Ten games have come and gone this season for about every MLB team.
That means we are 1/16th of the way to the end of the season. In other words, it’s far too early for me to make any grand generalizations and gloat, but I’m going to do it anyway.
First off, Manny Ramirez (and I’ve said this for so many years) is — well, was — the most overrated baseball player that ever existed. I’m glad he’s out of the league. I hate him and his performance-enhancing drug using self.
Moving on.
The Boston Red Sox are going to be just fine. Yes, they do have some serious causes for concern with a lack of timely hitting (team .200 batting average with runners in scoring position) and pitching (league-worst 6.24 team ERA) that is awful right now.
But it’ll even itself out eventually. They showed some signs of life by taking a few from the Yankees during the weekend, and they will have a good chance to reach .500 with series against Tampa Bay and Toronto coming up.
Sticking in the American League, one of the bigger surprises has been the AL Central-leading Cleveland Indians.
The question with them, though, is will they keep it up?
In short, no.
They’ve played the slumping Red Sox, the terrible Seattle Mariners and the Chicago White Sox. They swept the first two but lost two of three to Ozzie Guillen’s crew.
Sure, their hitting is solid so far this season, but their pitching will be their downfall. That is, if a lack of attendance doesn’t kill them first (fewer than 10,000 people at a Saturday game).
And to close out the AL, the Texas Rangers are exceeding expectations.
They have the best team ERA in the league (2.48) and the eighth-best batting average (.273), and they are tied for first in the league in home runs (18).
All of those numbers bode well for a team looking to repeat as AL champions.
Down in the National League, the Philadelphia Phillies, who just about everyone, including myself, thought would have serious offensive problems, have been tearing the cover off the ball with a league-best team .344 batting average.
If they can keep those bats up, they are going to quickly become the favorite to win the World Series.
In the NL Central, the Cincinnati Reds are looking good. Specifically, Reds’ first bagger Joey Votto is an absolute monster, batting .455 to start off the season with an outrageous OPS of 1.275.
They have a team 4.90 ERA right now  — a possible cause for concern. They need to get their pitching act together, especially ace Edinson Volquez, who has thrown only 11 innings in his two starts, giving up nine runs.
Out in the NL West, the Colorado Rockies are looking like the early favorite, especially with their pitching (2.86 team ERA is the second best in the NL).
If someone named Troy Tulowitzki on that team would start hitting, they would be in even better shape.
That’s about it, but I feel like there’s something I’m leaving out here.
Well, until next time — Oh, right, now I remember.
The Baltimore Orioles are in first place still. And I say that with as much enthusiasm as possible.
Don’t say I didn’t call it, because I did. When September rolls around and they are still up atop the AL East, you all know who to proclaim as the wisest prognosticator that ever existed.
I expect to be trending worldwide on Twitter.
 
Andy Schwehm is a 21-year-old English and psychology senior. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_ASchwehm.
 
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Contact Andy Schwehm at [email protected].