The 2015 MLB season is here with the first week of the American League is in the books. The first week of the season provided some much needed fireworks for the everyday baseball fan. The one performance that stood out from the first week was Hanley Ramirez debut with the Boston Red Sox.
Ramirez who was one of the biggest offseason acquisitions earned every penny in just his first game of the season. The former Los Angeles Dodgers short stop picked up two hits in his first four at bats. Before you jump to conclusions Ramirez’s two hits went for home runs.
Overall Ramirez picked up eight hits in his first five games including three home runs and five runs driven in. Ramirez is just one of the many winners around the American League over the first week. While we have seen some great performances we have also saw some bad performances.
One player that has stood out is Evan Gattis of the Houston Astros. The Astros acquired Gattis this offseason from the Atlanta Braves to provide the club with another powerful bat in the middle of the lineup. The little problem is the fact that Gattis failed to pickup a hit in his first 20 at bats to start the season.
These are just a few of the winners and losers of the first week of the 2015 MLB season. Here are the rest of the winners and losers around the American League.
Winners:
Kansas City Royals: The Royals might be the hottest team in all of baseball winning all six games over the first week of the season. This includes a three game sweep of the Chicago White Sox followed by an even more impressive sweep of the Los Angeles Angels. The team’s success over the first six games has been their hot start on the mound.
The Royals pitching staff has allowed just 15 runs in those six games against some very good offensive teams. The Royals held the White Sox to one run in two of three contests and the Angels to two runs in two of three contests.
Detroit Tigers: The second undefeated team after week one of the Major League Baseball season included the Tigers. The Tigers picked up a three game sweep over the Minnesota Twins to start the season. In the series the Tigers pitching staff allowed just one earned run while the teams offense was able to score 22 runs
While the Twins were expected to be at the bottom of the Central Division, the Tigers repeated their success against the Cleveland Indians. The same Indians team that many have as a true contender in the Central Division.
Miguel Cabrera: As you can imagine when any team in baseball gets off to a hot start typically that team has a few players that are hot. That has been the case as Cabrera has been hot early picking up 13 hits over his first 25 at bats. In that stretch Cabrera picked up two doubles, two home runs, eight runs batted in along with four walks.
J.D. Martinez: While Cabrera has been picking up the hits for the Tigers, Martinez picked up three home runs in those same six games. Martinez looks to be an every day power hitter for the Tigers for the years to come. Martinez also has one double and seven runs driven in this season.
Losers:
Minnesota Twins: No one expected the Twins to compete this season but any time a season starts with just one win over the teams first six games earns a spot on our loser list. The main key to the Twins struggles early on has been the team’s ability to score runs only recording 13 through their first six games.
The Twins opened up the season being shut out in back to back games before scoring just one run in the third game of a three game series with the Tigers. The team bounced back scoring 12 runs in a three game series against the White Sox.
Los Angeles Angels: The defending American League West division champs have gotten off to a slow start in 2015. After losing opening day against the Seattle Mariners 4-1, the team bounced back with two straight wins. The team could not figure a way to build on the success losing three straight games against the Royals.
George Springer: The Houston Astros entered 2015 with high hopes for Springer who hit 20 home runs in just 78 games as a rookie last season. That hasn’t been the case to start the season as Springer has failed to hit one long ball in 23 at bats to start the 2015 season.
Overall, Springer is hitting just .174 with four total hits this season including just one double and one run batted in.
Jered Weaver: Most of the Angels troubles to start the season has been around the teams pitching struggles. Weaver might be the biggest problem this season as he has struggled in back to back starts for the Angels. Weaver has managed to pitch just 10.1 innings this year.
In those innings, Weaver has allowed 15 hits to go with 10 earned runs and four walks allowed.
Clay Buchholz: The struggles have rolled over from 2014 for the Red Sox starters. Buchholz got off to a hot start going seven innings allowing zero earned run and nine strikeouts in his first start of the season. The problem was that start came against a Philadelphia Phillies team that was expected to finish at the bottom of the National League.
The struggles returned in his second start of the season against a much better New York Yankees team. Buckholz allowed nine earned runs in just 3.1 innings while allowing nine hits.