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Career years, break out years or coming back from injury. Here are my selections if we were to put together a "Surprise Team" for players who are exceeding expectations.
Did I miss anyone? Who would be on your surprise team this season?
Catcher- Alex Avila, Detroit Tigers. In just his second year behind the plate, Avila is breaking out behind the plate, batting .275 with eight homers and 31 RBI. It takes catchers a few years to put together their offensive game, but Avila is ahead of the curve.
Firstbaseman- Mitch Moreland, Texas Rangers. Another player in his second season, Moreland is playing well for the Rangers, batting .308 with seven homes, 18 RBI and a .381 OBP. Moreland is also playing well in the field, with a 13.1 UZR.
Secondbaseman- Maicer Izturis, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Izturis was on and off the DL last season, appearing in only 61 games and sporting a .250 average with three home runs. This season, Izturis already has three home runs, increased his average to .281, with his typical defensive prowess.
Thirdbaseman- Alberto Callapso, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. I hate to go back to the Angels, but both of these positions were tough to pick someone. Callapso increased his average and OBP from .265/.302 to .301/.371. He has also chipped in three home runs and 28 RBI.
Shortstop- Asdrubal Cabrera, Cleveland Indians. The Indians are a surprising first place in the Central, in no small part to Cabrera's offensive output. He has already topped his previous career high in home runs with 11, and doubled his career numbers to this point. Cabrera is also hitting .306 with 40 RBI.
Outfield- Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays. Many thought that Bautista's season last year was a fluke. Turns out its not. Bautista is absolutely raking this season, leading MLB in average (.354), home runs (20), and OPS (1.253,) complete with a .500 OBP. Oh, and he's also been the AL Player of the Month for April and May, and his fourth in the past five months.
Outfield- Matt Joyce, Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays lost a lot of players this off-season, but Joyce is having his breakout season. His .350 average is a .110 jump from last season, and is good for second in the AL. That average is also third in baseball, and he also has the third highest OPS. Joyce also has 10 home runs, 31 RBI and .411 OBP.
Outfield- Alex Gordon, Kansas City Royals. Gordon is a former second overall pick, and is finally cashing in on his potential. He's increased his average from .215 last season to .291 (and .40 over his career average) and has seven home runs and 31 RBI, already halfway to breaking his previous career highs.
Starting Pitcher- Josh Beckett, Boston Red Sox. Beckett has always had an up and down career battling injury (specifically blisters.) However, he is at his best this season, leading the AL with a 2.01 ERA. He is holding opposing batters to a .189 average and has a 1.03 WHIP.
Starting Pitcher- Alexi Ogando, Texas Rangers. After a successful first season as a reliever, Ogando was converted to a starter this season. He is off to a great start with a 6-0 record, and he also leads all major league starters with .88 WHIP, and is second with holding batters to a .187 average.
Starting Pitcher-Michael Pineda, Seattle Mariners. Rookie pitchers have done very well this season, and Pineda is the best starter out of them. He has a 6-2 record, and has a 2.30 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and .196 opposing batting average. He's also striking out over a batter an inning.
Relief Pitcher- Kyle Farnsworth, Tampa Bay Rays. Farnsworth has traveled around the majors, and hasn't held down a full-time closer role. After a season where he struggled after heading to Atlanta, Farnsworth is having arguably his best season yet. He has 11 saves, two wins and has a 1.35 ERA with a .75 WHIP.
Relief Pitcher- Sergio Santos, Chicago White Sox. A former top short stop prospect with the Arizona Diamondbacks, eventually converted to a reliever. Santos performed well last season in relief, and when Matt Thornton struggled as closer this year, Santos has stepped in and is lights out. He is 2-1 with 10 saves, with a 1.29 ERA and .96 WHIP and has 10.61 K/9.
Did I miss anyone? Who would be on your surprise team this season?
Catcher- Alex Avila, Detroit Tigers. In just his second year behind the plate, Avila is breaking out behind the plate, batting .275 with eight homers and 31 RBI. It takes catchers a few years to put together their offensive game, but Avila is ahead of the curve.
Firstbaseman- Mitch Moreland, Texas Rangers. Another player in his second season, Moreland is playing well for the Rangers, batting .308 with seven homes, 18 RBI and a .381 OBP. Moreland is also playing well in the field, with a 13.1 UZR.
Secondbaseman- Maicer Izturis, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Izturis was on and off the DL last season, appearing in only 61 games and sporting a .250 average with three home runs. This season, Izturis already has three home runs, increased his average to .281, with his typical defensive prowess.
Thirdbaseman- Alberto Callapso, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. I hate to go back to the Angels, but both of these positions were tough to pick someone. Callapso increased his average and OBP from .265/.302 to .301/.371. He has also chipped in three home runs and 28 RBI.
Shortstop- Asdrubal Cabrera, Cleveland Indians. The Indians are a surprising first place in the Central, in no small part to Cabrera's offensive output. He has already topped his previous career high in home runs with 11, and doubled his career numbers to this point. Cabrera is also hitting .306 with 40 RBI.
Outfield- Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays. Many thought that Bautista's season last year was a fluke. Turns out its not. Bautista is absolutely raking this season, leading MLB in average (.354), home runs (20), and OPS (1.253,) complete with a .500 OBP. Oh, and he's also been the AL Player of the Month for April and May, and his fourth in the past five months.
Outfield- Matt Joyce, Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays lost a lot of players this off-season, but Joyce is having his breakout season. His .350 average is a .110 jump from last season, and is good for second in the AL. That average is also third in baseball, and he also has the third highest OPS. Joyce also has 10 home runs, 31 RBI and .411 OBP.
Outfield- Alex Gordon, Kansas City Royals. Gordon is a former second overall pick, and is finally cashing in on his potential. He's increased his average from .215 last season to .291 (and .40 over his career average) and has seven home runs and 31 RBI, already halfway to breaking his previous career highs.
Starting Pitcher- Josh Beckett, Boston Red Sox. Beckett has always had an up and down career battling injury (specifically blisters.) However, he is at his best this season, leading the AL with a 2.01 ERA. He is holding opposing batters to a .189 average and has a 1.03 WHIP.
Starting Pitcher- Alexi Ogando, Texas Rangers. After a successful first season as a reliever, Ogando was converted to a starter this season. He is off to a great start with a 6-0 record, and he also leads all major league starters with .88 WHIP, and is second with holding batters to a .187 average.
Starting Pitcher-Michael Pineda, Seattle Mariners. Rookie pitchers have done very well this season, and Pineda is the best starter out of them. He has a 6-2 record, and has a 2.30 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and .196 opposing batting average. He's also striking out over a batter an inning.
Relief Pitcher- Kyle Farnsworth, Tampa Bay Rays. Farnsworth has traveled around the majors, and hasn't held down a full-time closer role. After a season where he struggled after heading to Atlanta, Farnsworth is having arguably his best season yet. He has 11 saves, two wins and has a 1.35 ERA with a .75 WHIP.
Relief Pitcher- Sergio Santos, Chicago White Sox. A former top short stop prospect with the Arizona Diamondbacks, eventually converted to a reliever. Santos performed well last season in relief, and when Matt Thornton struggled as closer this year, Santos has stepped in and is lights out. He is 2-1 with 10 saves, with a 1.29 ERA and .96 WHIP and has 10.61 K/9.