Devine Out, More

Joey Devine is out for the season.

Another Tommy John Surgery for a young pitcher. The timing of this is good for the A's because it allows them to bring someone else up, or trade for a reliever to set up for Brad Ziegler, who is pretty much a lock for the closing duties in Oakland, barring a colossal meltdown. Devine's surgery comes after he had a standout season last year, posting a minuscule 0.59 ERA and superb 0.832 WHIP in 45.1 innings pitched in addition to strikeout to walk ratio of over 3 (not including intentional walks). He will return sometime during the 2010 season for A's, as the timetable for a TJ surgery recovery and rehab is about a year.

The Marlins are in first and off to a hot start.

This isn't really surprising if one examines the Marlins roster. The Marlins have Uggla and Hanley Ramirez up the middle to provide solid offense as well as Cameron Maybin in center. Their starting rotation is young and talented. They definitely will be contending for a playoff spot come September, barring any injuries. The only sad thing is that Marlins fans will suffer another six years of baseball purgatory after the firesale that owner Jeffery Loria is sure to have.

The Royals are in first.

This is surprising. The Royals have traditionally been the laughing stock of the AL. The fact that they are above .500 right is surprising. That being said, it shouldn't last. Zach Greinke has found some form, but will fall back down to earth by the end of May. The Royals are not helped either by the return of Joe Mauer to the Twins, who should boost the offense of the Twins.

Chien Ming Wang is off to a horrible start.

Something is wrong. Something is off after his recovery from his injury last year that caused Steinbrenner to condemn the NL for making pitchers hit. As of this writing, Wang's ERA right now is higher than his age. If the Yankees want to be competitive in the tough AL East, they need Wang to figure out what is wrong.