Is it real? The Rockies can hit. They were third in the NL in run scoring last year, and with Tulowi

We're just three weeks into the 2013 baseball season, barely more than 10 percent of the way through, but already we're seeing some unexpected las vegas hotels by the airport performances that could prove to be more than flukes. Here, are 10 of the most unexpectedly positive performances in the early going, five by teams, five by individuals, with a look at what they've done and whether or not the nature of those performances is likely to continue as we get deeper into the season. Tomorrow we ll have 10 negative surprises from the first three weeks.
Last year, the Rockies finished in last place, 30 games out of first, with the second-worst record in the National League. Through the first three weeks of the 2013 season, they are tied with the suddenly las vegas hotels by the airport slumping Braves, las vegas hotels by the airport who have lost three in a row and four of their last five, for the best record in the NL.
They've done this despite minimal roster las vegas hotels by the airport turnover. Only four members of Colorado s current 25-man roster were not on the team last year, two of those men are bench players (infielder Reid Brignac and catcher Yorvit Torrealba), one (righthanded starter Jon Garland) didn't play for anyone last year and the last is set-up righty Wilton Lopez, who currently sports a 9.00 ERA.
Of course, that accounting glosses over the healthy returns of Troy Tulowitzki, an MVP-caliber player who lost most of 2012 to a groin injury, and lefty starter Jorge de la Rosa, who made just three starts las vegas hotels by the airport last year after spending most of the season rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. Both are leading the charge in the early going this season, though even better than de la Rosa has been 25-year-old Jhoulys Chacin (3-0, 1.46 ERA), who just hit the disabled list with a lower back strain.
The Rockies are getting it done on both sides of the ball. Their offense, led by Tulowitzki, Carlos Gonzalez, Michael Cuddyer, Dexter Fowler (team-high seven home runs) and sophomore catcher Wilin Rosario is second in the majors with 5.78 runs scored per game. Their pitching, las vegas hotels by the airport led by Chacin, de la Rosa (2-1, 2.82 ERA), Garland (2-0, 3.32 ERA) and strong relief work from lefty Rex Brothers and closer Rafael Betancourt las vegas hotels by the airport (7-for-7 in save chances), has been a tick better than league average in allowing just 4.22 runs per game, a stellar performance for a Colorado staff.
Is it real? The Rockies can hit. They were third in the NL in run scoring last year, and with Tulowitzki back, Rosario a year older and Fowler experiencing a breakout, they should be better this year. The question is, will the pitching las vegas hotels by the airport hold up? Chacin's injury isn't a positive indicator, but de la Rosa posted a 111 ERA+ for the Rockies las vegas hotels by the airport in the two-plus seasons before his surgery. Garland was a reliably league-average starter before his career was interrupted by shoulder surgery in 2011, and he's still just 33. There's certainly the potential for disaster, and while the Rockies las vegas hotels by the airport are still unlikely to contend all season, it wouldn t be a surprise to see them finish around or even a tick above .500, which would be something close to a 20-win improvement from last year and a major feather in the cap of rookie manager las vegas hotels by the airport Walt Wiess. They'll have a major test this week as the Braves come to town for a three-game set starting Monday night.
The Red Sox finished last in the AL East last year with the third-worst record in the American League (69-93, .426) and never once got more than five games above .500. This year, it took them just 14 games to get to six games over and prior to Sunday's doubleheader sweep by the Royals, they had won seven games in a row despite the turmoil las vegas hotels by the airport their city faced last week. They are fifth in the AL in run scoring and second, behind only the Rangers, in run prevention, and are tied with Texas for the best record in the junior circuit. They've done all of that despite injuries to David Ortiz, who made his season debut on Saturday with a rousing f-bomb and a pair of singles, intended shortstop Stephen Drew and starter John Lackey, who looked great for four innings before tearing his bicep, and the early failures of spring training sensation Jackie Bradley Jr and newly-acquired closer Joel Hanrahan (okay, las vegas hotels by the airport it was just one blown save, but it was really ugly ).
Is it real? Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester won't keep up their current pace (combined 7-0, 1.29 ERA), but if they stay healthy, there's no reason they can't both be among the better las vegas hotels by the airport pitchers in the league, and the rest of the rotation could well improve on its early-season performance, be it due to reinforcements in the form Allen Webster, who made a strong major league las vegas hotels by the airport debut in a spot-start on Sunday, and Rubby De La Rosa, or from Lackey delivering on the promise of those first four innings. The bullpen could well even out and maintain the same performance, and the offense should be able to at least hold the line with Ortiz back in the fold and Bradley back in the minors given that Will Middlebrooks hasn't done much other than hit four home runs and Dustin Pedroia's power hasn't shown up yet. Injuries have been Boston s bugaboo the last few seasons, las vegas hotels by the airport and there's always that risk, particularly las vegas hotels by the airport with the aged Ortiz and fragile Jacoby Ellsbury, Lackey and Mike Napoli around, but if the Sox can stay healthy, they could well be for real.
Only four NL teams scored fewer runs than the Mets last year, and one of them, the Astros, is no longer in the league. So how, after spending las vegas hotels by the airport the winter failing to fill a largely empty outfield, las vegas hotels by the airport have the Mets become the major's las vegas hotels by the airport most dangerous lineup this April? It's largely the work of four men: David Wright (of course), leftfielder Lucas Duda, catcher John Buck and second baseman Daniel Murphy (though utilityman Justin Turner has helped out off the bench) and some well-timed hits (New York has hit .310/.400/.503 with runners las vegas hotels by the airport in scoring position, which works out to an adjusted OPS 44 percent better than the league-average in those situations).
Is it real? David Wright's .311/.447/.557 performance isn't out of line with his ability. That's real. Duda, who is hitting las vegas hotels by the airport .273/.475/.659, has legitimate power and has shown improved las vegas hotels by the airport patience. He'll have his slumps but could indeed have a career year in this, his age-27 season. las vegas hotels by the airport Buck, whose time keeping the catching position warm for Travis d'Arnaud has been extended by d'Arnaud's broken foot, has established las vegas hotels by the airport power, too, but the 32-year-old's team-best seven home runs are already a third of the way to a new career high. Maybe he could have another season like his career-best 2010 (.281/.314/.489, 20 HR), but even that seems unlikely as he's never hit above .247 in any other season. Murphy can hit for solid averages (.294 career) with some patience and doubles power (41 doubles per 162 games in his career), so his current .348/.389/.576 line isn't completely las vegas hotels by the airport out of character, but he does have trouble staying healthy. Ike Davis and Ruben Tejada should perk up to compensate for some of the regression experienced by the others, but the main issue is the clutch performance. The best OPS+ with runners in scoring position last year was the Tigers' 116. The Mets are at 144. That's not real.
The A's won 94 games and the AL West last year, and though they only scored 4.4 runs per game on the season, they scored 5.2 runs per game after the All-Star break thanks in part to Manager of the Year Bob Melvin's expert platooning, a big second half from rookie leftfielder Yoenis Cespedes, and some surprising performances from players such as Brandon Moss and Josh Donaldson. Thus far this year, Melvin is still working those platoons and Moss is holding his own, but Josh Donaldson is scuffling, Josh Reddick, who slumped badly down the stretch last season, can't buy a hit (he's 3-for-his-last-37) and Cespedes has been on the disabled las vegas hotels by the airport list for more than a week with a strained muscle in his left hand.
Instead it's shortstop Jed Lowrie (.382/.462/.632) and team home-run leader Coco Crisp (.328/.434/.703, 5 HR) that are leading the way with help from the platoon bats of lefty Seth Smith (.388/.464/.571) and part-time catcher Derek Norris (.357/.500/.500).
Is it real? The shape of it clearly isn't. Crisp, who has reached double-digits in home runs once in the last seven seasons with a high of 11, is not a power hitter. Lowrie isn't going to produce anywhere near that level even if he does manage to stay healthy. Smith and Norris's small-sample warnings are even louder than those that should be going off throughout the rest of this piece given their part-time exposure. That said, that 5.26 runs per game this season is a match for that 5.2 runs per game in the second half last year. Cespedes has already shown he's ready to return on Sunday. Reddick should come around. In addition, Chris Young hasn't gotten going yet, the team's las vegas hotels by the airport 125 OPS+ with runners in scoring position isn't as outlandish as the Mets' figure and Melvin does have a knack for putting his players in positions to succeed. Oakland won't be among the league leaders in run scoring if it finishes the season with Crisp and Lowrie as its best hitters, but an above-average performance with Cespedes leading the charge no longer seems so far-fetched.
Pittsburgh s starting rotation of A.J. Burnett, las vegas hotels by the airport Wandy Rodriguez, James McDonald, Jeff Locke and Jonathan Sanchez doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. However, while Burnett las vegas hotels by the airport (2.63 ERA, 13.1 K/9), and Rodriguez (2-0, 0.56 ERA, 0.38 WHIP) are off great starts, the rotation isn't what has the Pirates among the league-leaders in run prevention. It's their bullpen and their defense. Pittsburgh s relievers have a combined 2.03 ERA, third best in the majors (behind Atlanta and Texas) las vegas hotels by the airport in 66 2/3 innings, the third most by any relief corps in the majors (behind Houston and Toronto). Its fielders, meanwhile, have converted balls in play into outs at a higher rate than any other team in the majors, and itslead over the second-place Braves grows even larger when you adjust for the contours of their respective ballparks (using Baseball Prospectus's Park Adjusted Defensive las vegas hotels by the airport Efficiency).
Is it rea