Baseball Top 5: Things You Should Pay Attention to Thus Far in 2011

Back at the beginning of May I published an article (found here) on what I considered five of the most important things to watch that were happening around Major League Baseball. I'll begin by taking a look at how those predictions have held up via a standard A-F grading system.

The Cleveland Indians are for real - B+
Sitting now at 38-31, the Indians stil appear to be a legitimate contender, though they have come back to Earth a bit following their torrid start. They still find themselves in first but the Detroit Tigers have emerged as a formidable threat in the division.

Dan Haren and Jered Weaver Might Be Enough - C
At the time, Dan Haren and Jered Weaver were a combined 10-3 with an ERA under 2. They are a combined 4-6 since, though their ERA's have both remained under 3 (Haren: 2.96, Weaver: 2.05). The LA Angels find themselves at 34-38 and in third place. But thanks to a mediocre division to this point, the Angels are only four games out of first. They'll likely need more than Haren and Weaver, though.

Lance Berkman was a Great Signing for the Cardinals - A
Berkman's average has come down quite a bit since my last writing. But can you blame him, he was batting a sizzling .396 through just over 30 games. He's down to .309 now but is still hitting exceptionally well. His power has continued (17 HR) as well as run production (51 RBI). He leads the Cardinals in both categories.

Finally a Cubs Prospect is as Good as Advertised- B+
Starlin Castro is still good and we're pushing late June. The later the season goes with Castro producing; the more valuable he becomes. As of today (June 18th), Castro is hitting .317. Even as the Cubs have been reeling prior to this last week, Castro has continued to shine on offense. His inconsistent, nerve-wrecking defense keeps the grade in the B range, something he'll have to improve on.

If Health Holds, the Phillies are as Good as they looked on Paper- A
At the time of the first article the Phillies were twelve games above .500 (21-9), they now sit eighteen games over .500 (45-27). They are as good as everyone thought they might be. Roy Oswalt had a minor injury that cost his a few starts but for the most part, the Phillies "Big Four" have been healthy and good. At the time of the first writing, the big four were a combined 12-5. Halladay and Hammels had ERA's under 3, and Oswalt and Lee under 4. Now, they are a combined 29-15. The ERA stats have slightly improved but they are still in the same range as before. Though the highest in the bunch is Oswalt at 3.38. Not bad for your first four starters.

Later this week, I'll look at five new things to pay attention to thus far in the campaign.