The first week of the MLB season is in the books. Some teams have been impressive, and others have been very underwhelming. Here is my MLB week one review for all 30 clubs.
MLB Week One: National League East
Philadelphia Phillies: 5-1
The Phillies’ revamped bullpen has been critical for their early success. The squad swept the Braves and took two of three from the Mets in their second series of 2021. Philadelphia is in the running for the hottest team in baseball after one week.
New York Mets: 2-2
The Mets survived the Miami Marlins in their home opener on Thursday. Brandon Nimmo has stolen the show thus far, and Francisco Lindor has not shown that he is worth $341 million.
Atlanta Braves: 2-2
Atlanta got their first two wins of the season on Wednesday in a doubleheader sweep. The Nationals probably would have won one of these games if the MLB did not enact seven-inning doubleheaders in 2021.
Washington Nationals: 1-2
The Nationals got swept in a doubleheader after starting the season with a 6-5 win over the Braves. We will know more about the Nationals at the end of their weekend series against the Dodgers.
Miami Marlins: 1-6
The Marlins have only defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in 2021. However, they have been in a lot of dog fights with quality opponents. The Marlins will be a spoiler as the season develops.
MLB Week One: National League Central
Cincinnati Reds: 5-1
The Reds have the best offense in baseball. They beat up on the Pirates this week, but the laser show has been on full display with Cincinnati. Nick Castellanos has hit four bombs, and Tyler Naquin already has 13 RBIs.
St. Louis Cardinals: 5-2
The Cardinals are a different team with Nolan Arenado. Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt, and Dylan Carlson have been on a rampage. The Cardinals capped off the first week of action with a four-game winning streak.
Chicago Cubs: 4-3
The Cubs have not looked good in 2021. The team is 4-3, but three of their victories have come over the Pirates. Javier Baez has been the only real threat at the plate, and I do not think he is scaring many opposing pitchers.
Milwaukee Brewers: 3-3
The Brewers have looked worse than the Cubs, and they were the favorite to win the National League Central. It’s only week one, but the Brew Crew’s offense has been nonexistent. Christian Yelich is batting .318, but there have not been many balls leaving the yard.
Pittsburgh Pirates: 1-6
The Pirates are bad, but they are not horrid. I did not think the team would be able to field a ground ball, but they have battled in the first week of the season. One negative for Pittsburgh is that Ke’Bryan Hayes is already on the Injured List.
MLB Week One Review: National League West
Los Angeles Dodgers: 5-2
When the Dodgers figure out how to bury teams again, they are going to be good. Los Angeles will win the division, but they have to figure out how to use Kenley Jansen, who blew a game against the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday night.
San Diego Padres: 4-3
Fernando Tatis Jr. is already on the Injured List, but this has not mattered for the team because they have gotten nothing but errors and strikeouts from the youngster. Tatis is slashing .167/.268/.333, and he has made five errors. So, was he worth $340 million?
San Francisco Giants: 3-3
The Giants took two of three from a struggling Padres team. They will face Colorado on Friday. Evan Longoria has provided the spark for the Giants in the first week of 2021, hammering three home runs.
Colorado Rockies: 3-4
The Rockies have not seemed to miss Nolan Arenado. The team has come out on fire in 2021. They only beat the Dodgers once in the first series of the year, but they competed with the best team in baseball, thanks to Trevor Story and Ryan McMahon.
Arizona Diamondbacks: 2-5
The Diamondbacks have defeated the Padres and the Rockies. Ketel Marte has been a positive, but the pitching has been ugly. Arizona’s alleged ace Madison Bumgarner has an 11.00 ERA in two starts.
MLB Week One: American League East
Baltimore Orioles: 4-3
Did you think Baltimore would be tied for first place in the American League East after the first week of the season? Baltimore is at the top of the division with Boston, thanks to Cedric Mullins. Mullins is batting .448 with a .519 on-base percentage.
Boston Red Sox: 4-3
The panic button was pressed in Boston after the Orioles swept the team in the first series of the year. However, the Red Sox stayed composed and have ripped off four straight wins, including a series sweep over the Rays.
New York Yankees: 3-3
The Yankees should be 4-2 if it were not for Gleyber Torres. Torres has made two errors, and one was in extra innings against the Orioles on Wednesday, which cost New York the victory. Aaron Judge is also injured already, so the Yankees have to figure it out.
Toronto Blue Jays: 3-3
The lack of experience, the injury to George Springer, and the limited pitching have been evident with the Blue Jays. The Blue Jays have lost two of three games in their first two series of the season, and there is no sign of Springer returning to the lineup.
Tampa Bay Rays: 2-4
Two things have been positive for the Rays in 2021. Randy Arozarena has been outstanding in right field, and Tyler Glasnow has established himself as a true ace. Although, week one showed that the Rays do not have enough depth to win the American League East.
MLB Week One: American League Central
Minnesota Twins: 5-2
The Twins have looked good in week one, but I think depth will be an issue. Nelson Cruz and the lineup have been great, but pitching is a concern. Kenta Maeda and Jose Berrios are reputable starters, but the talent drops off immensely.
Kansas City Royals: 3-3
The Royals have performed in the first week of the season as they were expected. Kansas City is an average team that is very fun to watch. Nicky Lopez and Whit Merrifield have been good, but everyone in Kansas City is awaiting Bobby Witt Jr.’s arrival to the show.
Detroit Tigers: 3-3
The culture that A.J. Hinch is building in the Detroit clubhouse is working because the Tigers have battled. Akil Baddoo has been the biggest surprise of 2021. The 22-year-old is batting .455 with two home runs and seven RBIs.
Chicago White Sox: 3-3
The White Sox need to learn how to win close games because this has been their most significant flaw in the first week of action. The loss of Eloy Jimenez has been evident already, and this is only going to get worse as the season advances.
Cleveland Indians: 2-3
Cleveland’s lackluster offense has been their Achilles heel. Shane Bieber has been outstanding in his first two starts of the year, but his opening outing was wasted because of the team’s inability to score runs.
MLB Week One: American League West
Houston Astros: 5-1
The Astros have looked like the best team in baseball after one week. Houston has shown that they will be tough to beat in 2021. Zack Greinke, Alex Bregman, and Kyle Tucker have been leading the way. Houston is second in runs scored (45) and fifth in ERA (2.72) in MLB.
Los Angeles Angels: 4-2
The Angels are an American League contender. Shohei Ohtani appears to be living up to the hype, and Mike Trout is the best player in baseball. Starting pitching is a concern, but this will not matter if the Angels continue dominating at the plate.
Texas Rangers: 3-3
The Rangers have performed better than advertised, but they will not hold third place for long. Texas took two of three games from the Blue Jays, but Toronto did not play well. Nate Lowe has been sensational for Texas, so look for the Rangers to build around him for years to come.
Seattle Mariners: 3-4
The Mariners played well in their first series against the Giants but have gone on a downhill slide, dropping three of their final four games in the first week of the season. The squad is loaded with average veterans, and this does not result in too much winning. Although, Seattle has surprised me in the first week in some respects.
Oakland Athletics: 1-6
Oakland was abused by the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first six games. They did defeat the Dodgers on Wednesday 4-3, but Oakland has been very disappointing. The team is ranked 29th in pitching and hitting.
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