The 2013 Major League Baseball season is once again off to a great start as many of the teams fans expected to be contenders have held true to form while some other club's not considered a threat are performing at a consistently high level, remaining in early contention.
National League Dominance
As we head into the month of June, the St. Louis Cardinals are again proving to be the model of consistency, leading the National League Central division while holding the best record in baseball at 35-18.
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Leading the way for the Cards' is their premier catcher Yadier Molina. Batting an eye-popping .353 in 51 games, Molina has 3 home runs, 14 doubles and 27 RBI's as he continues a phenomenal career behind the plate in St. Louis.
Aiding Molina on a nightly basis is team RBI leader Allen Craig. To go along with his 37 tallies, Craig is hitting above .300 as he provides tremendous balance to a very good Cardinals line-up.
While Craig has been a tremendous plus, Carlos Beltran isn't showing any signs of aging. The 36-year-old paces the red and white in home runs with 12 to go along with his 32 RBI's and a .296 batting average as St. Louis currently holds a 1 ½ game lead on the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Although they've shown signs of talent at times during the last few seasons, Pittsburgh seems to fall off once the All-Star break rolls around. With a 34-20 record through 54 games in 2013 however, don't expect the black and yellow to drop off this time around.
Pedro Alvarez leads a talented unit with 10 home runs and 29 RBI's while MVP candidate Andrew McCutchen and Garrett Jones continue to provide timely support, combining to drive in 53 runs this season.
Wandy Rodriguez is pacing the Pirates pitching staff this season, posting a 6-2 record with a 3.58 ERA in over 55 innings of work. Jeff Locke is a solid 5-1 in 11 starts as the 26-year-old is really beginning to come into his own with a 2.25 ERA in 64 innings.
Remaining N.L. Division Leaders
The Atlanta Braves currently pace the National League East with a record of 32-21. With a strong line-up that includes Justin Upton (14 HR, 29 RBI), Freddie Freeman (32 RBI) and Dan Uggla (10 HR, 20 RBI) Atlanta is surely a formidable team capable of winning their division once again.
For all the talk surrounding the Los Angeles Dodgers coming into the 2013 MLB season, the Arizona Diamondbacks are the N.L. West team garnering most of the attention.
At 30-23, the D'Backs have a 4-game lead over the San Francisco Giants while the Dodgers are a lowly 22-30, sitting in last place as they're a dismal 10 games off the divisional pace.
American League Breakdown
While St. Louis has certainly been one of the most consistent teams in the National League the last few seasons, the Texas Rangers continue to find ways to win in the American League.
Despite losing slugger Josh Hamilton during the off-season to the rival Angels, the Rangers currently have a 3-game lead on the Oakland Athletics in the A.L. West division.
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At 33-20, the combination of pitching and offense has worked to near perfection for Ron Washington's club as they once again look like a team capable of representing the American League in the World Series for the third time in five seasons.
Familiar Faces
Texas was considered one of the favorites in the A.L. this season and while the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees are usually in the conversation as to who will dominate the American League, neither squad was expected to do much given the overall level of talent both teams had entering their respective campaigns.
Sox veterans Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz didn't let negative criticism get to them as they've been phenomenal this season.
The duo is batting well-above .300 with Ortiz driving in 35 runs to Pedroia's 30. Mike Napoli provides power from the first base position with 8 homers and 39 RBI's and third baseman Will Middlebrooks continues to play solid defense while driving in 30 runs of his own.
A combined 13-1 record, Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz are developing into the best 1-2 pitching combination in the Major Leagues.
If Boston is able to keep producing at the plate, expect them to be in contention all season since their pitching staff is on track for a humongous season.
Despite injuries to many of their core players including shortstop Derek Jeter, third baseman Alex Rodriguez, first baseman Mark Teixeira, centerfielder Curtis Granderson and utility infielder Kevin Youkilis, the New York Yankees are only 2 games back of the Red Sox in the American League East.
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New York will host Boston for a three-game series beginning Friday night and although the Yanks were recently swept in 4 games by the New York Mets, the Pinstripes continue to get production from some of their recent acquisitions.
Travis Hafner provides power in the line-up while Vernon Wells and Lyle Overbay continue to fill the shoes of the injured superstars. Robinson Cano continues to hit following some early-season struggles, aiding in the Yankees remaining competitive through 50-plus games.
Don't Forget About Detroit
Texas and Boston seem to be the early favorites in the American League but the Detroit Tigers should not be left out of the conversation.
2012 Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera is ahead of his pace at the plate this season, batting an unreal .369 to go along with 15 home runs and 59 RBI's in 52 games. The Tigers currently have a one-game lead on the Cleveland Indians as they continue to heat up with June approaching.
Wrap-Up
With 2 months of great baseball in the books, the race to October will undoubtedly begin to heighten as multiple teams have legitimate chances to make the postseason and compete for a World Series Championship.
For a closer look at the Major League Baseball Standings as of May 31st, 2013, follow this link.
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