(May 28, 2006) — Major League Baseball First Quarterly Report:
American League Most Valuable Player — Derek Jeter (New York), with Jim Thome (Chicago) close behind. Jeter has never won an MVP award, but Mr. Intangible is off to a terrific start offensively and defensively this season. Thome leads the AL in HRs and RBI and has made the defending champion White Sox even better.
National League Most Valuable Player — Albert Pujols (St. Louis). Nobody else is close. He has a chance to win the NL’s first Triple Crown since fellow Cardinal Joe Medwick in 1937. He won’t top Ducky’s .374 batting average but should easily beat his 31 HRs and 154 RBI.
Best team — Detroit, at least for now. The pitching staff is the big surprise, with baseball’s lowest earned-run average. The ERA figures to increase (Mike Maroth’s sore elbow is a concern) but the hitting could get even better. The Tigers look like a legitimate playoff team and aren’t likely to collapse with Jim Leyland as manager.
Worst team — Kansas City. It isn’t easy to be as horrible as these Royals. They’re last in the AL in runs and have the worst pitching staff in the majors. They’re on pace to post a worse record than the expansion 1962 Mets (40-120).
Top flop starting rotation — Minnesota, with veterans Brad Radke, Carlos Silva and Kyle Lohse. Their combined pitching line: 8-16 record; 8.13 ERA; 144 innings; 222 hits allowed (including 35 HRs).
Randy Johnson (New York AL) has a 5.89 ERA but he has a legitimate excuse: He’s 42 years old.
Top flop team — Los Angeles Angels. Manager Mike Scioscia squeezed a lot out of this team for a long time, but they’re no longer overachieving.
The Red Sox are scouting the talent-rich Angels farm system, stirring speculation that Manny Ramirez could be Anaheim-bound for a bunch of top prospects.
Teams most likely to improve — Toronto and Cleveland in the AL. Philadelphia and Houston in the NL.
The Blue Jays have one of the top three lineups in baseball. The Indians have too much talent to play .500 ball much longer.
The Phillies have the talent to win the NL East but haven’t consistently shown it yet. The Astros have an underrated lineup when everyone is healthy, and Roger Clemens could be joining the starting rotation.