The 5 best surprises of the 2022 MLB season so far

CINCINNATI, OHIO - APRIL 12: Jose Ramirez #11 of the Cleveland Guardians hits a grand slam in the ninth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on April 12, 2022 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OHIO - APRIL 12: Jose Ramirez #11 of the Cleveland Guardians hits a grand slam in the ninth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on April 12, 2022 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
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Connor Joe, Colorado Rockies
DENVER, CO – APRIL 9: Connor Joe #9 of the Colorado Rockies celebrates the Rockies 3-2 win against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field on April 9, 2022 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

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.

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.