The 2013 Major League Baseball season just completed its second week and things are all ready off to a very surprising, confusing start. Several teams have headed down a dark path achieving less than expect results, while others have come out of nowhere, displaying their raw talent. In the National League things have not exactly gone according to plan, as some expert analysts would say, especially considering that all the teams in the cellar from last season and the teams at the top have switched places. Granted, the season is still quite young and a lot can change quickly. Here are the problems that each team in needs to fix in the upcoming months.
National League East
Miami Marlins (3-12)
The Marlins have become somewhat of a laughing stock in Major League Baseball. Their offense has been atrocious, batting a near league-worst .209 on the season. Only veteran Placido Polanco and Chris Valaika are hitting over .300. The pitching has been mediocre with a 15th-best ERA of 4.05. The Marlins need repairs on all fronts, but mostly an owner and general manager who can get the job done while Giancarlo Stanton and Logan Morrison are on the DL.
Philadelphia Phillies (6-9)
Roy Halladay finally had a decent outing on Sunday; however, that came against the Marlins. Cole Hamels is off to an equally rough start as the team’s ERA is hovering around 4.41 with a 1.24 WHIP. Offseason acquisition Michael Young is doing his best to rejuvenate the mediocre batting order, as is Chase Utley, but former NL MVP Ryan Howard needs to step up and get back to his old numbers. The Phillies are showing speckles of being a good team; it first needs to come from quality starts from their pitching staff.
New York Mets (7-6)
The Mets have been playing decent baseball on all fronts. Their batting average is fifth-best (.272), runs scored at third-best (81), but their pitching numbers took a tumble after their last two games, dropping from the seventh-best ERA of 3.43 to 16th-best at 4.08. David Wright has been a proven leader on offense and Matt Harvey has been one of the best pitchers in baseball. The Mets are still in the thick of it. As long as they keep at the pace they’ve set, the postseason will surely be in their future.
Washington Nationals (9-6)
The Nationals were hot until the Atlanta Braves came to town and swept the reigning NL East champs. Bryce Harper is having an MVP-caliber season batting .364 with five home runs and 11 RBI and a 4-5 night at the plate against the Marlins on Wednesday. Jayson Werth and Denard Span are hitting well too; however, the team is struggling when it comes to strikeouts. The Nationals pitching has been underachieving with a 20th-best 4.29 ERA and 21st-best 1.39 WHIP. With the rotation they possess, they should be doing much better. Fix the pitching, save the season.
Atlanta Braves (12-2)
The Braves 10-game win streak finally came to an end on Wednesday. Across the board the Atlanta Braves have the best pitching staff in the Majors; their first in ERA (1.83), first in WHIP (1.01) and first in batting average allowed (.204). Justin Upton has been a tremendous boost to the offense, and the same can also be said about rookie catcher Evan Gattis who is batting .262 with four home runs and 10 RBI. The only problem has been the poor hitting of Jason Heyward and B.J. Upton. If the two of them can right their ways, the Braves may be the odds on favorite to win the World Series.
National League Central
Chicago Cubs (4-9)
The Cubs bullpen has been a disaster, but doesn’t seem to be a top priority for GM Theo Epstein to repair. The team is hitting .221 and have only scored 44 runs, the 27th-best in the Majors. Welington Castillo, Nate Schierholtz and Starlin Castro have been the only redeeming qualities on offense while Edwin Jackson and Jeff Samardzija have been strikeout kings. The Cubs need to hit and score more consistently, and the bullpen needs to help out their starters.
Milwaukee Brewers (5-8)
Milwaukee has been riddled with problems since third baseman Aramis Ramirez went on the 15-day DL. They’re hitting .259 as a team and are near the bottom in scoring runs (46). Even with the addition of Kyle Lohse the Brewers have the 29th-best ERA (5.12) and 26th-best WHIP (1.48). The Brewers need help everywhere.
Pittsburgh Pirates (7-7)
The Pirates are somehow only one game out of being atop the Central Division, which really goes to show how bad the division truly is. The Pirates have one the worst batting averages in the Majors (.214) followed closely by the 46 runs they’ve managed to score which is 25th-best. With the exception of A.J. Burnett here are no real stars on the pitching staff, yet the team has managed to post a 11th-best ERA (3.90) and 18th-best WHIP (1.33). Starling Marte has been an offensive powerhouse for the Pirates, someone the rest of the team needs to follow the example of.
Cincinnati Reds (8-7)
Dusty Baker and the Reds are off to an unexpectedly rough start. The team is scoring runs thanks to solid at-bats by Brandon Phillips and offseason acquisition Shin-Soo Choo; however, Joey Votto is not living up to his MVP-caliber abilities. The Reds pitching has been less than adequate: 14th in ERA (4.04) and seventh in WHIP (1.22). The biggest thorn for the Reds has been their inability to prevent their opponents from scoring. If they fix that, they’ll get back to the same level of providence they finished the regular season with in 2012.
St. Louis Cardinals (8-6)
Every division needs to have somebody on top and St. Louis is barely hanging on in the Central. Their numbers certainly don’t reflect their record: 10th-best batting average (.261), fourth in runs scored (79), fifth in ERA (3.24) and 12th in WHIP (1.27). The Cardinals bullpen has been the biggest problem, and must be fixed immediately if they wish to survive the season.
National League West
San Diego Padres (5-10)
There’s a fair chance this may be Bud Black’s last season at the helm for the Padres as the team is continually showing signs of another wasted season. Their pitching staff is one of the worst in baseball: 4.83 ERA and 1.56 WHIP. Their batting average is 17th in the Majors at .249. The loss of Chase Headley was a huge blow, but the Padres need solve all of their issues fast or look forward to the number 1 pick in this year’s amateur draft.
Los Angeles Dodgers (7-8)
Despite all of the money thrown around over the last season-and-a-half, the Dodgers are still only looking like an average ballclub, with the exception of their pitching. Clayton Kershaw has been good, as was Zack Greinke before his fractured his collar bone as a result of his tussle with Padres outfielder Carlos Quentin. The team’s ERA (3.14), WHIP (1.16) and BAA (.234) are all in the top-fivet in the Majors. On offense the Dodgers have only scored 39 runs, which is near the bottom. Matt Kemp really needs to step up. His .182 average is horrific.
Arizona Diamondbacks (8-6)
The loss of Justin Upton hasn’t seemed to be a blip on the radar as Paul Goldschmidt has stepped up nicely as the heart of the Diamondbacks offense this season. He is currently hitting .333 with three home runs and 12 RBI. The rest of the team has been contributing nicely as the Diamondbacks are currently in the top-10 in all offensive categories. Patrick Corbin and Wade Miley are both have solid starts of the season, but the rest of the pitching staff needs pick up the slack in an effort to prevent runs.
San Francisco Giants (9-6)
The reigning World Series champions are playing well on both side of the plate. San Francisco is in the top-11 in all pitching categories and their team batting average is fourth-best at .277. Reigning NL MVP Buster Posey is off to a shaky start; however, the rest of the team is picking up the slack. There are not real standouts on pitching or at the plate, which may be a problem down the road. Someone needs to step up and perform brilliantly to motivate the others to take their game to a higher level.
Colorado Rockies (10-4)
First-year manager Walt Weiss is looking like he’s turning the fortune around in Denver. The Rockies are off to a fantastic start thanks to a productive offense led by Carlos Gonzalez, Michael Cuddyer and Wilin Rosario as they are all hitting .340. Their pitching could use a bit of work. Jhoulys Chacin has been great with 2-0 record and a 1.96 ERA; however, the rest of the staff needs to pick up the slack and improve upon their 18th-best 4.19 team ERA and 22nd-best 1.40 WHIP.