In 1997, the movie Gattaca taught us that "there is no gene for the human spirit." At the start of every MLB season, we learn that there isn't a statistic for it, either.
As per usual, countless so-called experts—myself included—spent the weeks leading up to Opening Day breaking down the statistical projections and prognosticating about how the divisions would shape up in 2010. And like always, the early-season results have most of us looking like idiots.
If you had told me on April 5th that, five weeks later, the New York Mets would have a better record than the Boston Red Sox, or that the Pittsburgh Pirates would be more successful than the Seattle Mariners, I would have laughed you out of the room. But that's how the cookie has crumbled so far.
Here's a look at five teams who, to varying degrees of explicability, have laughed in the face of their predicted mediocrity over the last five weeks.
Included in each slide are a comparison between the team's preseason projected ranking and its current rank (by winning percentage), a breakdown of a breakout player whose surprising success has mirrored his team's performance, and an analysis of each team's chances of reaching the postseason.
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