1.21 WHIP and 2.04 ERA. While he is a veteran and a competitor, he will come back to Earth since his 52K/25BB ratio is average at best. Buehrle has been a good pitcher and workhorse over his career but he is far from an elite, true ace. Besides Buehrle, Drew Hutchinson has pitched very well. The rest of the rotation is very average. The Blue Jays traded top prospects to the New York Mets to acquire the reigning NL Cy Young award winner, RA Dickey, two years ago. That year appears to be a fluke, career year since Dickey is not even to the same pitcher. Another factor for the winning streak of the Blue Jays is the return of their closer, Casey Janssen, who was hurt at the start of the season. Since returning on May 12, he has 11 saves with 0.69 WHIP and 0.00 ERA. The other relievers were terrible in his absence. Janssen stabilizing the bullpen has been critical but their offense has received all the accolades so far.

The Blue Jays spent a lot of money to acquire big name players going into last season. They went into last season with huge expectations and were a trendy pick to win the division. They were a complete flop last year. However, it takes time for a new mix of players to come together sometimes. It appears to be the case with the Blue Jays. They are the class of the AL East to date and the only team in the division with a positive run differential. I give them a ton of credit for playing great. I am still skeptical whether they can sustain it for a season. I do not believe in their pitching and the other teams in the division will play better as the season progresses. Nevertheless, the Blue Jays are among the best teams in baseball this year.

Grade: A

2. New York Yankees (29-25)

The Yankees were ravaged by injuries last year and are facing the same problem this year. They are staying afloat due to the contributions of their new ace, Masahiro Tanaka, and a stellar bullpen. He was given a massive contract but there were questions on whether his dominance was going translate to the Major Leagues from Japan. He has answered all the questions and has significantly exceeded all expectations. He is 9-1 with 0.96 WHIP, 2.02 ERA, and a ridiculous 92K/13BB ratio in 84.2 innings. He is already one of the best pitchers in baseball and an early frontrunner to win the AL CY Young Award. While the overall numbers of the bullpen are average because of blowups from the lesser relievers, their best relievers have been dominant. Rookie setup Dellin Betances has been unhittable and reminding Yankees fans of the dominant 1996 season Mariano Rivera had as a setup man. Betances has a 0.75 WHIP and 1.50 ERA. More mind boggling, he has 61 strikeouts compared to only 10 walks in 36 innings. Adam Warren and Shawn Kelly have also had very good years as setup men. Closer David Robertson has done just fine taking over for Mariano Rivera with 14 saves in 16 chances. More impressively, he has struck out 36 Ks compared to 8 walks in 21 innings. When the Yankees have a lead going into the later innings, they arguably have the best and most dominant bullpen in the league.

Nevertheless, their injuries have been a major issue again like last year. Replacements David Phelps and Chase Whitley have done well to keep the Yankees in games while CC Sabathia and Michael Pineda are injured. CC is past his prime. Nevertheless, he is a presence in the rotation and will at least eat up innings. Pineda pitched like an ace before getting hurt. His timetable has been delayed to after the All-Star Game. He has missed most of the past two seasons so it is concerning. However, a healthy Pineda is a key to an elite 1-2 Tanaka and Pineda punch that can lead the Yankees in the playoffs. On the other side of the ball, the Yankees had an anemic offense last year. While they brought in big names to remedy the problem, they have a terrible offense to date this year. While injuries are an issue, they are to be expected since they have an older team. The answers will have to come from the players on their team. They can add a batter and probably will in the coming months but it will not matter if the hitters they already have do not pick it up. They need both Mark Teixeira and Carlos Beltran in their lineup healthy and hitting as they did before getting hurt. Free agent signings Jacolby Ellsbury and Brian McCann need to step up their game. While weathering the storm and staying above .500 is important, the Yankees will need to start putting up wins soon.

Grade: B-

3. Baltimore Orioles (27-27)

The strength of the Orioles is their offense and it has been very average this year. The primary culprit is Chris Davis. He broke out last season with 53 homeruns but he is only hitting .244 with 9 homeruns this season. Nevertheless, I am confident he will get it going and get his 30 homeruns and 100 RBIs by the end of the season. The return of young star, third basemen Manny Machado has helped. They will also need the return of star catcher Matt Wieters. The one player who has been exceptional is free agent signing Nelson Cruz. They signed him for a discounted price of $7 million. He has been sensational batting .307 with .376 OBP, 21 homeruns, and 55 RBIs. On the other hand, their pitching is average. Their starting rotation is comprised of middle and back of the rotation starters. Unless top prospect, Kevin Gausman, develops into an ace quickly; the Orioles just do not have the pitching to truly contend. Moreover, their bullpen was exceptional when they made the playoffs two years ago. It is very average this season. Zach Britton has taken over as the closer. He has pitched very well but is nothing special. Even though I do not think they are a top team without sufficient pitching, they should still be better than their record.

Grade: C

4. Boston Red Sox (26-29)

A World Series hangover is an understatement. As the defending World Series champion, they suffered a ten game losing streak in May. It is a difficult hole to dig out of even if it is the beginning of the season. However, they did well to battle back and immediately have a lengthy winning streak after the losing streak. Nevertheless, this team has real problems. They are a group of fierce and proud competitors that caught lightning in the bottle last year. Their offense has not been good. Jacolby Ellsbury was a tougher loss than they expected. Jackie Bradley Jr. has not been an adequate replacement. Moreover, they received contributions throughout the lineup last season. However, role players like Daniel Nava have not produced this year. Accordingly, they have regressed from an elite offense to an anemic offense. While John Lackey and Jon Lester are still very good pitchers at the top of the rotation, Clay Buchholz, Jake Peavy, and Felix Doubront have been terrible. I would not expect significant improvement since they are legitimately pitching poorly with terrible K/BB ratios. On the bright side, closer Koji Uehara has shown that his career year last season was not a fluke since he is as dominant as ever. Moreover, top pitching prospect Rubby De La Rosa has flashed elite stuff. I believe he will need time to adjust but he can definitely help if he progresses as the season advances. Regardless, their offense is not close to being as good as last season’s lineup and their starting pitching has regressed. It is more than a World Series hangover. Nevertheless, I would never count this veteran laden, championship team out.

Grade: C-

5. Tampa Bay Rays (23-33)

The Rays have been ravaged by injuries. Budding star Matt Moore’s elbow injury that resulted in Tommy John surgery was a critical blow. However, the walking wounded has piled up. Even the pitching depth in the Rays systems is not enough to provide adequate replacements. In addition, ace David Price has a bloated 4.03 ERA. However, he has a 101K/9BB ratio in 91.2 innings. His performance is better than his ERA suggests. On the other hand, their bullpen has been unreliable. They brought Grant Balfour back by signing him in the offseason to be the closer. He has been bad. On offense, Wil Myers was supposed to team with Evan Longoria to form a formidable middle of the lineup like they did when Myers came up last season. However, he has been completely lost and is injured. It will be a long season for the Rays. They will also have to consider trading Price at the trade deadline to get some prospects back in return since he is a free agent after next season.

Grade: D

AL Central

1. Detroit Tigers (31-21)

The Tigers are the class of the AL Central. The rest of the division has played better than expected but none of them even have a .500 record through May. The Tigers simply have more than the other teams and will continue to build their lead as the season progresses. The front half of their lineup is top notch. The trade of first baseman Prince Fielder for second baseman Ian Kinsler has worked out great for the Tigers. Fielder is out for the rest of the season due to a neck injury while Kinsler has been great at the top of the Tigers lineup setting the table for the sluggers. The Tigers also shed the massive contract of Fielder and open up first base for Miguel Cabrera to put less strain on the superstar’s body. After Cabrera’s slow start for his standards, he is back on track batting .321 with .373 OBP, 11 homeruns, and 51 RBIs. A key is the protection Victor Martinez provides behind him so pitchers are forced to pitch to Cabrera. Martinez is hitting even better than Cabrera batting .329 with .384 OBP, 14 homeruns, and 37 RBIs. They are the best 3-4 duo in the middle of the lineup in baseball. The Tigers also have a strong rotation. Reigning Cy Young Award Winner Max Scherzer is not as good as he was last year but is still pitching great with a 7-2 record, 1.24 WHIP, 3.38 ERA, and 98 Ks versus 25 walks in 85.1 innings. Anibal Sanchez has returned from injury and slots in as their second best pitcher. Rick Porcello has also been a surprise with an 8-3 record early. Former Cy Young Award and MVP Justin Verlander has clearly regressed in the past two seasons. He has been very average at 6-5 with 1.47 WHIP and 4.19 ERA. His K/BB ratio is 61/35 so the poor numbers are not an aberration. He has definitely lost some juice in his fastball and stuff. Nevertheless, he has plenty left and just needs to make adjustments. He can still throw in the mid 90s even if he does not hit triple digits on the radar gun anymore. It is more than enough to be a top pitcher. Their biggest issue remains their closer situation. They thought they corrected the problem by signing Joe Nathan, who has been one of the best closers in the league in the past decade. However, he is older and he may be regressing due to age. He has been atrocious with 1.57 WHIP and 7.04 ERA. They will give him time to work out his problems since there is really no other team in the division to challenge them. However, free agent signing and setup man Joba Chamberlain has pitched very well and could get a chance to close if Nathan cannot turn it around.

Grade: B+

2. Chicago White Sox (28-29)

After a nightmare season last year, the White Sox have played much better. They have had one of the most productive offenses this season. On offense, they are powered by rookie slugger, first baseman Jose Abreu. Even though he missed two weeks due to injury, he has 17 homeruns and 47 RBIs. In the starting rotation, they are led by Cy Young contender Chris Sale. He has missed time due to injury but is 5-0 with 0.67 WHIP, 2.06 ERA, and 58 Ks compared to 9 walks in 52.1 innings. These two players are incredible and keep the White Sox relevant to follow for the rest of the season. They are also excellent pillars to build around for the future. However, the White Sox have too many holes to be a real playoff contender.

Grade: B

3. Kansas City Royals (26-29)

The biggest issue for the Royals is obvious. They have a mediocre offense that cannot hit for power. Their young, prized hitters have not done the job. Billy Butler is batting only .246 with one homerun. Eric Hosmer is batting .259 with 2 homeruns. It is difficult to overcome such putrid production from the middle of a lineup. Their pitching has done much better as they have a solid rotation with a dominant closer in Greg Holland at the end of games. Rookie Yordano Ventura is the pitcher to keep an eye on. He throws over 100 MPH and has started well with 1.28 WHIP, 3.41 ERA, and 60 Ks in 63.1 innings. Regardless, the Royals are going nowhere if their hitting does not significantly improve. On the other hand, it had a slow start last year then got hot as they finished strong down the stretch of last season.

Grade: C+

4. Minnesota Twins (25-28)

The Twins have done well to stay afloat. However, they do not have enough to be a playoff contender. I doubt they have enough to finish at .500. Their offense is mediocre. Their superstar catcher Joe Mauer is only batting .264. Their one legitimate power threat is Josh Willingham. They signed Kendrys Morales to add punch. He will help but he will not change the fortunes of an entire lineup.  They do have a couple of young standouts to watch. Second baseman Brian Dozier is only batting .243. However, he has been very productive with .349 OBP, 12 homeruns, and 13 stolen bases. Oswaldo Arcia looks like an exciting young player since being recalled from the minor leagues. He has a cannon arm and provides some power with his bat. The one part of his game he will definitely need to improve is plate discipline because 1 walk is very poor even in only 16 games. The pitching is not that much better. The one standout has been free agent signing, Phil Hughes. He has been stellar going 6-2 with 1.12 WHIP, 3.46 ERA, and 63 Ks versus 8 walks in 75.1 innings. As a fly ball pitcher, leaving Yankee Stadium has done him good. The Twins also have a dominant closer in Glen Perkins at the back end of the bullpen.

Grade: B-

5. Cleveland Indians (26-30)

The Indians started out slow after making the Wild Card game last year.  Their pitching has been very poor early. Last season’s ace Jusitn Masterson has been inconsistent and walking way too many batters. They were expecting top pitching prospect Danny Salazar to progress towards a top pitcher this year. He has been a disaster and pitched even worse after being demoted to AAA.  On the other hand, Corey Kluber is developing nicely. He is 6-3 with 1.22 WHIP and 3.23 ERA. More impressively, he has 99 walks compared to 20 walks in 86.1 innings. Their closing situation was also shaky and John Axford lost his job as the closer. On the bright spot, young reliver Cody Allen has pitched great and will have the opportunity to close. He should stabilize the bullpen. Their hitting has had its struggles too. Nick Swisher and Carlos Santana are only batting .211 and .171 respectively. Star second baseman Jason Kipnis got injured and is only batting .238 this season. They will need these three hitters to play much better. The Indians should make a run this season and have already started playing better. However, I think they have too many holes to make the playoffs. They had a lot of things go their way last year to win a playoff spot. Things have gone against them this season and I do not think they have the players yet to compensate.

Grade: C-

AL West

1. Oakland As (34-22)

In my opinion, the As are the best team in baseball so far. They have the best run differential by far at +112 and have excellent players in the everyday lineup, rotation, and pen. They are the most complete team in baseball. They have a ton of power in the middle of their lineup. Josh Donaldson, Brandon Moss, and Yoenis Cespedes have 17, 15, and 12 homeruns respectively. Donaldson is developing into one of the best players in baseball and is their biggest presence in the lineup. Their young starting rotation has also performed very well. Sonny Gray has continued where he left off at the end of last season at 6-2 with 1.17 WHIP, 2.83 ERA, and 72 Ks in 86 innings. The 31 walks is a little high but he is still a young pitcher developing. Their other young pitchers (Drew Pomeranz, Jesse Chavez, and Tommy MIlone) have all pitched well. Scott Kazmir has also been a great free agent signing at 6-2 with 0.99 WHIP, 2.40 ERA, and 63 Ks versus only 15 walks in 75 innings. He is another early Cy Young candidate. It is impressive that the As organizational pitching depth have withstood two Tommy John surgeries to promising young pitchers, AJ Griffin and Jarrod Parker. They have also solved their closer problem with Sean Doolittle replacing struggling trade acquisition Jim Johnson. Doolittle has been great with 0.69 WHIP, 2.48 ERA, and a ridiculous 42K/1BB ratio in 29 innings this season. He is this season’s Koji Uehara.

Grade: A+

2. Los Angeles Angels (30-25)

The Angels are started the season better than they have in years. It is nothing special and it is still below the high expectations they have based on their large payroll. However, they are still within striking distance of the division unlike previous seasons when they played themselves out of it early. The strength of this team is its offense. Mike Trout is a perennial MVP candidate. He is batting .295 with a .379 OBP, 12 homeruns, 43 RBIs, and 6 steals. It is scary to think that he can play much better but it is a testament to his talent. Albert Pujols started out strong. While he is only batting .245, he does have 15 homeruns and 35 RBIs which is far better than no production when he was out for most of last season. Josh Hamilton has also returned from injury so it adds another big bat to the lineup. While their starting pitching is nothing special, it is much improved from last season. Jered Weaver and CJ Wilson continue to be its veteran anchors. Garrett Richards has stepped up to give them a solid 3 starter at 5-2 with 1.15 WHIP, 3.25 ERA, and 73 Ks compared to 27 walks in 74.2 innings. Tyler Skaggs has also been a good offseason trade acquisition. He has been an adequate back of the rotation starter. Their bullpen has been a bit shaky. Ernesto Frieri is a talented closer who can strike batters out with the best of them. However, he gives up way too many homeruns and is inconsistent. Nevertheless, they do not have much better alternatives to replace him. They tried to replace him during the season with Joe Smith but reinstalled Frieri as the closer shortly afterwards.

Grade: B

3. Texas Rangers (28-28)

It may not be the Rangers year. They have had a lot of trouble with injuries. Prince Fielder was supposed to be an impact player in the middle of their lineup and he is out for the season. Prized, young second baseman Jurickson Profar may also be lost for the season. The offense is just not producing enough power and has been average. While Fielder definitely would have helped, they need more than one hitter to turn it around. They signed Shin-Soo Choo to a big contract and need him to at least drive in more runs even if he does not need to hit homeruns. I have my doubts whether they have a strong enough lineup to turn it around. Their pitching is also concerning. Yu Darvish continues to be one of the best pitchers in the game but he needs help. Promising, young pitcher Martin Perez is another victim to Tommy John surgery this season. Matt Harrison’s career may be over with a serious condition. Veteran Colby Lewis has been terrible. Nick Tepesch has been bad. The attempt to switch Tanner Scheppers to a starter was a disaster. While Derek Holland’s return at some point this season will help, there are too many duds in the rotation. On the bright side, Joakim Soria has returned to form as one of the best closers in baseball. He has been fantastic with 13 saves, 0.68 WHIP, 2.05 ERA, and 30 Ks compared to only 3 walks in 22 innings. However, he needs more leads to rack up more saves.

Grade: B-

4. Seattle Mariners (27-28)

The Mariners are carried by their strong pitching. Felix Hernandez is one of the elite pitchers in the game. Hisashi Iwakuma is quietly a great pitcher that serves as their second starter behind Felix. Veteran Chris Young has been solid. Rookie, Cuban starter Roenis Elias has been very good going 5-4 with 1.20 WHIP, 3.64 ERA, and 70 Ks compared to 29 walks in 81.2 innings. Their closer Fernando Rodney makes it interesting in the ninth inning but he still gets it done racking up 17 saves. His setup men have been very strong too. Nevertheless, their offense continues to hold them back. They made a mega signing in the offseason when they successfully recruited Robinson Cano, who is the best second basemen in baseball. While he is hitting well batting .330, it is no surprise that his power is down with 2 homeruns now that he is playing his home games in a pitcher’s ballpark instead of the hitter friendly Yankee Stadium. While Kyle Seager has also been productive, there is not much help for Cano. The Mariners also miss first baseman Kendrys Morales, who just signed with the Minnesota Twins. I expect their pitching to continue to excel to keep them in the postseason race but I doubt they will muster enough offense to make the playoffs.

Grade: B-

5. Houston Astros (24-33)

The Astros have purposely tanked in previous seasons to get high draft picks to rebuild. While they are still rebuilding, they have picked up their game as they have begun calling up their top prospects. Outfielder George Springer is one of those top prospects. While he started out slow after his callup in April, he turned it up in May batting .294 with 10 homeruns and 25 RBIs. He will be a star and potential superstar in the future. They have also called up top first baseman prospect Jon Singleton to add even more punch to the lineup. The Astros hope that they will be their 3 and 4 hitters for years to come. Their starting pitching has also pitched much better than expected. Dallas Keuchel has been the standout at 7-3 with 1.03 WHIP, 2.50 ERA, and 70 Ks compared to 17 walks in 82.2 innings. Colin McHugh has also pitched very well. Scott Feldman and Jarred Cosart have kept the team in games. While they are still a couple years from contending, they are beginning to turn around and bringing up potential future stars that they can build around. It is a far cry from the laughingstocks they were last season.

Grade: C+