Who is Going to Surprise?

Every year there's a good bet that some team is going to surprise. '07 Rockies, '08 Rays, '10 Padres, baseball is about the upset. This season started strange and it looked like we were going to have some upset teams immediately. However, as the first month of the season comes to a close we start to see regression and divisions return to the norm. Some surprise teams are still leading the charge, and so I thought I'd take a look at two teams that could give their division's a run for their money throughout the entire season.

Cleveland Indians 
Right now they still hold a 3.5 game lead over the Tigers in the AL Central. Their pitching has been pretty surprising, with Justin Masterson and Josh Tomlin hanging on to ERAs under 3; in fact, they lead the AL Central in team ERA. Their biggest weapon has been offense. In the AL they're 1st in batting average, 2nd in runs, and 3rd in home runs. They're only going to get better as Shin-Soo Choo continues to march out of his funk, and Grady Sizemore continues to return to form. The biggest concern here is pitching. The bullpen raises questions and the long term effectiveness of the rotation is bleak. However, if they can take control of their arms the Indians could be returning to October a lot sooner than anybody thought.


Florida Marlins
I'm still kicking myself over this one. I'm a big Marlins fan, but I have overrated them in the past. So, after the Braves picked up Dan Uggla I figured that they and the Phillies would be to strong for the Fish to beat this year. However, I was very wrong and they're making sure I know it. The biggest improvement has been pitching. Cameron Maybin and Dan Uggla seemed like tough loses for Florida, but in return they got bullpen arms that have been a saving grace to the tune of a NL leading ERA. Florida has three real good starters, but to stay relevant they need better production from Volstad and Vazquez. Just like Cleveland their offense has been ridiculous. Logan Morrison has become a rock in the lineup, and once Hanley gets out of their slump they become that much more dangerous. They're second in the NL East right now, and they could definitely stay there all season long.