Early Surprises and Disappointments of the 2009 MLB Season

As the MLB season is still fresh and young there is not a lot of news in terms of the waiver wire, trades, signings and the free agent market. That is not to say that there has been a shortage of excitement though as this season has already shown signs of being one of the most exciting and competitive yet. With big cash markets taking over, the past few seasons there has not been a lot of parity in the league. The major spenders have always dominated the regular season and left the usual cast of basement dwellers far behind. This season appears to have a completely different feel as we have an unusual mix of big and small market teams crowded at the top of the standings. Let’s take a quick look at some of the top teams so far in this 2009 season and some of the biggest surprises.

Right out of the gate the Toronto Blue Jays have to be the biggest shock so far this season. An off-season spent standing in the background losing superstars like AJ Burnett and not making any moves had many doubting there ability to compete at all. Such has not been the case so far as the Jays hold the best regular in the entire league and have yet to lose a series. Backed by super sophomore Adam Lind and a patchwork rotation the team has stunned everyone early. There is no certainty how long the Jays can continue their dominant play especially with a number of recent injuries. However, it is safe to say that there has not been this much excitement in the city of Toronto with respect to baseball in quite a few years.

Some other small market teams that have been pushing hard out of the gate include the Florida Marlins and Pittsburgh Pirates, both with records of 11-7. The cast of usual suspects of Boston are getting on a roll as the team now has 10 straight victories to push them within a few games of the Blue Jays. Among the disappointments so far this season include both free spending teams from New York, the Mets and the Yankees. Neither team has been able to live up to the expectations after massive spending in the off-season. It is safe to say that this is shaping up to be an exciting season for fans of small market teams. Maybe this could finally be the end of teams trying to buy championships and more general managers start to realize the importance of chemistry rather than superstar status.