Rankings/List

Their debatable sellout streak may be over, but the 2013 Red Sox have quickly become the talk of Boston after their incredible start to the season.

At 18-7, the Sox are off to their best start since they opened the 2004 season at 18-7. We all know how that year turned out—with World Series rings in Boston.

After the first 19 games of the season, the Indians find themselves in a curious situation. Nobody quite knows whether the Indians are for real or whether they will falter as the season continues.

As we move closer to the trade deadline, the Indians' position in the standings will determine whether they're buyers or sellers.

If they're sellers, several players who are either in the final year of their contract or approaching their final year could find themselves leaving Cleveland.

Early on in 2013, we're being treated to shocking individual turnarounds across Major League Baseball. Those of us who thought John Buck and Vernon Wells were on the decline have been eating crow.

Even under-30 players like Patrick Corbin and Chris Johnson have caught the sport off guard by performing above their perceived potential.

The following guys underachieved last season, but seem reinvigorated thus far.

*Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com, up to date as of April 26.

April is the easiest month of the year in the baseball season to overreact to. All the stats are going to move up and down at a rapid-fire pace because players are just beginning to accrue at-bats and innings. 

Last year, there was a panic about Albert Pujols because he went an entire month without hitting a home run and hitting like Luis Mendoza. He wound up finishing with 30 home runs and 105 RBI, not a bad season for a player who was done because of a poor April. 

With each passing day in the MLB, trade talk becomes a bit more pronounced.

Oftentimes, performance dictates how a team proceeds as it approaches the trade deadline in late July. In some cases, injuries will determine a team's actions as well.

Inevitably, each team will have players on its roster that it may try to unload but will find no suitors. Bloated long-term contracts could be a factor. So, too, could current performance and historical trends.

Whatever the case, each MLB team has at least one member of its roster that would be considered worthless trade bait.

Chad Billingsley will undergo Tommy John surgery tomorrow, April 24. Recovery time is expected to be 12 months.

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 23, 2013

The most dangerous words to use when scouting and evaluating talent are ceiling and upside. Major League Baseball teams are loaded with players, both in the big leagues and throughout the minors, with plenty of both that have been unable to reach it. 

When you use those words—and when fans read them—they think that is the final word on what a player will be. 

Prospects are called prospects for a reason, nothing is certain. When you have blue-chip talents, however, there is less of a chance that the player will turn out like Lastings Milledge and they're more likely to turn into David Wright or Jose Reyes.

In baseball, maybe more than any other sport, fans gravitate toward phenoms. The thought of a pitcher that can be the next Justin Verlander or outfielder that can match the swing and power of a young Ken Griffey, Jr. can almost be more tantalizing than watching a finished product through the latter stages of a career.

The world of social media, instant gratification and, in the minds of baseball executives, cost-controllable stars equal fan interest, victories and potential.

The MLB has become more and more of a pitcher's league over the past few seasons, and that is as much a result of moving past the Steroid Era as it is due to an impressive crop of pitching talent.

With so many good arms, there is no shortage of dominant individual pitches, and what follows is my attempt to name who throws the best fastball, cutter, changeup, slider, curveball and splitter.