As we stand about a week away from the calendar flipping over to June, the MLB regular season is about 27% finished. There have been lots of great plays, boneheaded plays, surprises and disappointments. What has been the most pleasant surprise so far this season? B far, it’s the Baltimore Orioles.

Buck Showalter’s team wasn’t expected to do much in the top-heavy American League East this season; according to analysts, they had no starting pitching, and with the trade of Jeremy Guthrie to the Colorado Rockies, they really had nothing left. Offensively, they just wouldn’t be able to compete with offensive juggernauts that are the Red Sox and Yankees. So, where are those aforementioned juggernauts? Tied for last place in the division, both sitting at 21-21 on the season, 5.5 games out of first place. Oh, and who is leading the division? It’s the Orioles, sporting a 27-16 record, two games better than Evan Longoria and the Tampa Bay Rays.

How has Baltimore been able to stay on top of the division for as long as they have this season? Well, they’ve been taking care of business at home with a 12-10 record, but it’s their dominance on the road (15-6 record) that has propelled them to their current success. As a team, the Orioles are in the middle of the pack when you look at their .249 team batting average, but their .310 team on-base percentage is ranked 21st in the MLB. Despite that, the O’s rank 6th in the league with 199 runs scored, thanks to their league-leading 65 home runs. Yes, you read that right, the Baltimore Orioles have more home runs than anyone in Major League Baseball, and that includes the Rangers and the Yankees.

Who has been leading the offensive charge for Balitmore? It’s obviously Adam Jones; he’s leading the team with a .307 batting average, and also leads the team in on-base percentage (.351), slugging percentage (.602), home runs (14), RBI (29), and runs scored (32). I think it’s safe to say that he’s been the team’s MVP thus far. Of the starters, Chris Davis (.299 BA) and Robert Andino (.263) have been helping to pace the offense.

What’s been the key to  Baltimore’s success is the emergence of their pitching staff. This team was supposed to have no pitching, yet two months into the season, their 3.58 team ERA and 1.26 team WHIP both rank in the top half of the league. The starting staff has been led by starters Jason Hammel (3.12 ERA) and Wei-Yin Chen (3.35 ERA), but their bullpen has been incredibly impressive. They have converted 19 out of 24 save opportunities and are boasting five relievers (Jim Johnson, Pedro Strop, Darren O’Day, Matt Lindstrom, and Luis Ayala) with 13 or more appearances and an ERA of 1.75 or lower.

Can the Orioles continue their run of success? I’m not sure, but it’s been awful fun to see both the Orioles and Nationals jump out to impressive starts and bring the D.C. area to life. What concerns me the most about the Orioles is that they’re depending a lot on their bullpen, which could come back to bite them in the end. Also, they’ve beaten the teams they needed to beat (White Sox, Twins), but I would like to see them go up against some top tier teams before I pass judgment. They have won three of four so far from the Red Sox, but have only taken three of eight from the Yankees, and they looked like a totally different team when they lost three of four against the Rangers. To stay on top of the AL East, they’ll have to continue what they’re doing to Boston (3-1), Toronto (5-1), and Tampa Bay (2-1), while improving against the Yankees.

Either way, this is a world of progress from last season, and Baltimore currently has 40% of last year’s win total (69) under their belt, a week before June.

I have some happy news and some sad news. Let’s start with the happy things; I’ve been a part of the FanSided MLB network since the end of January as a staff writer at Call to the Pen, a general baseball blog. It’s been a wonderful experience writing for CttP and continuing to post for On the Way Home. Over the weekend, I was awarded the job of becoming the editor of Rising Apple, which is the dedicated FanSided site for the New York Mets! I’m very excited for this opportunity and look forward to covering the Mets more in depth now that baseball season has returned.

However, with the responsibilities that come with being editor of Rising Apple and continuing as a staff writer for Call to the Pen, I won’t be able to dedicate enough time to keep On The Way Home as current as I have been able to do since I started it months ago. So, even though On The Way Home will not be at the caliber it once was, the lights are not being cut off entirely, but only dimmed. When there is time, I plan on contributing to the site here and there, in an effort to keep things somewhat current.

I appreciate all the readers that I have gained throughout this time, all of the wonderful comments that you have provided me with, and the extreme joy that it was to write for you all. I hope that even though not everyone is a Mets fan, you will follow me over to Rising Apple and continue to read my general MLB work at Call to the Pen. Without all of you, this move would have never happened for me, so I thank you all from the bottom of my heart! Have a wonderful Easter and enjoy the finish of the first weekend of MLB games!

Thanks for reading! To follow all my posts from Rising Apple and Call to the Pen, follow me on Twitter: @mmusico8

Dave Bancroft: Shortstop, Philadelphia Phillies

.279 average, 1048 runs scored, 2004 hits, 32 home runs, 434 RBI, 145 stolen bases

Dave Bancroft is not your typical Hall of Famer. He was voted in by the veterans committee in 1971 and even though he did have some good years with the bat, the shortstop is considered to be one of the top fielders in Major League Baseball history. He played for 16 years in professional baseball with four different teams. He won two National League pennants and back-to-back World Series Championships with the Giants in 1921 and 1922. Bancroft enjoyed five seasons of hitting over .300 and three seasons of 100+ runs scored during his career, but like I said before, his biggest impact was with his glove at the shortstop position. He ranks 28^th all-time in games played at shortstop (1,873), is 3^rd all-time in putouts at the position (4,623), and his 6,561 assists at shortstop rank 11^th all-time. Bancroft was a player-manager with the Boston Braves for three seasons towards the end of his career, but he also managed in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1948-1950.

Jake Beckley: First Baseman, Pittsburgh Pirates

.308 average, 1602 runs scored, 2934 hits, 87 home runs, 1578 RBI, 315 stolen bases

Beckley had a solid reputation for being a great fielder at first base and also being a great hitter. During his 20-year professional career, he hit over .300 on 13 different occasions, is 33^rd all-time in hits (2,934), 70^th all-time in total bases (4,156), 77^th most doubles (473), and his 244 triples are 4^th most in MLB history. In addition to his 804 extra base hits (102^nd all-time) and 3,733 times on base (70^th all-time), Beckley holds the Major League record for most putouts by a first baseman with 23,731, ranks 2^nd most ever in games played at the position with 2,380 games played, and his 1,316 hits assists rank 19^th on the all-time list at the first base position. At the time of his retirement in 1907, Beckley’s 2,930 hits trailed only Cap Anson for the all-time lead.

Chick Hafey: Left Fielder, St. Louis Cardinals

.317 average, 777 runs scored, 1466 hits, 164 home runs, 833 RBI, 70 stolen bases

Even though he had many things going against him during his 13-year MLB career, such as weak eyes, severe sinus problems, and several beanings, Chick Hafey was able to establish himself as a premier hitter back in the 1920s and 1930s. The 1933 All-Star is a two-time World Series champion, won the NL batting title in 1931, and had six straight years of hitting .329 or better. When Hafey broke into the Major Leagues, he was originally a pitching prospect, but Branch Rickey felt it was best to have him in the field after he saw what he could do with the bat. He was usually at odds with management, especially in St. Louis, when his 1931 and 1932 seasons started late because of salary disputes. These disagreements eventually led him to getting traded to the Reds, where he would end his career. Hafey’s claim to fame is that he still holds the National League record for collecting 10 consecutive hits over three games in July 1929.

Harry Hooper: Right Fielder, Boston Red Sox

.281 average, 1429 runs scored, 2466 hits, 75 home runs, 817 RBI, 375 stolen bases

Harry Hooper earned an engineering degree before he became a professional baseball player, but is considered one of the best lead-off hitters in Red Sox history. Known for being steady at the top of the lineup, he had three seasons of 100+ runs scored and hit over .300 in a season four times. He was a part of the Boston dynasty in the 1910s, being the only Red Sox in the history of the organization to win four World Series titles with the team. Hooper ranks within the top-100 all-time in numerous offensive categories, some of which include: walks, total bases, hits, games played, runs scored, doubles, triples, singles, and stolen bases. He still has the most triples and stolen bases in the Red Sox organization. Hooper was never known as a home run hitter (never hit more than 11 in a season), but he was the first player to ever hit two round trippers in a game in 1915, and in 1913 he led off both games of a doubleheader with a home run, something that only Rickey Henderson was able to match 80 years later.

Joe Kelley: Left Fielder, Baltimore Orioles

.321 average, 1425 runs scored, 2220 hits, 65 home runs, 1194 RBI, 443 stolen bases

Joe Kelley’s MLB career spanned 17 seasons, and even though he spent it with six different teams, all but one of his seasons was spent in the National League. He was known for both his hitting and fielding; Kelley hit over .300 in 11 consecutive seasons, had five years of 100+ RBI, 7 seasons of 100+ runs scored, has the ninth most triples in MLB history (194), ranks 52^nd all-time with 443 stolen bases, and won six National League pennants. As his playing career was dying down, he also managed the Reds for four seasons and Boston Doves for one, compiling a 338-321 record. Kelley also tied a record by going 9-for-9 in a doubleheader. My favorite fact about Joe Kelley is that he helped the Brooklyn Superbras win the NL pennant in 1900. There’s no particular reason why I like that, I just think the name is ridiculous.

Rube Marquard: Pitcher, New York Giants

201-177 record, 3.08 ERA, 3309 innings pitched, 1593 strikeouts

Rube Marquard started his 18-year career with a bang, when the New York Giants paid $11,000 for rights to the minor league southpaw back in 1908. Before he was traded to the Brooklyn Robins, Marquard made the investment worth their while, helping the team win three straight pennants and winning 20+ games each of those years. He won five pennants throughout his entire career, threw a no-hitter in 1915, and led the league in wins and strikeouts once apiece. Baseball analysts who are into sabermetrics feel that Marquard shouldn’t be in the Hall of Fame because his adjusted ERA+ was only a little bit better than the league average. Bill James, the founder of sabermetrics, stated that Marquard is “probably the worst pitcher in the Hall of Fame.” That’s a bold statement. However, I’d rather be the worst pitcher in the Hall of Fame than not in the Hall of Fame at all.

Satchel Paige: Pitcher, Kansas City Monarchs

28-31 record, 3.29 ERA, 476 innings pitched, 288 strikeouts, 32 saves

Satchel Paige is one of my favorite baseball players of all-time. He was well known as one of the most entertaining pitchers while up on the mound. He spent most of his career in the Negro Leagues and barnstorming around America. Paige was elected to five Negro League All-Star games and won a championship with the Kansas City Monarchs. In 1948, he was sold to the Cleveland Indians at the age of 42, which made him the oldest player to ever make his MLB debut. Once that history was made, he then helped the Indians win the World Series that year, which coincidentally is the last team to win it all for the organization. Paige was also elected to two MLB All-Star games and played six years overall. After a 12-year absence from the game, he came back and pitched three innings of scoreless, one-hit ball for Kansas City, at the tender age of 58. Jamie Moyer still has some work to do. He threw a 1-0 shutout against the White Sox in 1948 in front of 78,382 people, a night-time game attendance that has yet to be broken.

Thanks for reading! To follow all my posts from On The Way Home and Call to the Pen, follow me on Twitter: @mmusico8

There is no doubt that the news of Reds first baseman Joey Votto agreeing to a 10-year/$225 million extension is music to the ears of Cincinnati fans. Even though Votto wasn’t going to be a free agent until after the 2013 season (he’s due $9.5 million this year and $17 million next year), Reds General Manager Walt Jocketty felt the need to lock up the 2010 NL MVP and 2011 Gold Glove award winner. Once this deal is officially announced by the organization, it will the third contract worth more than $200 million since the end of last season. With the deals that Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder signed, they had to do it through the free agent market, whereas Votto didn’t have to go anywhere.

This is a great move for Cincinnati because they have a great nucleus on paper for 2012 and want to keep this nucleus together for the years ahead. For teams outside of the major markets (New York, Boston, etc.) it’s not so much about the “win right now” philosophy, but more of a focus on being competitive for a number of years. It is in the best interest of the organization to lock up a player like Votto for the long-term before he hits the open market because if he has two more great years, maybe his asking price would exceed what the Reds were willing to do. If the details of this extension are true, it is the richest one in franchise history and also includes a full no-trade clause.

The biggest problem from this agreement is the extension negotiations going on currently between the Reds and All-Star second baseman Brandon Phillips. One would think that Phillips would be on the top of Jocketty’s to-do list since the second baseman is set to hit free agency after this season, but apparently not. The two sides are reportedly still far apart as the regular season opener Thursday against the Miami Marlins looms. There has been no word that Phillips would be willing to negotiate during the season or not, but I’m sure he would prefer not to. If he was a true priority for the organization, they would have made sure that they reached an agreement with him first before locking up Votto, since his free agency is on the horizon. In all honesty, the front office could have pushed the Votto deal until next winter if mid-season negotiating wasn’t possible.

There is no doubt that Joey Votto deserved this type of deal; if he didn’t get it from the Reds and continued to produce the way he has in the last two years, he would have gotten that kind of offer from someone else. However, the negotiations for Brandon Phillips were not going well before the news of this deal hit the baseball world, I imagine that this happening first will not help one bit. I think Phillips is a great second baseman and deserves to get a long-term deal from Cincinnati, especially since he sincerely wants to stay with the Reds. I hope he is able to get the contract he wants to stay right where he is, because it would be fun to watch him and Votto wreck havoc on the NL Central for years to come, even more so now that Pujols and Fielder have left the division.

Thanks for reading! To follow all my posts from On The Way Home and Call to the Pen, follow me on Twitter: @mmusico8

Now that the Mariners and Athletics are back from their Opening Series in Tokyo and the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals are preparing to christen the new home of the Miami Marlins tonight, another Spring Training is officially in the books. However, it didn’t come and go quietly; there were many stories that kept baseball fans interested before the “real” baseball starts tonight. To give you a quick rundown of some of the major things that’s happened since pitchers and catchers reported around Valentine’s Day, let’s take a look at some of the most intriguing storylines in Major League Baseball as we get set to kick off the season in America tonight.

Injuries, injuries, and more injuries

It is inevitable that there will be injuries suffered to key players during Spring Training, but this year’s injuries kept piling up at an abnormal rate. Chipper Jones and Corey Hart both had arthroscopic knee surgery and will not be taking the field on opening day. Miguel Cabrera and A.J. Burnett both fractured their orbital bones, but Cabrera’s wasn’t as serious and will beat Burnett onto the field. Ryan Howard is still far from the field as he continues to recover from his achilles heel injury, and teammate Chase Utley will join him on the shelf with his troublesome knees. Chris Carpenter‘s nerve irritation has caused weakness in his right shoulder, putting him out of commission for quite some time, and Joba Chamberlain forgot how to jump on a trampoline and dislocated his ankle. Michael Pineda will start the season on the DL with shoulder tendonitis, but he was one of the few lucky pitchers. Tommy John surgery will be needed not only for Ryan Madson, but for Joakim Soria, and Joel Zumaya, which will sideline them for an entire season. Andrew Bailey is out until the All-Star break after thumb surgery, and Michael Morse has a lat injury that will land him on the bench for two weeks. You think that’s it? Oh yes, there’s more.

The Giants are no longer at full strength since they had to put both 2nd baseman Freddy Sanchez and starting pitcher Ryan Vogelsong on the 15-day DL. B.J. Upton will also be on the shelf for the start of the year with a bad back. Now, like I said, I realize that there are plenty of injuries that occur in Spring Training and there were countless more minor bumps and bruises that players are dealing with as the regular season starts, but this just seems like an awful lot of serious injuries to impact players. Then, throw in Carl Crawford and Victor Martinez since they injured themselves during their own workouts.

The future is now for young stars

Matt Moore” src=”http://musico8.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/250612_matt_moore.jpg?w=150″ alt=”" width=”217″ height=”146″ />There has been a lot of news made by rookies and other young players ready to make their mark in 2012. Eric Hosmer is ready to lead the Royals back to a winning tradition; Dee Gordon looks to wreck havoc on the base paths in the lead off position for the Los Angeles Dodgers; Yu Darvish and Yoenis Cespedes were the biggest international signings over the winter, and they showed this spring that they’re ready for life in the Major Leagues. Super prospect Bryce Harper was sent optioned to Triple-A by the Nationals, but Stephen Strasburg received the nod from manager Davey Johnson to start on Opening Day, even though his stats this spring weren’t all that impressive. Matt Moore of the Tampa Bay Rays will be right in the middle of that rotation, hoping to repeat his performance in Game 1 of the ALDS last year a few times in 2012. Brett Lawrie is continuing to show the type of impact he’s going to make in Toronto this year, as he was hitting over .600 this Spring before a bad groin slowed him down.

The comeback train is on it’s way

Jamie Moyer is one of the most inspiring stories since Satchel Paige. Here is a 49-year-old pitcher who can hardly throw 80 miles per hour, coming off a year in which he didn’t play any type of baseball due to injury for the first time in his life, and he ended up breaking camp making the Colorado Rockies rotation. Moyer didn’t just make the rotation, but he’s their #2 starter! His 1.00 ERA during the Spring showed that his arm was ready for action, and for one more summer in the sun. Johan Santana came back after missing all of 2011 due to injury to have a solid Spring himself; the Mets coaching staff and front office collectively held their breath every time he ran out onto the mound, but he has had no setbacks since reporting to Port St. Lucie and he will be on the mound tomorrow at Citi Field against the Braves, pitching in his first MLB game since September 2nd, 2010. Adam Dunn has had a solid camp after one of the worst offensive seasons of all time, and Adam Wainwright is set to be the main man in the Cardinals rotation after missing last year due to injury.

Unretiring is becoming the new fad

When Manny Ramirez was caught with his second violation of the MLB drug testing policy and decided to hastily retire a week into the 2011 season instead of taking a 100-game suspension, I was sure that we would never see him play in the Major Leagues again, and he would always be remembered with leaving the game with his tail between his legs. Then, rumors started up about how he had been working out and wanted to gain reinstatement. Bud Selig decided to lower his suspension to 50 games since he sat out virtually all of last year, and of all teams, the Oakland A’s gave him a chance to come back. Then, halfway through camp, Andy Pettitte came out of the woodwork and signed a one-year/$2.5 million deal to rejoin the Yankees after retiring at the close of 2010. Apparently, New York approached Pettitte before Christmas about possibly pitching again, and after getting back into the gym, he got the bug again. He should be ready to pitch by the end of May, early June, which could be perfect timing with the back end of the Yankee rotation in flux with Pineda’s injury and the presence of Freddy Garcia.

The best part about all of these storylines coming out of Spring Training is that Spring Training is finally over! This month and a half of exhibition games is the biggest tease in the world for baseball fans, and the Cardinals and Marlins squaring off tonight during prime time is proof that we are ready to start the race for October. Happy baseball season….again!

Thanks for reading! To follow all my posts from On The Way Home and Call to the Pen, follow me on Twitter: @mmusico8