This season has not gone the way many fans and analysts thought it would go for the 2017 Chicago Cubs. A season removed from winning 103 games and the first World Series for the organization in 108 years, this year’s Cubs look lost on the diamond. Many did not see this coming as they have retained most of the team from last year and because of their continuous hard-working and nearly flawless performance from last season. The 2016 Cubs had a roster that simply dominated all season long. There were very few instances where the Cubs didn’t look like a team who were destined to win the World Series. Not only did they outscore their opponents, but they also held them to a league-low in runs allowed. Chicago led the league in run differential by having a potent offense which scored the third most runs per game (5.0), and an effective pitching staff that gave up the fewest runs per game (3.4).

Despite their unmatched success last season, halfway through this season, the Cubs are still struggling to show what everyone saw in 2016. Overall, they are down in runs scored per game by a half a run and are also allowing half a run more per game. They are also hitting an abysmal .234 with RISP (runners in scoring position), which is good for fifth worst in the Majors. The team batting average has also dropped 16 points from last year to .238, second worst in the league. The other problem with the lineup is that its stars also aren’t producing like they did last season. Kris Bryant is playing nowhere near his potential, Addison Russell is no longer coming up clutch in big situations, and Kyle Schwarber was struggling so much that they had to send him down to AAA. But the offense isn’t alone in its slow season. The pitching has had its fair share of problems as well. In 2016, the Cubs led the league with a 3.15 ERA. This season, they are almost a whole run above that with a 4.04 ERA, and no starter has sported an ERA below 3.69 – something four out of the five starters accomplished last season. Jon Lester has been the only consistent performer for the Cubbies, and that’s not saying a lot as his ERA and WHIP are both up considerable margins from last season.

From the stats alone, it is clear that the Cubs aren’t as good as they were last year, but what they are truly lacking are the intangibles that we all saw last year. In 2016, every game for the Cubs looked like fun, as though they were little kids just enjoying the game known as America’s pastime. This season, on the other hand, looks like actual work for the Cubs, from the bullpen to the dugout. They don’t have that same spark that they did last year, and they certainly aren’t coming up with the big hits that proved they were a serious contender as they are hitting .219 with 2 outs and RISP.

It is understandable that they haven’t met our expectations – it is extremely difficult to give an encore when you won 103 games the previous season. We were weren’t expecting a lackluster season to follow, though. We are 79 games into the season and Chicago has been hovering around .500 all season long. Just when it looks like the Cubs are back to their 2016 form, they lose a series or a game and go right back to .500. It seems like they can’t find that groove made them so good last season.

It doesn’t help that the Cubs have been dealing with injuries to key players such as Kris Bryant (ankle), Ben Zobrist (wrist), Jason Heyward (hand) and Kyle Hendricks (hand). All of these players were vital to them in the 2016 campaign, especially Bryant who was last year’s MVP. Even with these guys in the lineup and rotation, it still hasn’t fared much better for the team.

Even though they are far below expectations halfway through this season, there is still hope. The Cubs, being as mediocre as they have been all season, are only one game out of the division lead thanks to a weak Central division this year. They are still very much in the thick of it. If the Cubs can find a way to keep their key players on the field and find the spark that they had last year, Chicago will certainly take this division as they have much more talent on this roster than any of the other four teams in the NL Central. Beyond that though, don’t expect them to go too far. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals have both been playing stellar baseball thus far, and both clubs have top-of-the-line rotations which could easily outduel Chicago at this point in the season. The Cubs need to find what they had last season sooner rather than later if they want any chance of repeating as World Series Champions in 2017.

Going into the 2017 season, more hype surrounded this New York Yankees roster than any of their rosters of the past five years. This hype, however, was not the normal hype that follows the Yankees. Since the late 90s and the arrival of Derek Jeter, the Yankees and their fans have gone into each season with the expectation of making the playoffs with hopes of adding yet another World Series trophy to their collection. This year, the hype wasn’t about a run for a championship – or even making the playoffs: the hype was about the future of the Yankees. The Yankees have been in a “rebuild” phase for about a season and this was to be the year that the organization and its fan base were going to see a full season of the “baby bombers”, the young group of prospects who are going to lead the organization in a few years to another decade of championship runs. There is only one issue with that – they have already begun doing that. The organization thought it would take a year or two in order for its roster full of rookies and second-year players to find their footing and make an impact, but they wasted no time at all showing their potential. The Yankees are currently fighting for first place in the AL East and have the third-best record in the American League, only behind the Astros and the Red Sox (who are only half a game up).

Leading them in this unexpected year is rookie sensation OF Aaron Judge. Judge has taken the league by storm with his play in every aspect of the game, from his diving catches in the outfield to 496ft home runs. He is currently among the leaders of the AL in each of the Triple Crown categories with 24 homeruns (first place), 54 RBIs (second place), and a .333 average (second place). The 6’7, 280lbs giant has been the biggest surprise of the season. Going into spring training, he was fighting for a spot on the Yankees’ roster and a job in the starting nine. Now, he is leading the MVP race and making the Yankees an exciting team to watch again. But can the rookie keep this up?

The outfielder has power that people are comparing to that of Marlins superstar Giancarlo Stanton, which is quite the comparison. He is on pace for 58 home runs this year, which would crush Mark McGwire’s record of 49. However, rookies come with a learning curve, not only for them, but for opposing teams as well. It may take some time for teams to learn his weakness, because no matter how great one is, every rookie has his weakness at the plate. If he can adjust through teams starting to figure him out, or if teams struggle to find his weak spot, he may lead the Yankees to a playoff spot and possibly even more.

People saw this Yankees team as a middle-of-the-pack team with a promising future. Now, the Baby Bombers are making everyone wonder if they can keep this level of play up. The offense has certainly been given the credit behind this great start, as it leads the majors in runs, average, and OBP. The surprise, though, has been the pitching. Going into the season, the Yankees knew they had an Ace in Masahiro Tanaka, but beyond him, the rotation was a big question mark. C.C. Sabathia is 36 years old and hasn’t had a good season since 2012 where he went 15-6 with a 3.38 ERA, Luis Severino has been a high prospect in the Yankees system for years now but struggled last year to put it all together, and then there is Jordan Montgomery, who came into the year as an unproven rookie. Three months into the season, every pitcher on this staff has produced surprising results. Tanaka hasn’t been anywhere near an ace for the Yankees, Sabathia has turned back the clock six years to his former self, Severino is finally the pitcher who the Yankees thought they had, and Montgomery is showing a bright future for the organization. This rotation, one that many had big concerns about going into the season, has been the true reason that they are gunning for first place in the AL East.

They are second in the majors in ERA, WHIP, and opponent batting average – something nobody predicted. The Yankees have always been a good hitting team, but when they are able to combine that with a rotation that can hold teams to an average of three runs a game, they become a threat. The Bronx Bombers may have been on a losing skid recently, but if this this rotation can maintain its overall form and continue to keep runs off the scoreboard, the Yankees will be a scary team going into October.

The New York Yankees have surprised every single analyst and baseball fan this year. They are in position to potentially lead their division and are showing no signs of stopping with their high octane offense and revived pitching staff. The only way they continue this incredible start and make the playoffs is if their pitching continues to perform. If they can maintain a top of the line rotation with the offensive firepower they have up and down the lineup, the Yankees will be a scary team going down the stretch.