I already knew that the Red Sox were in first, and that the Yanks were in second. I also knew that whenever I looked at the standings, Toronto was not far behind New York. What I didn’t know was that Tampa Bay is currently only a game behind Toronto.
Everyone once in a while I hear a player say on TV that their division is the toughest in baseball. I never really know who to believe because it seems to change every year. Right now in 2009, I’m picking AL East as the toughest division in baseball. Take a look:
AL East W L Games behind
Boston 45 26 --
New York 41 32 4.0
Toronto 41 34 5.0
Tampa Bay 40 35 6.0
Baltimore 33 40 12.0
Sure, there’s some other tough divisions in baseball, but I’m still picking this one. No other division has more than three teams with a winning record. However, the NL Central division is a close second.
NL Central W L Games behind
Milwaukee 39 34 --
St. Louis 40 35 --
Chicago 35 35 2.5
Cincinnati 35 37 3.5
Houston 34 37 4.0
Pittsburgh 34 39 5.0
By looking at these numbers, one might assume that this would be considered the toughest division in baseball. However, what I didn’t post was their winning percentages. Only Milwaukee and St. Louis have winning records, while the Cubbies have an even 35-35 record. I don’t even consider Cincinnati, Houston, or Pittsburgh to be playoff contenders, so I don’t think this a very difficult division. That being said, I’m gonna enjoy watching Milwaukee and St. Louis battle this one out for the remainder of the season…and who knows, maybe Chicago will put up a fight as well.
Here are some interesting facts that you may not have known about the current MLB Standings… I know I didn’t before I took a look…
-The Washington Nationals have a .291 winning percentage with a 21-50 record. I knew they were the worst team in baseball, but I didn’t realize they were this bad. No wonder they’re having so much trouble drawing fans to the ballpark.
-The Los Angeles Dodgers are the best team in baseball with a 48-26 record. I had no clue that this was going on. I’ve always liked the Dodgers simply because I’ve never seem them make it very far in the postseason (when they were fortunate enough to reach it). I would love to see the Dodgers do something special this year.
-Texas and Los Angeles are currently a half game apart from each other in the AL West. I didn’t realize that Texas got good again. I feel like every year it’s a new story with the AL West, although the Angels have dominated for most of the decade. Seattle is also fighting and is three and a half games back, but I’m not expecting much from them. Too bad, I always liked Seattle.
And that’s all I got RSN. I’d love to hear your thoughts as well.
Keep the Faith.
