The 10 biggest surprises of the MLB season

1. The breakout of the Oakland Athletics
Usually by late August, baseball in Oakland has resembled more of a picked-through yard sale of a roster than one that is fighting for the postseason. But since June 1, the A's have been one of the irresistible forces in the American League, going 46-22 and firmly moving beyond just the wild card picture to officially becoming a threat to take the AL West outright. With a week left in August, the A’s have already passed their win total from the past two years.

2. Shohei Ohtani is a lot better — at everything — than we thought
The intrigue that Ohtani brought along with him into the year was unparalleled. But the extent to which he lived up to the expectations — and immediately exceeded them — was mind-blowing. Ohtani won four games by May 20 and hit .359 in April. Due to an elbow injury, Ohtani’s one-man, two-way showcase has been put on hold, but he somehow made unreal expectations become a regular routine.

3. The arrival of the Atlanta Braves
Coming off a third consecutive 90-loss season and seeing their then-general manager John Coppolella banned for life for dealing under the table to land international prospects, the Braves looked to be in a tailspin headed into the year. However, armed with a precocious stash of young talent that was ready for its time immediately, the Braves became the talk of the National League. Ozzie Albies, Ronald Acuna and Dansby Swanson joined MVP-candidate Freddie Freeman as the driving everyday forces for baseball’s youngest breakout faction. When Mike Soroka joined Albies and Acuna in Atlanta in early May, the Braves had the three youngest players in baseball, all being born in 1997 – the same year Bartolo Colon made his MLB debut.

4. Jacob deGrom’s stunning season
While the Mets have spent much of the summer in a free fall, it has not been for the lack of deGrom doing everything in his power to provide a safety net. As the Mets have fallen in the standings, deGrom’s ERA has declined just as rapidly. With a start left in August, deGrom’s ERA has dipped down to 1.71, which would be the second-lowest, full-season ERA in the last 18 years if it holds up. But despite this, deGrom is still shy of double digits in wins, as the Mets have struggled to give him even the minimal run support he requires. The pitcher was credited with only two victories between May and July, despite allowing only 19 earned runs over the three-month span.

5. The Washington Nationals' struggles
After again entering the year as one of Las Vegas’ favorite sons for World Series odds, the only on-field consistency for the Nationals has been how stunningly they have underwhelmed. Amid a year flush with key injuries and flat-out underachieving, the Nationals have spent only two weeks in first place and have never been more than 1.5 games ahead at any time. The decision to bet on themselves at the trade deadline and keep the band together for the final two months has not been a fruitful one either. They have struggled to reach .500 as September approaches and are headed toward a fourth month featuring a losing record.

6. Robinson Cano’s suspension
After years of struggling with their standing mediocrity, the Seattle Mariners were finally showing promise in May, holding onto an early AL Wild Card spot. Considering this, the timing could not have been worse for Cano to get curbed 80 games for a PED violation. Five years ago when the club inked him to a 10-year, $240 million deal, it was anticipated that he would be leading the charge that the team has enjoyed this year, not spending the summer at home.

7. Carpenter roars back to life...and carries the Cardinals with him
On May 1, Matt Carpenter owned a .147/.309/.224 split line, with just one home run and nine RBI to his credit. Fast forward four months, and Carpenter sits atop the National League home run board after rocking 14 long balls in just 114 at-bats in the second half. Coupled with the Cardinals post All-Star turnaround, Carpenter has resurrected from his dead-on-arrival start to insert himself into the NL MVP picture with a month to go.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals have erased a mediocre first half and have pulled back into a tie for an NL Wild Card spot and within three games of the Chicago Cubs, whom they trailed by 7.5 games at the All-Star break.

8. Strikeouts take over the spotlight
In baseball equivalency to the controversy that is global warming, strikeout rates have risen to unmistakably high levels. 2018 stands to be the first season in MLB history where Ks surpass hits. Twenty-two percent of all plate appearances have resulted in a strikeout this year, as the game has trended toward becoming an alarmingly true outcome event. The non-stop pursuit of the home run has seen contact rates dip to all-time lows, batting averages have tumbled and walks have begun to replace hits in a fashion that has dangerously impacted the entertainment value of the product.

9. The haves and have-nots have taken over
The addition of a second wild card slot was intended to make the MLB postseason a more inclusive event. However, that parity has been tough to come by this year, as the standings have been further apart than at any other point in the wild card era. Four teams — the Royals, White Sox, Orioles and Padres — are headed for a definite collision course with 100 losses. Meanwhile three American League teams, the Red Sox, Yankees and Astros, are on pace to touch 100 wins. What does it all mean? It would be the first time that there have been three 100-win and four 100-loss teams in the same season in MLB history.

10. Out-of-the-blue breakouts Every year there are those who come out of seemingly nowhere to make a big name for themselves and make waves in the standings as a result. Here is a look at a few of the biggest out-of-nowhere producers this summer: 

Max Muncy, Dodgers: His 22-home run first half helped Los Angeles survive an up-and-down start that included the loss of Corey Seager for the year. 

Jesus Aguilar, Brewers: Although Milwaukee added both Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain over the winter, it is the 28-year-old first baseman who leads the team in home runs (29) and RBI (89). 

Matt Chapman, Athletics: While Chapman made an immediate impact with his glove as a rookie, he took it to another level this year. His 25 defensive runs saved are 14 more than any other third baseman in baseball. Only three other infielders (Kolten Wong, Andrelton Simmons and Nick Ahmed) are within 10 runs saved of Chapman.