With the MLB season beginning to take shape across the league, analysts are starting to separate the contenders from the pretenders.
We’re nearing the halfway point, and several teams have emerged as surprising overachievers. During MLB on FOX, Eric Karros and Dontrelle Willis revealed their biggest surprises from May – and their bold predictions for June.
Biggest Surprises In May
Chicago White Sox have been Karros’ biggest surprise over the past month. The White Sox entered June red-hot, sitting just one game behind the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Central with a 32-27 record after going 18-10 in May.
“I’m going to the South Side of Chicago in the White Sox,” Karros said. “If the season ended right now, they would be a playoff team. I don’t think anybody thought that was going to happen. How are they doing it? The power has been crazy.”
Chicago’s offense has been one of the biggest reasons behind its turnaround, consistently producing timely hits and home run power throughout May. Several young players have also stepped into bigger roles, helping the White Sox produce one of the more balanced lineups in baseball.
Before his recent injury, Japanese sensation Munetaka Murakami has put together an impressive rookie season, batting .240 with 20 home runs, tied for the American League lead and second-most in all of Major League Baseball.
“Obviously, you knew [Munetaka] Murakami was going to be absolutely outstanding once he got going with the home runs,” Karros said. “But [Miguel] Vargas has been unbelievable after being traded from the Dodgers a few years ago.”
That young core has quickly become one of the driving forces behind Chicago’s surprising rise in the American League standings.
“The energy you’re talking about with Chase Meidroth at second, [Colson] Montgomery at short with the youth of these guys,” Karros said. “The thing about it is, they’re confident. They’re starting to believe and they got a little bit of arrogance too and that could be dangerous.”
When it comes to Willis’ biggest surprise, he pointed to the San Diego Padres’ more unconventional case. Despite underwhelming offensive numbers on the stat sheet, the Padres entered June with a 32-26 record.
They sit just 5.5 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West while currently holding the top Wild Card spot.
“For me, it’s the San Diego Padres,” Willis said. “Fernando Tatis hit his first home run a few days ago and Manny Machado is hitting .170. You would think if that happened, they’d be 10 games out of it right now. If the season ended, they’re in the postseason.”
The strength of their supporting cast has allowed San Diego to stay afloat even while key stars have yet to fully find their rhythm at the plate.
“The supporting cast has been absolutely phenomenal and that’s what’s scary about the San Diego Padres,” Willis said. “If they get two of those horses [Tatis and Machado] going in the right direction, it’s going to be scary hours in the West.”
Bold Predictions For June
After opening the season as one of baseball’s hottest teams, the Chicago Cubs hit a rough patch in May, finishing 13-16. They also dropped the Crosstown Classic to the Chicago White Sox during the month.
Still, Willis remains confident in the Cubs, believing another winning streak could be on the horizon given their favorable upcoming schedule.
“The Chicago Cubs are going to go on another win streak,” Willis said. “They have something favorable in their schedule. They have to play the A’s, Giants and the Rockies. They’re going to win a lot of ball games.”
One of the biggest disappointments in baseball this season has been the Texas Rangers, who sit in third place in the American League West with a 28-32 record. Injuries have played a major role in their struggles, as they’ve had difficulty keeping their key players on the field.
Even with those issues, Karros still views them as a team to watch once they get healthy and regain full strength.
“I’m going to go to the Texas Rangers,” Karros said. “They’re going to get [Corey] Seager and [Wyatt] Langford back. Then you’ve got that pitching staff with [Jacob] deGrom and [Nathan] Eovaldi. I think Texas is going to be a problem for a lot of teams.”
If the Rangers can piece things together down the stretch, Karros believes their talent still makes them a dangerous postseason match-up in any series.
“If they get into the postseason, you don’t want to face those guys,” Karros said. “They’re going to get healthy. I like the Rangers.”