MLB standings ordered by run differential: Royals surging, White Sox have work to do

The MLB season is finally in full swing. We've seen some teams expected to perform at a high level like the Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees get off to good starts while we've seen some we didn't expect much from like the Cleveland Guardians and Milwaukee Brewers surprise with their starts.

As fun as it is to see surprises toward the top of the standings, their records aren't always indicative of their play. Teams, especially this early in the season, can get off to a good start in the win/loss column, but if their run differential is poor, it's hard to envision the good times lasting.

Teams that can blow other teams out while avoiding getting blown out themselves are usually in good shape come October. With that in mind, let's see how the standings would look if they were ordered by run differential.

Note: All records and run differentials are before games on Thursday, 4/18.

MLB standings ordered by run differential

AL East

The most surprising thing to come out of the AL East is the Boston Red Sox entering play on Thursday with a positive run differential while the Rays and Blue Jays are in the negatives. That will almost certainly change as the season progresses, but thanks to some really unexpectedly strong pitching out of the gate from Boston, they're hovering around .500 and are in the green when it comes to run differential.

AL Central

Who could've possibly expected this? It's early, but the Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Guardians have both gotten off to fantastic starts and enter play on Thursday with the best run differentials in all of baseball. That almost certainly won't last, but their hot starts might suggest that they'll be better than many thought they were.

AL West

The AL West was seen by many as one of the best divisions in all of baseball entering the year with three legitimate postseason contenders yet the Texas Rangers are the only team with a record over .500 and the only team with a positive run differential. Perhaps teams like the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros aren't quite as good as expected.

NL East

The New York Mets got off to an abysmal 0-5 start but have bounced back to not only get back over .500, but end up with the second-best run differential in the NL East three weeks into the season. The Philadelphia Phillies have a solid 11-8 record, but their lack of offense in the early going explains their poor run differential.

NL Central

Not only is the NL Central in perfect order when looking at run differential and current record, but it's the only division with four teams in the green. Only the St. Louis Cardinals have a negative run differential in the NL Central. It's ironic since this division was seen as one of the weaker ones entering the season, but surprisingly great starts from teams like the Milwaukee Brewers and Pittsburgh Pirates have the NL Central looking strong.

NL West

Hold the phone! The Los Angeles Dodgers might be in first place in the NL West, but they do not have the best run differential. The Arizona Diamondbacks do, and it's interesting because they're actually under .500 entering play on Thursday. Perhaps we will see them go on a run and take over first place in the division if they start to play up to their division-leading run differential. Wouldn't that be something?