John Tomase joins Trenni Kusnierek on Early Edition to discuss why the Red Sox made a miscalculation betting on Chris Sale this winter
The 2022 MLB season is in full swing, and there's already plenty to take away from the first two weeks of the new campaign.
We've seen a perfect performance out of Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw and a walk-off walk at the New York Yankees' expense in Baltimore. Tempers have flared in a couple of matchups with benches-clearing incidents, and exciting rookies such as Chicago Cubs slugger Seiya Suzuki and Cincinnati Reds hurler Hunter Greene have impressed.
Tomase: 10 early Red Sox observations: Suzuki the one who got away?
With our All Access Daily newsletter, stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams!
SIGN UP HERE As for the Boston Red Sox, it's been a so-so start to the year. They enter Tuesday night with a 5-5 record after splitting their opening home series with the Minnesota Twins. They'll look to find their rhythm when they host the Toronto Blue Jays for their next series at Fenway Park.
So, how does Boston stack up against the other 29 MLB teams so far this season? Let's take a look at the updated power rankings...
30. Arizona Diamondbacks (3-7)
Previously: 28
Boston Red Sox
Find the latest Boston Red Sox news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Boston.
No surprise here, but the D'Backs look to be headed back into the NL West cellar. They've gone 2-7 since their walk-off winner on Opening Day.
29. Baltimore Orioles (3-7)
Previously: 29
John Means' potentially season-ending injury is bad news for baseball. The southpaw was one of the few reasons to tune into O's games this season.
28. Cincinnati Reds (2-9)
Previously: 25
The Reds offense has been non-existent, posting a league-worst .539 OPS through the first 11 games. Starting off the campaign with series against the Braves and Dodgers certainly didn't help their cause. On the plus side, rookie fireballer Hunter Greene has looked stellar through his first two big-league starts.
27. Texas Rangers (2-7)
Previously: 18
The Rangers' strategy of loading up on offense and neglecting the pitching staff has not paid dividends. They rank dead-last in the league with a 6.19 ERA, and that's been reflected in their 2-7 start.
26. Kansas City Royals (3-5)
Previously: 23
The Royals haven't done anything well to this point as they rank toward the bottom of the league in both OPS and team ERA. Former Red Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi, a free agent after this season, has held up his end of the deal with a 10-for-28 start at the plate.
25. Washington Nationals (5-7)
Previously: 26
Juan Soto is the NL MVP favorite and Josh Bell (.350/.469/.525) is off to a scorching start. Outside of those two bright spots, there isn't a whole lot worth raving about for this rebuilding Washington squad.
24. Pittsburgh Pirates (5-5)
Previously: 27
The Pirates are off to a surprisingly solid start as they've won four of their last five, including three of four against the Nationals. Ex-Red Sox infielder Michael Chavis is 8-for-16 to begin the year.
23. Philadelphia Phillies (4-7)
Previously: 13
The Phillies' terrifying lineup hasn't translated to success thus far. In fact, it's been quite the opposite. They've lost five of their last six and that skid was highlighted by Alec Bohm saying he "f---ing hates this place' after making three errors.
22. Minnesota Twins (4-6)
Previously: 21
Minnesota's offense -- not the underwhelming pitching staff -- has been the issue through the first 10 games of the season. Don't expect that trend to continue, especially if Byron Buxton returns from injury sooner rather than later. Plus, Carlos Correa is due to heat up after a lackluster start to his Twins career.
21. Cleveland Guardians (4-5)
Previously: 22
Cleveland's lineup has been one of the best in the bigs through the first couple of weeks. Steven Kwan and Owen Miller have been pleasant surprises while Jose Ramirez has maintained his reputation as one of the top slugging third basemen in baseball. Is the offense's unexpected success sustainable? We'll see.
20. Oakland Athletics (6-5)
Previously: 30
Give the rebuilding A's credit, they've blown away everyone's expectations to begin the season. It probably isn't sustainable, but Oakland can keep it going with a couple of winnable series ahead vs. Baltimore and Texas.
19. Detroit Tigers (4-5)
Previously: 17
AL Rookie of the Year candidate Spencer Torkelson is heating up. The prized prospect is hitting .417 with two homers in his last four games. Detroit remains a sleeper in the AL Central.
18. Miami Marlins (4-5)
Previously: 19
Keep an eye on breakout candidate Jazz Chisholm Jr. The 24-year-old shortstop has a 1.234 OPS and is becoming one of the most electrifying young players in the game. This is a talented Miami team that can surprise some people if the offense can get going.
17. Colorado Rockies (7-3)
Previously: 24
Many predicted the Rockies to be the cellar dwellers of the NL West, but they've done all they could to quiet the naysayers so far this season. Connor Joe has been the feel-good story in his comeback from cancer with a .361 batting average as Colorado's leadoff hitter. C.J. Cron remains one of the most underrated sluggers in the game with five homers already.
16. Chicago Cubs (6-4)
Previously: 20
Somehow, someway, the new-look Cubs lead MLB in batting average (.281), on-base percentage (.364), and OPS (.811) through 10 games. Offseason addition Seiya Suzuki -- a rumored target Red Sox target -- is off to a hot start with a .400 average and four homers.
15. New York Yankees (5-5)
Previously: 11
The Yankees just lost two of three to the lowly Orioles and one of those losses came on a walk-off walk courtesy of Aroldis Chapman. Outside of their opening series win vs. Boston, it's been a rough start to say the least for the Bronx Bombers.
14. Tampa Bay Rays (5-6)
Previously: 4
The Rays have tumbled since their 3-0 start to the season with series losses to the A's and White Sox. The offense has scored three or fewer runs in five of its last six games.
13. Milwaukee Brewers (6-5)
Previously: 7
The Brewers will hope Christian Yelich's grand slam was a harbinger of what's to come, because the former MVP has struggled mightily along with the rest of the offense. Milwaukee is hitting a paltry .213 with a .626 OPS through 11 games.
12. Seattle Mariners (5-5)
Previously: 15
The Mariners took two of three from the Astros over the weekend, and they were convincing victories. They have a chance to get on a bit of a run here with upcoming series vs. Texas and Kansas City.
11. Boston Red Sox (5-5)
Previously: 10
It's been an up and down start to the season for Boston. The bats have shown signs of life recently, but they haven't been the offensive powerhouse they were hyped to be heading into the year. There hasn't been much consistency in the rotation or the bullpen, either. One bright spot has been offseason addition Michael Wacha, who's posted a 0.96 ERA and 0.86 WHIP through his first two starts. If he can turn into a reliable option, that would be a major development for a staff that won't have Chris Sale or James Paxton until sometime in the summer.
Next up for the Red Sox is a big test vs. Toronto at Fenway Park.
10. San Diego Padres (7-5)
Previously: 12
San Diego has cooled down since its 4-1 start, going 3-4 in their last seven. Fernando Tatis Jr.'s absence has hurt the offense, but the pitching staff has helped to offset those struggles. The Padres will look to find some consistency when they begin their series at home vs. Cincinnati.
9. Atlanta Braves (5-7)
Previously: 3
It hasn't been an ideal start to the year for the reigning World Series champs, but it isn't all negative in Atlanta. Matt Olson has been the perfect replacement for Freddie Freeman and Ronald Acuña's minor league rehab stint is about to begin. Brighter days are ahead.
8. St. Louis Cardinals (5-3)
Previously: 16
St. Louis has had a couple of rainouts last week, but that didn't halt Nolan Arenado's hot start to the season. The former Colorado Rockies slugger is hitting .433 with four homers and 12 RBI through eight games. This is a club that can run away with the wide-open NL Central if the pitching staff can hold it together.
7. Los Angeles Angels (6-5)
Previously: 14
The Angels are coming off a 5-1 week with help from Shohei Ohtani and the red-hot offense. Pitching is a concern (stop us if you've heard that one before), but there's reason for optimism heading into their series vs. Houston.
6. Houston Astros (6-4)
Previously: 6
Justin Verlander hasn't missed a beat since returning from Tommy John surgery. The two-time Cy Young award winner and 2011 MVP has allowed only one run and struck out 15 batters through his first two starts (13 innings). That's a scary sight for the rest of the American League.
5. Chicago White Sox (6-3)
Previously: 5
The White Sox just continue to find ways to overcome the injury bug. Despite injuries to starters Lance Lynn and Lucas Giolito, the rotation has a 2.68 ERA that ranks fourth in the majors. Once Chicago gets healthy and the offense gets going, look out.
4. Toronto Blue Jays (6-4)
Previously: 2
As expected, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. looks poised for another run at the AL MVP award. Last year's runner-up currently leads the league with five homers through the first 10 games. The issue in Toronto has been the starting rotation, which has been inconsistent outside of second-year starter Alek Manoah.
3. New York Mets (7-3)
Previously: 8
The Mets so far have overcome Jacob deGrom's absence with an impressive start to the season. The rotation leads the majors with a sparkling 1.07 ERA and the offense has held up its end of the bargain. Francisco Lindor's bounce-back campaign is underway as the prized shortstop has three homers and a 1.048 OPS through 10 games.
2. San Francisco Giants (7-2)
Previously: 9
It may be time to quit calling the Giants overachievers. They're just plain good. The addition of Carlos Rodon to the rotation has already looked phenomenal as the southpaw has struck out 21 hitters through 12 innings pitched. It looks like the Dodgers once again will have a legitimate challenge for the top spot in the National League West.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers (8-2)
Previously: 1
The Dodgers were expected to be the team to beat in 2022 and they've lived up to the hype through the first 10 games of the campaign. Between Clayton Kershaw's perfect game (before being replaced in the eighth inning) and Freddie Freeman homering in his first at-bat vs. the Atlanta Braves, everything is coming up L.A.