108 Victories

Today is the 1/3 mark of the season, with the average team having played 54 games. In celebration, I have updated all stats, so you can easily calculate your own “on pace fors.” For instance, Derrek Lee now leads the majors in Win Shares, and he’s on pace for 48. That’s a Bondsian pace.

Here are a few division items worth noting…

• The White Sox are on a pace to win 108 victories, despite being seventh in the league in runs scored. At this stage, it looks as though the Sox and Twins will have a real dogfight in the AL Central.
• The Cardinals are on pace for 105 victories, though they truly haven’t been as dominant as they were last year.
• It may as well be April 1st in the NL East, where all teams are within two games of each other.
• In the AL West, the A’s are on a pace to win 63 games, which is 28 less than last year and the same number that Seattle won last year. Seattle is on a pace to win 66 games.
• The Orioles are on pace for an 18 game improvement, but the true surprise team has been the Arizona Diamondbacks, on pace for 90 wins — 39 (!) more than last year.