The 5 best surprises of the 2022 MLB season so far
One week ago today was Opening Day for a majority of MLB teams. It came later than originally scheduled but hey, at least they are getting 162 games in this season.
Through the first week of the season, there have been some players and some teams that have surprised the baseball world in a good way and some bad. However, right now, we are going to look at the teams/players that have impressed so far.
They might fall back down to earth in the coming weeks or months but they still impressed us through the first week of the season.
Here are five of the best surprises we have seen to start the 2022 MLB season.
Tampa Bay Rays 1B Ji-man Choi has been the best hitter in MLB so far
The Tampa Bay Rays haven’t really shocked anyone with their 4-2 start, especially when they were expected to be a good team this year. However, first baseman Ji-man Choi is hitting better than anybody in baseball right now.
Entering Thursday, he is hitting .563 with an OPS of 1.730 with two homers, six RBI, and five walks.
Seiya Suzuki
The Chicago Cubs haven’t really shocked the baseball world either as they are 3-2 to start the 2022 season. However, the most lucrative deal that the Chicago Cubs made this offseason was for outfielder Seiya Suzuki and if his first week is any indication, he will be worth the five-year, $85 million contract.
He enters Thursday hitting .400 with an OPS of 1.524, three homers, nine RBI, and five walks.
Not a bad way to start your MLB career.
The Cleveland Guardians’ offense
There have been a lot of surprising aspects to the Cleveland Guardians in 2022 but mainly, it has been their offense, thus far.
Owen Miller enters Thursday hitting .524 with an OPS of 1.593, two homers, six RBI, and five doubles. José Ramírez (who has been known to be a bit of a slow starter since his tOPS+ is 83 in April, or 17 percent below his career average) is off to a torrid start as well.
Ramírez has hit .480 with a 1.576 OPS, three homers, 14 RBI, and three doubles.
But their best offensive player gets his own spot on our list.
Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan
The Cleveland Guardians have surprised the baseball world with their offense in the first week of the season but, more specifically, outfielder Steven Kwan has shocked the baseball world.
Kwan made his MLB debut last Thursday and he’s off to the hottest start of anybody in MLB history. He didn’t swing and miss at a single pitch in Spring Training or in a regular season game until Wednesday. Entering Thursday, he is hitting .526 with eight walks, two doubles, a triple, five RBI, and only one strikeout.
The Colorado Rockies
Entering play on Thursday, the team with the best record in the National League is the Colorado Rockies.
In 2021, the weakest parts of their team were their offense (third-worst in the NL by OPS+) and their bullpen (26th in ERA). However, in their first five games, they have six players that have played in at least four of those games with an OPS+ of 155 or higher.
For the bullpen, they have the best ERA in the sport at 0.78. The starting rotation is 12th-best in ERA- at 96 as well. Overall, they have a team ERA of 2.54, which is third in baseball.
With their win on Tuesday in Texas, they recorded their second road win in as many opportunities. It took them until May 1 and their 12th road game in 2021 to get to two wins. They also took two of three against the Dodgers at home to open the season, which is the first time they won a series against the Dodgers at home since 2018.
Next. 10 teams that should trade for A’s starter Frankie Montas. dark
So if the offense and bullpen can be even somewhat close to that pace for the season, they could be a team that sneaks up on some people for playoff contention.