5 MLB teams that have improved the most in early 2022 season

Many of the preseason storylines heading into the 2022 MLB season have unfolded like the bizarre contents of a Steven King novel. What's up is down and what's down is up. Players and teams that were projected to excel or underachieve have been subjected to an alternate reality. The ever-increasing plot twists to the story of this year's MLB campaign have been highlighted by teams rewriting their own chapters by defying preseason projections. Disregard everything you thought you knew about baseball in this Steven King-esque start to the season. We dug into the numbers to find the five teams that have shown the most growth and how they're doing it. Our five most improved teams to begin the season have left us clinging to what the remaining chapters of the regular season may behold. Here's our top five teams showing the most improvement in the early MLB season.

5. Colorado Rockies: 2022 win projection: 74

Randal Grichuk of the Colorado Rockies celebrates hitting a home run with Charlie Blackmon.

Despite their improvements, MLB analytics projects them to have only one more win than last season's 73 mark. The team's issues that riddle the Rockies game-in and game-out is no less glaring this season than last. Despite a team batting average that ranked eighth in 2021 at .249, they didn't have enough offense to overcome their atrocious 25th-ranked 4.82 team ERA. The problem is still very much alive in 2022 with a consistent abysmal 4.56 ERA, good for 26th to begin 2022. Instead of attempting to resolve their pitching woes, they opted to bolster their offense with the surprise signing of Kris Bryant.

Until this point of the MLB season, the aggressive approach has paid dividends. Whether it's sustainable is another matter. Nonetheless, In 26 games played this year, they've elevated their 2021 home run projection from ninth worst to being in the top 10 to start the year with 28. Another supporting factor in this "overwhelming your bullpen shortcomings with more offense" mentality is the fact that they currently have the highest team batting average in all of baseball at .262. With a record of 15-10 and only 2.5 games behind the National League West-leading Dodgers, it's an early improvement from last season that's good enough to merit fifth on our list.

#4 Minnesota Twins: 2022 win projections: 82

Emilio Pagan and Gary Sanchez of the Minnesota Twins celebrate a 2-1 victory.

Having the 17th-ranked team batting average at .241 and fourth worst ERA of 4.83 doesn't bode well for any MLB team's win projections. That's exactly what the Twins sported in 2021 en route to a 73-89 last-place finish. Suffice to say, the Twins went into the 2022 offseason with a firm intent to bolster their starting rotation and bullpen depth. They did just that with the signing of Chris Archer. A complementary starter to accompany the 1.63 ERA of their breakthrough rookie of the year candidate Joe Ryan has made them a formidable opponent this season. Joe Ryan has turned this pitching staff around. The tailing movement to his fastball since his first MLB strikeout show added below has been his most unhittable pitch. This subtle tailing cut to his fastball burrows in on the hands of right-handed hitters and throws left-handed hitters off-balance with its movement tailing away from the strike zone.

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"Joe Ryan's first career strikeout in the big leagues" - @ Twins Daily

Addressing their rotation shortcomings to complement their young ace has resulted in a sixth best ERA in baseball at 3.23. Their 16-11 record, as of the time this article was written, currently leads the American League Central. This rotation that ranks seventh in strikeouts with an eye-opening 237 through 27 games has been turning some heads this year. This slight makeover is a large reason why their current trajectory has them on pace to win at least nine more games than their 2021 output.

#3 San Diego Padres: 2022 win projections: 87

All of baseball was waiting for the San Diego Padres to to show signs of coming into their own for most of last season. It didn't end up happening. In one of the most disappointing MLB seasons in recent memory, the Padres finished with an underachieving 79-83 record. The 2022 season, however, has fared much better. This season's version of the San Diego Padres features everything we expected to see last season, with a 18-9 record that hangs toe-to-toe with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the division race. A large reason for their projected 87 wins in 2022 is a combination of a balanced pitching staff with the 10th ranked ERA of 3.44 and the hot hands of their two big paychecks in Eric Hosmer and Manny Machado. The Padres' hot start to the season is a direct reflection of Machado and Hosmer possessing the top two batting averages in baseball with a .382 and .371 average respectively. If the two can maintain their hot bats for a full 162, they could exceed their projected eight-win increase from last season.

#2 Los Angeles Angels: 2022 win projections: 85

Last season's win mark of 77 might as well be a wash considering their future Hall of Fame center fielder was limited to 33 games in the 2021 MLB season. Removing Mike Trout from any team would have devastating consequences, yet somehow the Angels managed to remain somewhat competitive. One thing's for sure, they missed the sight of the majestic swing below that is bound to break more records than the one in the highlight.

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"Mike Trout is Officially the All Time Angels Leader in multi-home rin games!" - @ Ben Verlander

But their depth extends beyond Trout's abilities. With versatile tools at their disposal that are not limited to their two-way hitter/pitcher superstar, Shohei Ohtani, the angels could run away with the division.

in addition to their offensive firepower, the angels have improved upon their 22nd-ranked 4.69 ERA from 2021 thus far by posting a 3.41 ERA in 2022. Ninth lowest is a far cry from eighth highest. If the remaining AL West teams don't show signs of life soon, the division could be a breeze for the resurging Angels, who are projected to have eight more wins than 2021.

#1 New York Mets: 2022 win projections: 88

The mindset for the Mets entering the 2022 offseason was clear: improve their batting lineup to better support their big arms in the rotation. The 2021 Mets featured a forgettable .238 average that ranked 20th out of 30 teams. Their 176 home runs were an equally atrocious 25th.

The Mets attacked their offensive shortcomings head-on by making an overhaul of their own. Signing outfielders Starlin Marte and Mark Canha to big-money contracts in the offseason made the Mets one of the clear World Series contenders in the eyes of many. The busy offseason has led to having the second best team batting average in the MLB at .258 and being ranked third most in home runs at 34. Adding an extra power arm in Max Scherzer didn't hurt either. All these factors lead to projecting the Mets to win 11 more games than they did in 2021. I disagree. The Mets ceiling could exceed beyond the 100-win plateau considering what they've done without their ace Jacob deGrom. Once deGrom is reinserted into the rotation, this most-improved team could have further to grow come MLB postseason time.

Most improved MLB team honorable mention

Miami Marlins 2022 win projection: 73

The young Miami Marlins are showing signs of being relevant in the near future. After winning only 67 games, they have begun the MLB season on a much better trajectory than they were in 2021. With a resemblance to the youthful Seattle Mariners roster, this lineup and organization is littered with young offensive talent.

Edited by Jodi Whisenhunt