Throughout the first month of the major league baseball season, there have been several surprises and several not-so surprises.

Perhaps the greatest shocker of the season is the Kansas City Royals. While dodging crazed White Sox fans, the Royals have emerged in the AL Central. Manager Tony Pena has his young club playing outstanding ball, joining the likes of Oakland and Montreal as small-market teams finding success and trying to debunk the theory that cash equal success in baseball. Kansas City is the league’s only remaining unbeaten team at home – winning games with outstanding pitching as they trail only Oakland and New York in team ERA.

Surprise, surprise. The largest market team, the New York Yankees, with their $150 million payroll, is once again baseball’s best. They are the favorite to win it all, despite being without All-Star shortstop Derek Jeter, who suffered a shoulder injury on Opening Day. Newcomer left fielder Hideki Matsui has fit in nicely in New York, as the “Bronx Bombers” continue to hit the cover off the ball and lead the league in runs per game with nearly seven.

The Yankees are also keeping the other teams’ bats under wraps as the five-man rotation of Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Mike Mussina, David Wells and Jeff Weaver has lost just two of 19 decisions. They possess the AL’s second-lowest ERA, have surrendered a league-low of 10 home runs and have struck out the opposition more than any other team. And, they got closer Mariano Rivera back yesterday.

Yankee second baseman Alfonso Soriano is a favorite for AL MVP, as he has picked up his game to compensate for the loss of Jeter. Soriano, the leadoff man for the Yankees, is a Triple Crown candidate, and going into yesterday’s action he was leading the AL in batting average, home runs and RBIs. He is also tops in runs, hits, total bases and is second in slugging, OPS and stolen bases. These are monstrous numbers for a 25-year-old who will only get better, especially when Jeter returns.

Another not-so shocker of the season is Cincinnati native Ken Griffey, Jr. getting injured. Although he cannot be blamed for a freak injury stemming from sheer hustle, it is yet another disappointment to hometown fans who looked for the Reds to bust out this season in their new stadium, Great American Ball Park. There has been no dearth of homers this year in Cincy, and its new ballpark has been given the nickname, “The Great American Small Park.”

There are a couple of remaining Reds who, without Griffey’s support in the lineup, have flourished in the new stadium. Austin Kearns, in just his sophomore season, is second in the NL in home runs with nine. Kearns had been leading the majors in homers but hasn’t hit one out in more than a week. He still leads the majors in home runs per at bat, with one every 9.3. Right behind Kearns is Adam Dunn who has eight homers on the season, and one every 9.7 at-bats.

The Reds are righting the ship by winning five out of seven after starting the season 5-13. They lead the NL in home runs; however, they still have the NL’s worst ERA, worst fielding percentage, second-worst batting average and the most strikeouts.

On the Columbus baseball scene, the Clippers are as hapless as ever with a 6-16 record – the worst in the International League. There is not much sign of life for the franchise, which is struggling in its dingy stadium in the ghetto on Columbus’ west side. Their best player is a former Michigan quarterback, and the team is the Triple-A affiliate of the Yankees. That is not an attractive combination for central Ohio baseball fans.

Maybe the Indians and Yankees should trade minor league franchises so the Yankees’ Triple-A team would be in Buffalo, N.Y., and the Indians could then move to Columbus and get the city to build the downtown ballpark everyone really wants.

Marty Homan is a graduating senior in journalism. He can be reached at [email protected] for comment.