There have been plenty of surprises one month into the 2021 MLB season. The American League favorites are off to a concerning start, while the best records in baseball are held by teams who were projected to finish near the bottom of the standings.

The New York Yankees (11-14) head into their final game of April tied for last place in the AL East with the Baltimore Orioles (11-14). The Boston Red Sox (16-10) lead both teams by 4.5 games for first place in the division.

The Kansas City Royals (15-8) are right ahead of Boston for the top winning percentage in the sport. The San Francisco Giants (16-9) surprisingly have the best record in the National League after four weeks of meaningful baseball.

San Francisco is a half-game ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers (16-10) for first place in the NL West, The Dodgers have won eight straight division titles and are significant favorites to repeat as World Series champions with visions of potentially challenging for the regular-season wins record.

The Chicago Cubs (11-14) sit in last place in the NL Central. The 2016 World Series champs don’t appear to be playoff contenders, driving speculation that Chicago could offload some of its best players before the July 31 trade deadline.

Few would’ve predicted the standings to look like this in spring training. The Yankees were projected to lead the AL in wins. The odds suggest the Red Sox and Royals would finish with a losing record.

Offense has been the biggest difference between the two AL East rivals.

The Red Sox are second in the AL in runs scored and OPS. J.D. Martinez has been one of the league’s top sluggers, hitting .417/.678/1.095 with seven home runs and 21 RBI.

The Yankees’ lineup has been baseball’s most disappointing unit. New York ranks 12th out of 15 AL teams in runs, batting average and slugging percentage. Batting champ DJ LeMahieu leads the team’s regular starters with a .272 average. Glebyer Torres, Aaron Hicks and Gary Sanchez all have an OPS below .650.

About 85% of the regular-season schedule remains, but there are signs that the Yankees won’t quickly come out of their funk.

The Yankees are 7-12 against the AL East, most recently splitting a four-game series in Baltimore. A rotation filled with question marks and hitters continuing to fall below expectations could force New York to make a mid-season trade in its quest to get back to the playoffs.

Kansas City’s success might be difficult to sustain. The Royals rank in the middle of the pack in both runs scored and ERA. Kansas City last had a winning season in 2015 when the Royals won the World Series.

San Francisco has the second-best ERA in MLB. The Giants were projected to finish well behind the Dodgers and San Diego Padres (14-12) in the NL West.

New York Yankees
Clint Frazier #77, DJ LeMahieu #26 and Kyle Higashioka #66 of the New York Yankees and teammates Brett Gardner (2nd R) #11 and Aaron Judge (R) #99 look on from the bench during Game 2 of the American League Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays at PETCO Park on October 06, 2020 in San Diego, California. Christian Petersen/Getty Images
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