Fifteen Percent Off The Top

With 25 games in the books, we're roughly 15% of the way into the MLB season. While that's too early to condemn the Tigers to the cellar or David Ortiz to the eighth spot in the order, it's not too early to notice some interesting trends.

A good player scuffling or a bad team playing house-on-fire doesn't tell us much after only 25 games. But when already-established trend lines continue, there just might be something there. To wit:

1. Carlos Delgado, you were a pleasure to watch play. For the Toronto Blue Jays. Please enjoy this lovely parting gift.

2. The Dodgers are as likely to invoke next year's $10 million option on Andruw Jones as Warren Jeffs is to win Father of the Year. It appears that Jones didn't just slump last year; he's begun skiing downhill. He'll still be an asset to a team, but not for seven figures.

3. The Blue Jays' loss is the A's gain. Frank Thomas is a cranky DH whose peak predates Max Sunog (seven or eight years old). But he'll get aboard 35-40% of the time and whomp 20 home runs while playing for minimum wage in Oakland. (Toronto will pay the other $9.7 million of his $10 million salary in newly empowered loonies.) This, by the way, tells you all you need to know about Billy Beane and A's management.

4. Tim Lincecum is everything they say he is. I revise my estimate of the Giants' win total up to 65.

5. Cliff Lee is healthy again. Four starts, 32 innings, one earned run, two walks and 29 strikeouts is not a streak. It's an announcement.

6. Cut Francisco Liriano some slack. The guy's spent more time recovering from TJ surgery than actually pitching in the big leagues. He's 24. There's so much unknown in his future.

7. The Pirates, Nationals and Rangers have fulfilled our expectations. The Nats over-performed last year by a wider margin than Reagan beat Carter and are now regressing to their mean. The Pirates are condemned to Dante's ninth ring of hell -- endless dying by incompetent management. The Rangers...has Texas ever had good pitching? Wouldn't a franchise have to stumble upon good pitching randomly now and then over 20 years? It makes me wonder whether successive Ranger management teams have an actual talent for developing bad rotations.

There's more, I'm sure. I'll be back.