Making a list of the biggest surprises of the 2010 baseball season is risky considering how easy it is to leave a player or event off the list. Still there will be enough surprises to make up for any omissions.
Players
The biggest surprise to me is that Carlos Silva, who was 5-18 over his two seasons in Seattle, is the only pitcher among 18 pitchers with six or more wins to not have lost a game in 2010 with two more days left in the month of May.
Who would have thought that Chipper Jones would only have two home runs and 18 runs batted in after 137 at-bats or that Manny Ramirez wouldn’t hit his third home run of the season till the Dodgers 48th game of the season? He has had only three hits in his last 22 at-bats and is hitting .216 in May after hitting .415 in April.
Who would have thought that Jose Bautista, who has never hit more than 16 home runs in a season, would be leading the majors in home runs with 15 in 226 fewer at-bats than when he hit 16 for the Pirates in 2006?
Who would have thought that Vladimir Guerrero would be leading the AL in runs batted in with 43 after having 50 in 2009 in 199 fewer at-bats? His .342 average is the highest average he has hit for since he hit .345 for the 2000 Expos.
Who would have thought that Alex Rodriguez would only have six home runs with his lowest slugging percentage (.466) since slugging .408 for the 1995 Mariners? At this pace he will finish the season with about 20 home runs since the season will be a third over next week.
Who would have thought that Ty Wigginton would be third in AL in home runs with 13 after hitting 11 home runs in 410 at bats in 2009 which is 247 more at-bats than this season?
Who would have thought that Kelly Johnson would be tied for the NL lead in home runs with 12 after hitting 12 in 547 at-bats for the Braves in 2008 with 381 fewer at-bats this season?
Who would have thought that Vernon Wells would have 12 home runs in 188 at-bats after hitting only 15 in 630 at bats in 2009?
Who would have thought that rookie Jason Heyward, who is sixth in the NL in runs batted in with 35, would have more runs batted in than Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard, Ryan Braun, Manny Ramirez, Prince Fielder, and Chipper Jones?
Who would have thought that Mike Pelfrey would be 7-1 after posting a 10-12 season in 2009?
Who would have thought that Barry Zito, who is 6-2 this season, would be tied for third most wins in the majors after compiling a 10-13 record in 2009 and a 31-43 record in three seasons with the Giants?
Who would have thought that Ubaldo Jimenez would have allowed seven runs in 71 innings in 2010 after giving up 84 runs in 218 innings in 2009? He is on a pace to give up about 22 runs this season with the season soon being a third over.
Who would have thought that 2009 AL Cy Young winner Zack Greinke would be 1-5 after posting a 16-8 season in 2009? He has allowed eight home runs in 2010 in 63 innings after allowing 11 in 218 innings in 2009.
Who would have thought that Mark Teixeira would only have seven home runs in 185 at-bats after hitting 39 in 609 at bats in 2009? Teixeira, who is known for his slow starts, is still hitting only .216 with the season a third over soon and his .378 slugging percentage is almost 200 points lower than his .565 of 2009. His .704 OPS is a career low.
Who would have thought that Javier Vazquez would be 3-5 with a 6.86 ERA after posting a 15-10 record with a 2.87 ERA for the Braves in 2009? At this pace he will be lucky to win 10 games.
Who would have thought Kevin Millwood would have a 0-5 record when he makes his next start in June?
Teams
Who would have thought that Tampa Bay would be 33-16 after being 24-27 on this date in 2009?
Who would have thought Baltimore would be 18 games out of first place after being 5.5 games out on this date in 2009?
Who would have thought Oakland would be a half game out of first place after being 10 games out of first on this date in 2009?
Who would have thought that Washington would be 25-24 and three games out of first after having 14-34 record and 13.5 games out of first on this date in 2009?
Who would have thought that Milwaukee would be 20-28 in 2010 after being 28-20 at this time last year and tied for first place with the Cardinals?
Who would have thought that Colorado would be 25-23 and 2.5 games out of first place after being 19-28 on this date in 2009 and 8.5 games out of first place.
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