Welcome back to another edition of Who's Hot and Who's Not. With the MLB season nearly halfway through, we've got a good idea of which teams are hot and which are not. Enjoy the rankings!
Who's Hot:
Arizona Diamondbacks:
The Diamondbacks somehow sit atop the NL East ahead of the juggernaut Dodgers, stacked Padres, and solid Giants. During the 2021 season, they were the MLB's joke, having the most losses, but in just two seasons, the script has completely flipped. They hold the second-best winning percentage in the National League and have won 7 of the last ten games. The D-Backs rank 8th in OBP, 4th in OPS, and 18th in ERA. They are not even a top team statistically, making this 1st-place feat all the more impressive. A sizeable contributor to the D-Backs' success is the rookie Corbin Carrol, who is undoubtedly the fastest man in baseball. Carrol even gets to use his speed quite often, as he ranks second in OPS, with .978. Outplaying the Dodgers for 162 games is not an easy task, but the outlook on the Diamondbacks' season is hopeful.
Los Angeles Angels:
For many years, the Angels have had the reputation of having some of the most elite players but have been consistent underperformers. But similar to their neighbors in Pheonix, the team has turned a new leaf this season. They are in the runner-up position in the AL West, with the defending champion Astros behind them. The American League is particularly competitive this season, but the Angels have tied for the second wild card spot and won 8 of their last ten games. They are easily a top-ten hitting team, ranking 7th in OBP, 6th in SLG, and 7th in OPS. The Angels have an average roster aside from Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. Trout is a generational talent and consistently an elite hitter every year. Ohtani is unquestionably the best player in baseball. A player that can pitch and hit efficiently is undoubtedly a franchise cornerstone. The Angels have finally found a way to become relevant with their incredible roster, but it is still strenuous competing with the Astros, Yankees, and Blue Jays for a playoff spot.
Atlanta Braves:
The Atlanta Braves hold the highest winning percentage in the National League, have won 8 of their last ten games, and have won 4 straight games. If that isn't hot, then I don't know what is. The Braves are usually a warm-up team, as during previous seasons, they have started unremarkably, but then get hot later on to win the division. But this season, the Braves have already begun hot. Contrasting to the Angels and Diamondbacks, the team is one of the best statistically, ranking 6th in ERA and 2nd in OPS. I could go on all day about how many elite players are on that Atlanta roster, but let's make this quick. The Braves have arguably the best starting rotation, thanks to Spencer Strider, Charlie Morton, Bryce Elder, and Max Fried. When four of the five starters in the rotation are superstars, the pitching staff is stacked no matter how lacking the bullpen is. Guys like Ozzie Albies, Ronald Acuna Jr., and Austin Riley keep the offense one of the league's finest. The NL East was supposed to be one of MLB's most competitive divisions, yet the Braves are commanding as usual. They hold a 17-6 record against their division opponents. The Atlanta Braves are sitting atop the National League, and it looks like they're here to stay.
Who's Not:
Kansas City Royals:
If a team has lost ten straight games, it would be outrageous, to exclude them from this list. The Royals have been bottom-feeders for many seasons, but now the team has sunk to a new low. They sit with the second-worst record in the MLB and have won less than 30% of their games. Signing aging veterans who are passed their prime rather than rebuilding with young talent has been the primary cause of the Royals' defectiveness. They rank 28th in ERA and 27th in OPS. There isn't much else to say about this team besides, don't expect the Royals to get hot anytime soon.
St. Louis Cardinals:
The Cardinals have been a complete mess this season. They signed Wilson Contreras to a 5-year/$ 87 million contract, but the pitchers disliked out Contreras was calling pitches so he was benched. A player paid $ 87 million to be second-string screams dysfunctional. The Cardinals sit dead last in the NL East and have lost 7 of their last ten games. They aren't even one of the top three worst teams, but the Cards have been severely underperforming this season. The Cardinals rank 11th in OPS and 16th in ERA, but they have been one of the most dysfunctional teams. Another example of this was when Tyler O'Neill got out at home plate because he didn't hustle. O'Neill was benched. Since there are still 90 games left on the season for the Cards, hopefully, they can at least become more stable and stay out of the headlines for once. But for now, the Cardinals are stuck in an abysmal situation.
New York Mets:
Similar to the Cardinals, the Mets are a team that has immensely underperformed. The Mets have the highest payroll this season, with a staggering $ 364 million. Yet the team sits in 4th place in the NL East with a losing record. After signing Kodai Senga and Justin Verlander to an already stacked roster, it was easy to see why the Mets would be a favorite to win their division. But injuries, player underperformances, and dysfunction have plagued a team that was expected to be one of the best. The starting rotation has been a huge letdown, especially Verlander and Senga. The bullpen has also been rather inefficient, thanks to star closer Edwin Diaz getting injured while celebrating, during the World Baseball Classic. The Mets rank 26th in ERA, and 16th in OPS, and without Pete Alonso, the Mets would have the worst hitting power in the league. Fortunately, the NL East is not super competitive, thus the Mets are not out of the playoff race just yet, but they're going to need to make lots of changes.
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