First Month Highlights of the 2019 MLB Season

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CBS Sports

Anthony Baamonde, Staff Writer

We are officially through the first month of the 2019 MLB season. A lot has happened so far, which will make the rest of the year very interesting.

Let’s start with the Yankees. Their entire team is on the IL, with right fielder Aaron Judge going down most recently. Judge injured his left oblique on April 20 against the Kansas City Royals. The Yankees went on to win the game 9-2.

The Yankees currently have 13 players on the IL. Their season is starting off very rocky with an 11-10 start, and they are sitting in second place in the AL East. Although they swept the defending champion Boston Red Sox, their lack of depth is concerning and fans are getting very worried. However, names like Clint Frazier, who’s hitting .327 with 12 RBI in only 57 at bats, are making a huge impact on the team.

On the other side of New York, the Mets are having issues of their own. The 2018 NL Cy Young winner, Jacob deGrom, was placed on the IL on April 19 with right elbow soreness. This comes as a surprise to many Mets fans that thought the team would make it far, which they still have a chance to do.

There is a bright side however. Not even 24 hours after being placed on the IL, deGrom began throwing, and and MRI conducted Monday found nothing wrong with his elbow. The Mets are in second place in the NL East with an 11-10 record.

The reigning NL MVP Christian Yelich of the Milwaukee Brewers has had himself a month, batting .353 with 31 RBI and 13 home runs . He currently leads the league in home runs, with Cody Bellinger of the Dodgers behind him with 10.

The Boston Red Sox are having a month they’d like to forget. The defending World Series champs are fourth in the AL East with a 9-13 record. The problem for the Red Sox has been their pitching. Lefty ace Chris Sale has been lackluster so far. Sale is off to an 0-4 with an 8.50 ERA. Some say Sale hasn’t been the same since he hurt his left shoulder last July, and it makes sense. His slider is not what it used to be, and his velocity is down by 4 mph.

Bryce Harper and Manny Machado found new homes this year. Harper in Philadelphia and Machado in San Diego. Harper is batting .278 so far with 14 RBI. He also recently played against his former team, the Washington Nationals, where he got mixed reactions from the fans.

Machado, on the other hand, is playing well. He boasts a .253 batting average with 9 RBI. Although Machado is in a smaller market, he should have a good rest of the year, much like Harper. The problem for Machado is, his team isn’t quite good yet. The Padres are in second place in the NL West, with an 12-11 record.

There is still a lot of baseball to play, and anything can happen. It should be a great year, so enjoy it.