As Frank “The Tank” Ricard might say: We’re going streaking.
Or, rather, we’ve been streaking, at least in the case of several teams. A six-month season features plenty of ebbs and flows, but recently there seem to be particularly notable runs around the league. The Angels put together a franchise-record 14-game losing streak that cost their manager his job, while the Phillies won eight straight games immediately after firing Joe Girardi. The A’s lost 10 straight while the Braves have won their last 11. I’m not sure what this all means, other than the day-in, day-out nature of the baseball calendar can produce some strange sequences.
Anyway, with another week in the books, let’s look at each club’s best newcomer so far this season.
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30. Kansas City Royals (Last Week: 30)
The Royals didn’t exactly break the bank with offseason acquisitions, so highlighting a new arrival is a bit of a challenge. Zack Greinke is showing his age, posting a 5.05 ERA through his first 10 starts with a fastball averaging 88.5 miles per hour that hitters have feasted on to the tune of a .354 batting average. Amir Garrett hasn’t exactly been lights out himself, though he had strong underlying metrics (2.55 expected ERA) prior to Sunday’s rough outing (three earned runs in 2/3 innings), so let’s go with him.
29. Oakland A’s (LW: 27)
Once upon a time, Christian Bethancourt was considered one of the game’s best prospects. He appeared in the Futures Game and debuted for the Braves in 2013 at age 21, but never found his footing. He last appeared in the majors with the Padres in ’17, and later played for the NC Dinos of the KBO. Oakland signed him to a minor league deal this offseason, and has so far been one of the best comeback stories of the year. Bethancourt hit his fourth homer of the season during Sunday’s 6–3 loss to Cleveland, and entering this week, his season slash line is .269/.310/.454.
28. Cincinnati Reds (LW: 29)
Few probably predicted that Brandon Drury would be Cincinnati’s home run leader on June 13, but that’s exactly how the first couple months have played out. The 29-year-old joined the Reds on a minor league contract this offseason, and so far has made the most of his chance at regular playing time. Drury added two more hits on Sunday, and has hit safely in his first 11 games to start the month.
27. Washington Nationals (LW: 28)
Nelson Cruz has done exactly what the Nationals brought him in to do: bring a veteran presence and drive in runs, even though that hasn’t led to many wins. The soon-to-be 42-year-old ranks second on the team with 35 RBIs, and has a wRC+ above league average (100) for the 15th consecutive season. As the Nats slip further to the back of the pack, there are sure to be more than a few contending teams reaching out to inquire about the veteran slugger before the trade deadline.
26. Pittsburgh Pirates (LW: 24)
The Pirates lost again on Sunday, and although José Quintana surrendered three homers over five innings, he’s still been their best offseason pickup so far. Through 12 starts, the lefthander has a 3.53 ERA with 50 strikeouts.
25. Detroit Tigers (LW: 26)
Detroit’s big-ticket signings—Javier Báez and Eduardo Rodríguez—haven’t panned out to this point, which has played a big role in the team’s poor start. Of the newly-acquired Tigers, Andrew Chafin is really the only one who’s performed well. The left-handed reliever has a 2.51 ERA through his first 19 appearances, with no home runs allowed. He signed with the Tigers on a two-year, $13 million with an opt-out after this season, so could be a useful trade chip a couple months from now if they don’t think he’ll stick around for next year.
24. Chicago Cubs (LW: 22)
Seiya Suzuki cooled off considerably after a blistering April and hasn’t played since May 27 with a finger injury, so the Cubs selection here is closer David Robertson. The 37-year-old pitched only 18 2/3 innings from 2019 to ’21 while recovering from Tommy John surgery, but he has been lights out this season after signing with Chicago this winter. Robertson has struck out 35.6% of hitters he’s faced so far, and has an expected batting average against of .160.
23. Baltimore Orioles (LW: 25)
For what seems like forever, the notion of the Orioles having good pitching has felt like a pipe dream. But the O’s of this year rank firmly in the middle of the pack in pitching fWAR (4.9), with a not-terrible 4.22 team ERA. Jordan Lyles hasn’t necessary been lights out, but he’s been plenty serviceable, with a 4.97 ERA and 4.22 FIP through 12 starts. He’s cut down on giving up the long ball this season (1.21 HR/9) after allowing 1.9 HR/9 in 2021.
23. Colorado Rockies (LW: 23)
Kris Bryant’s seven-year, $182 million deal is off to a terrible start, as the former Cub has only played in 17 games while dealing with a back injury. The Rockies have gotten much better early returns on the one-year, $3 million contract it gave to pitcher Chad Kuhl, who’s posted a sharp 3.70 ERA through his first 11 starts.
21. Chicago White Sox (LW: 19)
Not a lot has gone right for the White Sox lately, as the team has lost 10 of its last 15 games. Relief pitching as a whole has been a dark spot, but Kendall Graveman has largely done his part. The righthander signed a three-year, $24 million deal this offseason, and so far, he has delivered with a 2.60 ERA over his first 26 appearances. He’s been able to keep the ball on the ground at a stellar 56.8% clip.
20. Arizona Diamondbacks (LW: 20)
After a strong start to the year, Arizona’s pitching staff has regressed all the way toward the back of the pack. Zach Davies, however, has trended in sort of the opposite direction: following a tough April, he’s been solid, posting a 3.71 ERA with an opponents’ OPS of .655 since the start of May.
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19. Seattle Mariners (LW: 21)
The gem of Seattle’s offseason haul—reigning Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray—has largely been a disappointment. Third baseman Eugenio Suárez has been a pleasant surprise, batting .235/.331/.452 with a team-high 11 home runs.
18. Texas Rangers (LW: 17)
The Rangers spent most of their money on Corey Seager, Marcus Semien and Jon Gray, but Martín Pérez has been their biggest get. The lefthander has improbably emerged as a Cy Young Award contender after years of putting up back-end-of-the-rotation numbers. He ranks fifth in the American League with a 2.18 ERA, and has the lowest home run rate (0.24 HR/9) among qualified starting pitchers—not bad for a guy making just $4 million this season.
17. Miami Marlins (LW: 18)
The Marlins saw their five-game winning streak come to an end on Sunday with a 9–4 loss to the Astros. Joey Wendle would get recognition here if he hadn’t missed so much time with injuries (he’s currently on the IL for the third time this season), so we’ll give the nod to Jorge Soler. The reigning World Series MVP is tied for the team lead with 12 homers and has a 116 wRC+ in 233 plate appearances.
16. Los Angeles Angels (LW: 14)
It was probably telling that the Angels’ front office thought they were onto something when they made Michael Lorenzen their first starting pitching acquisition of the offseason. The righthander had been almost exclusively a relief pitcher since 2016, but the team immediately made clear its plans to use him in the rotation. The move has paid off, with Lorenzen posting 6–3 record with a 3.45 ERA through his first 10 starts. He leads the team with 60 innings pitched on the year.
15. Philadelphia Phillies (LW: 16)
The Phillies finally lost a game in the post-Girardi era with Sunday’s 13–1 beatdown against the Diamondbacks. Philadelphia has long been plagued by bullpen woes, so we’ll split the honors for best newcomer with Corey Knebel and Brad Hand. The two have combined for a 2.76 ERA over 42 1/3 innings, helping stabilize the late innings for a team that will likely be on the edge of the playoff race for most of the summer.
14. Cleveland Guardians (LW: 15)
Cleveland made a remarkably few amount of offseason acquisitions, so the pickings are pretty slim in this department. But one savvy move was to sign righthander Enyel De Los Santos to a minor league contract. The 26-year-old, who had amassed a career 6.06 ERA before joining the Guardians, has posted a 2.76 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 16 games so far.
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13. Milwaukee Brewers (LW: 5)
It’s been something of a tailspin for the Brew Crew of late. Milwaukee snapped an eight-game losing streak with a win over the Nationals on Sunday. The Brewers have gotten the fourth-most production out of their catchers on the season, with incumbent Omar Narváez splitting duties with Victor Caratini, who was acquired in trade from San Diego just before Opening Day. Caratini has hit .244/.351/.427 through his first 97 plate appearances while playing his typically strong defense.
12. Boston Red Sox (LW: 13)
It’s remarkable that Trevor Story is even in consideration here after his dreadful start with the Red Sox. An abominable April has given way to a much more productive May and June. Story didn’t hit his first home run with his new team until May 11, but he’s taken off from that game onward. In that span, he is slashing a .239/.331/.551 nine homers and is a perfect 7-for-7 in stolen base attempts.
11. Tampa Bay Rays (LW: 10)
In typical Rays fashion, it appears they’ve unearthed a dominant relief pitcher out of nowhere. Jason Adam had bounced around five different organizations—including two stints with the Royals—over 10 years before landing with Tampa Bay on a one-year, $900,000 deal this offseason. He’s put up a 0.72 ERA in 25 innings so far, with a 33% strikeout rate and no home runs allowed. Adam has more than doubled his changeup and slider usage this year compared to 2021, with devastating results: opposing hitters have a combined .096 batting average against the two offerings.
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10. Atlanta Braves (LW: 12)
Though he seemed to make Dodgers fans plenty nervous in high-leverage situations in recent years, new closer Kenley Jansen has been reliable so far for the defending champs. The veteran closer notched his 18th save on Sunday as Atlanta ran its winning streak to 11 games. Jansen has a 3.25 ERA and 0.90 WHIP through 27 2/3 innings to start the season, with a 35.2% strikeout rate that stands as his highest since 2017.
9. Minnesota Twins (LW: 9)
Carlos Correa has hit safely in all four games since he’s come off the COVID-19 injured list, going 8-for-15 with three home runs. Aside from the missed time, he’s been largely as advertised, batting .303/.372/.465 in 39 games. The Twins are are 24–15 when Correa is on the field and 11–12 without him.
8. San Francisco Giants (LW: 11)
The two highest-profile players the Giants added this offseason—Carlos Rodón and Joc Pederson—have both paid off, which is a key reason why they are firmly in the mix despite playing in a stacked NL West. Over the weekend they swept the rival Dodgers to pull within 3.5 games of first place. Rodón struck out eight batters over six shutout frames during Sunday’s 2–0 win, while Pederson leads the team with 13 home runs and is batting .333/.412/.683 over his past 20 games.
7. St. Louis Cardinals (LW: 7)
None of the Cardinals’ offseason acquisitions have really popped over the first two-plus months, and it’s a testament to their returning players that the team has performed so well thus far. No St. Louis pitcher has appeared in more games than free agent signee Nick Wittgren, but he has an unseemly 5.79 ERA over 25 appearances. He’s struggled particularly as of late, with nine runs allowed in his last nine innings, but prior to that, he had a 3.77 ERA across his first 18 appearances (14 1/3 innings). He also remains one of the most difficult pitchers in the league to make hard contact against, ranking in the 99th percentile in opponents’ barrel rate.
It’s also worth noting here that Albert Pujols, despite his overall .214/.319/.378 slash line, is still crushing left-handed pitching. In 42 plate appearances against lefties, he’s hitting .351/.381/.595. He’s faced more righties than he was initially expected to following injuries to Dylan Carlson and Tyler O’Neill and the struggles of their other offseason addition, Corey Dickerson. That said, Pujols should slide back into that mostly-platoon role now that Carlson and O’Neill are back healthy and top hitting prospect Nolan Gorman is on the big league roster.
6. Toronto Blue Jays (LW: 8)
The Blue Jays let Robbie Ray walk in free agency and signed Kevin Gausman instead. So far, the move couldn’t have worked out better, with Ray regressing mightily while Gausman has retained his ace status. The righthander has a 2.67 ERA through his first 12 starts, with an even stingier 1.75 FIP that suggests he’s actually pitched better than his results indicate.
5. Houston Astros (LW: 4)
After a few solid yet uneven seasons as the closer in Philadelphia, reliever Héctor Neris has performed well after signing with the Astros on a two-year deal this offseason. Neris recorded his 12th hold with a perfect eighth inning in Sunday’s win over the Marlins to help Houston avoid a sweep. Neris leads the majors with 28 appearances this season, and has held opponents scoreless in 23 of them.
4. San Diego Padres (LW: 6)
Trading for Sean Manaea just before the start of the season is exactly the type of bold move general manager A.J. Preller is known for, and it’s been a wise one through the season’s first two months. The lefthander has a 3.52 ERA with 71 strikeouts over 11 starts, and has given up three earned runs or fewer in six of his last seven starts. The Padres have an opportunity to gain ground in the coming weeks with a very manageable schedule before welcoming the Dodgers to Petco Park for a four-game set beginning on June 30.
3. New York Mets (LW: 3)
Steve Cohen and the Mets’ front office spared no expense in bringing in top-end talent this offseason, and many of those players have delivered during their first season in Queens. We’ll give the nod here to Mark Canha for his consistent presence in the batter’s box. Canha has long been one of the toughest outs in the league, and so far he’s posted a .301/.374/.379 slash line through his first 195 plate appearances. Max Scherzer’s return to the mound will be key for the Mets, but for now, Canha has been the most consistent of the new arrivals.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers (LW: 2)
Like the Mets, the Dodgers’ offseason was marked by high-profile acquisitions. While Freddie Freeman has certainly produced at his typical (if not quite vintage) rate, it’s Tyler Anderson who stands out among the rest. Anderson is 7–0 with a 3.07 ERA through his first 58 2/3 innings, and actually leads all Dodgers pitchers in fWAR (1.4). Anderson hasn’t had an ERA below 4.37 since he was a rookie in 2016, but he’s on his way to breaking that streak this season. He’s altered his pitch mix to throw more changeups and honed his control to the tune of a 3.8% walk rate—sixth-lowest among pitchers with at least 50 innings. Anderson has given up two runs or fewer in seven of his nine starts this year.
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1. New York Yankees (LW: 1)
The Yankees are on an absolute tear, winning 11 of their last 12 games and outsourcing opponents by 56 runs during that stretch. Aaron Judge is on pace for 65 home runs, and his 24 homers are six more than anybody else. Surprisingly, new catcher Jose Trevino ranks second among the team’s hitters in fWAR (1.7). The 29-year-old catcher was acquired in an April trade from the Rangers, and has posted a .309/.356/.505 slash line through 104 plate appearances. Add that to the ludicrous start that Matt Carpenter is having, and it’s no wonder this team is on pace to win 119 games.
