Russell Martin's Homecoming

That's gotta be weird, man. You're away for like 8 years, playing in New York, Pittsburgh and Toronto, you come back...and the team's changed...but they're still really good. Like, everything changed but the standings, I think.

The only person who is still on the Dodgers from before Russell Martin left is Clayton Kershaw. Everyone else has either retired or fled. And yet the team is still hot as hell, with a strong start after a failed World Series attempt. The team is tighter than ever, even without Alex Wood and Yasiel Puig, and the talents of Cody Bellinger, Joc Pederson, AJ Pollock, Enrique Hernandez and, yes, even Russell Martin, have never been so consistent across the board.

The things you would think would stop this team...haven't. They had to start Julio Urias last week, and he pitched beautifully. They've been without Kershaw for a week or so, and Hyun-Jin Ryu has stepped up as the ace, which is something that would have been scoffed at three years ago. Even Alex Verdugo, who was messy at best during 2018, has been phenomenal off the bench. Hell, even Kenley Jansen's heart has behaved so far.

This team may have already improved on its 2018 incarnation...partially because instead of catching fire halfway through the year, they're starting hot. They're starting tight, and are hoping to keep the fire burning for the rest of the season, which is trickier, but with everyone hot and healthy, it definitely could work.

All I'm saying is if a team is planning on being THIS GOOD...for the rest of the year...the rest of the league better watch out.

Coming Tomorrow- The team they played in the WS. And...they're not doing too hot.

Khris Davis' Neighborhood

Thank you, Japan. Without you, we wouldn't have a team in third place have a 6-4 record. The A's and Mariners are literally just Captain America and Bucky. They look young, but they have more games under their belt, and it occasionally shows.

Anyway, let's talk about Khris Davis, the single most consistent power hitter of his era. Oh, not consistently great or anything. No, Khris Davis has had the exact same batting average for the past four seasons. From 2015, where he hit 27 home runs with the Brewers, until 2018, where he led the AL in homers with 48...Khris Davis has finished every single season with a .247 batting average.

That...takes skill.

It reminds me of a detail about Fred Rogers that they talked about during that documentary they did on him last year. For most of his life, Rogers had the exact same weight, and exercised at a local pool every day to maintain that exact weight. It's insanely fascinating, and boils down to the bare bones of Rogers' personality, and...is another challenge for Tom Hanks' metabolism, I imagine.

Am I saying that Khris Davis is the Fred Rogers of the MLB? Well...sort of.

Khris Davis does the exact same thing every year. He hits home runs. Not much else. And to some people, that brings joy. But the important thing is that Davis hasn't tried to change things up or modify his act. He just...does what he does, and keeps doing it until he can't any longer. That's the kind of thing Mr. Rogers would find admirable, I think.

Also, Pittsburgh and Oakland are very similar. Hell, there's a neighborhood in Pittsburgh just called Oakland. So there's that comparison as well.

Also...Tom Hanks happens to be from Oakland as well. However, I don't especially think he's going to play Khris Davis in a biopic anytime soon.

Anyway, Khris Davis will probably continue to be the power supplier for the A's for the foreseeable future. I can't imagine the team any other way.

Coming Tonight: Somehow, this team has lost two World Series'...and gotten even better. Here's their backup catcher, who knows a thing or two about catching for this team.

Redlegs Akimbo

This...is Derek Dietrich.

Last year, Derek was a member of those lovable, last place Miami Marlins. And you could argue that he was better off then.

Derek Dietrich has been used off the bench by the Cincinnati Reds, after being saved at the last second by a minor league deal. Dietrich did have one fantastic moment during the Reds' first game, when he came in late in the game and hit a walk-off home run to win against the Pirates.

...couple things.

1. This has been Derek's only hit thus far.
2. This hit led to the Reds' only win thus far.

So...that about sums up how optimistic the Reds are looking this year. Even with Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp, Sonny Gray and Jose Iglesias, this team still can't seem to figure out how to succeed. Hell, even Joey Votto hasn't found the Mendoza line yet.

Really, the only people doing well are underdogs like Eugenio Suarez, Tucker Barnhart and, yes, Jose Iglesias. As well as some rotation arms like Tyler Mahle and Luis Castillo. It's not an entire unit that's working, because the potential power suppliers just...aren't working. It just seems like a very limp team effort that isn't even surpassing the Pirates, which is kind of sad.

And yes, while it is early, and while you KNOW Joey Votto will start hitting eventually, it's still a disappointing sign from a team that seemed refreshing in Spring Training. I don't think anyone expected them to be SPECTACULAR per se, but...I think we were all expecting a bit more than one win.

Hopefully things will change soon. I do have a soft spot for this team, after their acquisitions this offseason, and because...Joey Votto deserves better.

Coming Tomorrow- A professional home run hitter, getting back to what he does best.

Tribal Warfare

Today, under the category of 'I Know it's Early, But...'

The Twins are at the head of the AL Central, bolstered by some smart, cheap roster moves, and Nelson Cruz. And yet the team that usually ends up leading the AL Central, the Cleveland Indians, are currently in fourth. None of their starters currently have a win, Corey Kluber has 2 losses, and even wins that come down to the strength of a starting pitcher, like Mike Clevinger's 12-strikeout game on Monday, still have to come down to the strength of the bullpen and bench.

And you can tell that something's missing. The heart of the lineup is now Jose Ramirez, Carlos Santana, Jake Bauers and Hanley Ramirez. And only Slamtana seems to be doing well. Jose Ramirez is having the same first-week drought that he had last year, and hopefully he picks it back up. A lot of the team is being covered by inexperienced people, or people that are too old. And the two big heroes of the playoff teams, Michael Brantley and Francisco Lindor, are either in Houston or injured. So it's been very hard for this early incarnation of the 2019 team to get wins, even from easy teams like the White Sox.

The good news is there's still a lot of time for this team to improve, and figure out its voice. The problem is that there's no real leadership figure with Lindor out of the lineup and Ramirez slumping, so if those two can get back to business, the team may be better off. It also might help throwing Shane Bieber back into the rotation, and see if they can take the pressure off the main starters.

I'm not saying this Indians team is dead yet. At least they're struggling early rather than in September.

Coming Tomorrow- A late-offseason acquisition, this bench standout has been one of few highlights for a rebuilding team.

As You Maik It

I never thought I'd be able to do TWO horrible Shakespeare puns in one week. I think I've peaked.

Anyway, Maikel Franco. Man, it looks like he picked the right season to start hitting again. Because he's finally fitting in a lineup of legitimate MLB stars, all playing well. And somehow Maikel is the one with the most home runs...along with Bryce Harper.

Granted, the Phils lost their first game earlier today against Washington, but...it was bound to happen eventually. All teams lose. The Phils are still atop the NL East, tied with the Mets for first, and are still surging. Yes, it's a bit unsettling that both a lot of the carnage today came at the expense of Aaron Nola, but...that whole pitching staff is still doing fantastic. Arrieta, Elfin and Pivetta are all doing great, although Pivetta needs to get over a shaky start. It's also too early to tell whether Neshek or Robertson will be closing, but...again, it's early enough that both Harper and Franco have batting averages over .400.

The main question here is whether or not the Phils have enough to last the entire season. And given what I've seen from Harper, Franco, McCutchen and Segura...I am definitely intrigued. If everyone stays this on, we could be in for a huge season in Philly. They honestly took the opposite approach from San Diego, and melded the remaining starters to fit with the acquisitions. Granted, it's a very 2015-Padres-esque gamble to make, especially considering Harper's inconsistency, but...the pitching staff was kept entirely intact, and THAT unit has been doing insanely well thus far.

This madcap scheme seems to be working so far, but we'll see if the Phillies are made for long-term success.

Coming Tomorrow- Fireballer No. 4 for a team that may be in for a downswing this year.

Rays of Thunder

Atop the AL East during this extremely early period of the 2019 MLB season...are the Tampa Bay Rays, the weirdest team from 2018. And, as luck would have it...they may have gotten weirder.

Just from who's been allowed into the lineup alone, things are still pretty unusual. Ji-Man Choi is the starting first baseman, and he's already doing a pretty nice job. Yandy Diaz, backup infielder from the Indians teams of yore, is doing well in a permanent infield role. Brandon Lowe has snagged the starting second base spot instead of Daniel Robertson, which is pretty surprising. And the starting DH seems to be NOT Avisail Garcia, but Austin Meadows, who's off to a nice start.

The rotation seems to surprisingly firm as well, with a Snell-Morton-Glasnow-Chirinos formation, and all four are doing well. However...the opener strategy seems to still be in full effect, with Ryne Stanek opening a game yesterday, only for Ryan Yarbrough to pitch four innings afterwards anyway. Look, if Yarbrough can GO for distance, and from last year's numbers he certainly can, why hide him behind an opener? You don't need to blur the line between starter and reliever, you can just start Yarbrough and save someone sneaky like Stanek for the eighth.

But again...this is a strategy that more and more teams seem to be adopting (Nate Karns opened for Baltimore the other day), so...maybe I'm wrong. But it's still odd.

Odder still: this is Kevin Kiermaier's team, and he's doing a bang up job, but it doesn't feel like it's powered by one singular star figure. This is definitely a group effort, with Meadows, Tommy Pham, Choi and Kiermaier all splitting equal fame here. This is the kind of team that doesn't need a captain, or a central figure, but can still win games just by having different heroes show up in different places.

Look, I know it's early...but the Rays are gonna be dangerous this year. The Sox are ailing, the Yanks are still rusty, and the Rays are already making their presence known. Which is...kind of scary.

Coming Tomorrow- For years, we thought he'd be a bust. Now that he's been moved to late in the lineup, however...his bat has FINALLY come alive. And a hell of a season for it to do so.

Machado About Nothing

You can tell I'm excited to be doing puns again, because I'm gleefully doing up Daily-Show-esque pun titles for posts. Shakespeare would not approve, but I don't care.

So let's talk about the San Diego Padres. Who, for the first time in about a decade, finally have something interesting to talk about.

Yes, I am overlooking the 2015 season, where even when Justin Upton, Matt Kemp, James Shields and Derek Norris were on the roster, there was simply no cohesion between the new contracts and the old veterans. This is different, because the lineup has had a chance to grow and mature a bit over the last few years, which definitely helps. Now we're seeing good stuff from Austin Hedges and Manny Margot, and now Wil Myers and Eric Hosmer have gotten over initial troubles and are playing like their old selves. Instead of dropping four contracts in at once, the Padres planned this gradually, so that neither side would be exhausted, and it seems to be working.

Now the Machado addition can really work. As you can tell, there have been the expected amount of jitters over the last few games for Manny Machado, who is OF COURSE taking some time to adjust to his new team and ballpark. But the good thing is that it's just Machado who's really adjusting (and maybe Ian Kinsler too), rather than four players at once. Once we get to about May, Machado will have figured San Diego out, and will be on the same page as the rest of the team. And then they can add more pieces gradually, and work on this.

The team's 3-1 after 4 games. It's extremely early, but there's some definite signs of life from this lineup that I haven't seen in years. The ENTIRE ROTATION, consisting of Joey Lucchesi, Eric Lauer, and rookies Chris Paddack and Nick Margevicius, has an average ERA of 0.90. Considering how dire the rotation looked last year, this is an incredible step up. Hell, Kirby Yates already has 3 saves and hasn't allowed a run yet. I know it's early, but these are all good signs.

Still, with the Dodgers and Rockies in this division as well, I sincerely hope the Padres can build on this intriguing start. And I hope that once Machado hits his sweet spot, that he doesn't let up.

Coming Tomorrow- In a division featuring the defending World Champions and the Yankees, THIS is the team that opens (heh) the season in first. And THIS is its star player.