Baseball’s first month is a tease, full of mirages. But by this point in the calendar, with Memorial Day in the rearview mirror and May nearing its end, things are a lot less hazy.
As usual, a number of April’s big surprises have fallen by the wayside. But some have proved they were more than just early-season noise.
With June on deck, here’s a look at nine unexpected developments from the season’s first month that have been solidified in May.
The Tigers’ offense is legit
Much like last year, when the Tigers made a shocking late-season turnaround to reach the playoffs, their pitching staff appeared to be the clear strength of the team heading into 2025. After Detroit fell short in its pursuit of free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman over the winter, the club entered the season with much of the same lineup that scored the 11th-fewest runs in MLB a year ago.
But while the Tigers have again been effective at run prevention, it’s not the pitching that’s driving their rise to the top of the AL standings -- it’s the offense. (OK, Tarik Skubal has been pretty awesome, too.) Getting unexpected contributions from Spencer Torkelson, Javier Báez and Zach McKinstry, Detroit’s offense ranks fourth in the Majors in runs per game (5.07) this season, and only the Cubs and Dodgers have scored more runs in May.
Pete Crow-Armstrong is an all-around stud
Coming into 2025, the Cubs knew that Crow-Armstrong was going to provide exceptional defense and baserunning. What remained uncertain was how much he’d hit. But after finishing 2024 with an 87 wRC+ over 410 plate appearances, the 23-year-old’s bat has broken out in a big way, making him one of the most valuable players in baseball so far.
Crow-Armstrong finished April with six homers and a 134 wRC+, and he has been even better in May, going deep eight times with a 150 wRC+ prior to Tuesday's game. He’s on pace to join the 40-40 club and is tied with Shohei Ohtani for third in the Majors in WAR (3.0, per FanGraphs).
Corbin Carroll is a 40-homer threat
When Carroll came out of the gate with five homers over his first 13 games in 2025, there were several reasons to buy into the early surge. And don’t you know, the dingers have kept on coming. While Carroll has gone into a bit of a slump lately, putting a dent in his overall numbers, he still has 16 homers and a .561 slugging percentage through 55 games in 2025.
This actually goes back to last summer -- Carroll has swatted 36 home runs over 126 games since July 7, 2024, the sixth most in the Majors during that time.
The Rangers’ top-notch rotation is keeping them afloat
The Rangers’ starting staff was rife with question marks at the outset of 2025. Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle both missed much of the previous two years while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Cody Bradford and Jon Gray were lost to injuries during Spring Training. And Nathan Eovaldi turned 35 in February. If the 2023 World Series champions were going to get back on track after a disappointing title defense last year, it seemed like their lineup was going to have to be the catalyst.
However, as 2025 has progressed, the Rangers’ rotation has kept the team’s season from unraveling amid an absolutely anemic offensive performance. The biggest surprise has been Mahle, who has posted a 1.80 ERA over 11 starts. But that’s not even the best mark on this staff. That belongs to Eovaldi at 1.56. (The right-hander left Tuesday's start with right triceps fatigue, but he isn't expected to miss any time.) deGrom has also looked sharp through 11 starts, and even Patrick Corbin and Jack Leiter have had their moments. Through 56 games, the Rangers’ rotation has recorded the second-best ERA (2.92), the seventh-most innings (301 2/3) and the lowest WHIP (1.08) in the Majors.
The AL East might not be that tough for the Yankees
The AL East is typically one of the stronger divisions in baseball, and it seemed likely to be formidable again in 2025, with the Yankees and Orioles coming off postseason berths and the Red Sox, Blue Jays and Rays all making moves to improve in the offseason.
However, that hasn’t been the case so far. Baltimore is this season’s most disappointing team at 19-35, while none of Boston, Toronto or Tampa Bay has been more than four games above .500 all year. Conversely, the Yankees have one of the best records in baseball, as well as an MLB-leading +112 run differential. They extended their AL East lead to seven games with Tuesday's win over the Angels, the largest of any first place team.
Cal Raleigh has a historic catching season in his sights
Given the physical and mental demands of the position, offense is usually a secondary concern for catchers. Add in the fact that backstops typically get routine days off to keep them fresh, and they aren’t usually in position to record eye-popping counting numbers. In MLB history, there have been only eight individual seasons where a catcher reached the 40-homer plateau. Similarly, only eight catching seasons all time have included at least 8 fWAR.
Raleigh, though, is on track to do both in 2025. Already known for his elite defense, strong plate discipline and powerful swing, not to mention his durability, Raleigh has taken it up a notch this season. Appearing in every game for the Mariners, the 28-year-old has produced 19 homers, a 178 wRC+ and 3.2 fWAR on the year. If he keeps it up, he could break Salvador Perez's single-season record for homers by a primary catcher (48 in 2021) and join Hall of Famer Mike Piazza (1997 Dodgers) as the only catchers to notch 40-plus homers, a 160 wRC+ or better and at least 8 fWAR in a season.
Kris Bubic is the Royals’ latest unlikely rotation success story
In recent years, the Royals have shown a knack for getting the most out of largely unproven arms. First, it was Cole Ragans, who emerged as an ace after being acquired from the Rangers in a trade for reliever Aroldis Chapman during the 2023 campaign. Then, they signed former reliever Seth Lugo, who finished second in the 2024 AL Cy Young Award race in what was his first season making more than 26 starts. They’ve done it again in 2025, with Bubic coming out of nowhere to become one of the top starters in the game.
Selected 40th overall in the 2018 MLB Draft, Bubic had a 4.85 ERA over his first four big league seasons before undergoing Tommy John surgery. But after excelling as a reliever down the stretch in 2024, Bubic has pitched to a 1.45 ERA with 70 strikeouts, 20 walks and only three homers allowed over 68 1/3 innings spanning 11 starts this year. That includes a sparkling 0.56 ERA in May.
The Giants aren’t going away
After consecutive fourth-place finishes in the NL West, both PECOTA and FanGraphs projected the Giants to be the division’s fourth-best team once again in 2025. However, San Francisco ended April with a 19-12 record and has remained within striking distance of the first-place Dodgers this month.
The Giants are lacking in superstars, but they’ve managed to post a +40 run differential with an offense that is tied for 11th in runs scored and a pitching staff that ranks seventh in runs allowed. San Francisco’s big offensive addition, Willy Adames, has struggled, but strong seasons from Jung Hoo Lee, Mike Yastrzemski and Wilmer Flores have more than made up for it. On the pitching side, Robbie Ray and Landen Roupp have stepped up to support ace Logan Webb in the rotation, and the Giants’ bullpen leads MLB with a 2.53 ERA.
The Angels can slug
With Shohei Ohtani gone and Mike Trout missing much of the season, the Angels’ offense cratered in 2024, contributing to a franchise-worst 99 losses. It’s been a different story in 2025, though not for the reasons you might have expected coming into the season. Most of the veteran bats the Angels brought in over the offseason have done very little. Trout, meanwhile, had a .727 OPS before going on the IL with a left knee injury that has cost him all of May. Instead, the Halos have gotten impressive performances from several unheralded players.
Taylor Ward (15) and Logan O'Hoppe (14) are one of only three pairs of teammates across MLB with at least 14 homers apiece in 2025, and Zach Neto has been one of the most productive shortstops in the game since returning from right shoulder surgery, recording nine homers and an .865 OPS over 36 games. The club collectively has hit 79 homers, the third most in MLB, with 41 coming in March/April (tied for fifth most) and 38 coming in May (most). The Angels' pitching struggles (4.92 ERA) have kept them below .500 on the season, but their power is making them a tougher foe than they were in 2024.