Surprise Teams of MLB

        There has been a handful of surprises and disappointments so far in this MLB season. Some teams have played better than expected, some teams have played as expected, and some teams have fallen short of expectations so far. Let's take a look at some of the teams that have gone above and beyond so far.

Minnesota Twins: The Minnesota Twins had the best May record in all of baseball and have played very impressive baseball since not scoring a run for the first couple games. In fact, the Twins are at the top of the AL Central. They're tied for 11th in MLB in runs scored (225). Prediction: Don't expect the Twins to continue this run for much longer. This is a young group of players that will likely feel a little burnout from their high level of play. Plus, their starting pitching isn't exactly up to snuff.

Houston Astros: Led by Jose Altuve (.300, 15 SB), Evan Gattis (12 HR, 36 RBI), and Dallas Keuchel (7-1, 1.76 ERA, 60 SO), the Astros have been the biggest surprise in all of baseball so far. They've impressed so much that they're competing for the best record in all of MLB. Prediction: I don't expect them to win the AL West; I now believe that that title will belong to the Angels (Seattle has no hitting, once again. Texas has hitting, but no pitching. Oakland just sucks). This Astros team ranks tied for 25th in MLB in batting average with a team BA of .239. However, my prediction is that they'll make the playoffs as a wild card due to the likes of Keuchel, timely hitting, and a solid bullpen.

Texas Rangers: Speaking of the Rangers, they've played great baseball recently as well. Sitting at 27-25 just behind the Astros and the Angels in the AL West, they've been hitting very well thanks to the likes of Prince Fielder (.355, 10 HR, 39 RBI). Nick Martinez has also been a pleasant surprise for Texas with an ERA of 2.03. Prediction: Seeing how the American League is simply lackluster this year, it's quite possible for the Rangers to grab a wild-card spot. The AL East sucks and the AL Central might not be as tough as people anticipated. They do need to keep their runs down, though (4.15 team ERA is 23rd in all of baseball).