How Players Seasons Begin

In this 2008 season there have been players who have had their ups and downs or continue on perfectly.  There has been the common outstanding start, and the slump that lasts a month.  Pitching has been the highlight of the season while hitting seems to be struggling.  Players will succeed while others fail, but the season will always be a struggle.

          Pitching has become the highlight of Major League Baseball through this point.  There have been players in both leagues that have met expectations and others that have gotten roughed up.  In the American League, the Toronto Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay has started in six games, completing four in a row, and losing three of those four.  In his complete game efforts, Halladay has gotten and average of three runs scored for him and four against him.  The less than stellar Blue Jays haven’t met their standards over their past ten seasons although they are constantly getting good efforts from veterans like Halladay or rookies like Jessie Litsch.  Currently the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have three pitchers in the top five for wins in the AL.  Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana both have five and John Garland has four.  The Angels record definitely reflects their record as they have hopped out to an early lead in the less than amazing American League West.

          In the National League, pitching has always been the key to victory because well, there is no designated hitter.  Do you remember when Pedro Martinez used to be a Red Sox and would win twenty games annually and every fastball would reach close to one hundred miles per hour?  Well this season Pedro pitched in three games, after getting hurt…again.  He was 0-3 with an earned run average peaking at 10.80.  What has ever happened to him?  On the contrary, Brandon Webb has picked up where he left off last season winning his first seven starts.  Remind you of someone last year who was taken away from their first Cy Young Award?  Oh that’s right; it’s this seasons Josh Beckett.  Webb has and ERA of 2.50 and is dominant in every one of his starts.  In second for the league lead is the Los Angeles Dodger star pitcher Brad Penny who is 5-1 with a respectable ERA of 3.00.

          What a shock the hitting throughout both leagues has been.  The most clutch hitter in baseball history started of at .071.  He has turned around since then and is currently hitting .250 and is in third for the league in runs batted in.  Manny is in shape and hitting .322 and sophomore sensation Dustin Pedroia returned from his Rookie of the Year award with an amazing month of April, which he struggled in last season.  Leading the League in batting average is Victor Martinez with a .341 average after having a power serge last season.  The aging Chipper Jones is leading the NL in BA with a shocking .421 average and has hit nine homeruns and brought in 23 RBI.  The Biggest surprise in the MLB has got to be either Jason Giambi or Alex Rodriguez.  Both of the Yankee sluggers have sub-three hundred averages and under five homers.  Following A-Rod’s homerun rampage last season, he has cooled off substantially.  Is it his contract possibly?

          The 2008 season has had its noticeable surprises as players come out of the gate hot or struggling.  All players look to end successfully and have their teams find their way into the playoffs.  As many current players are feeling, the teams need to pick up their gloves and shake of the dust of a long offseason.