Big things were seen in James McDonald's (RHP, PIT) future when he was a prospect in the Dodgers' farm system. But it is only now, at age 27 and in his third year with the Pirates, that he's finally delivering on the expectations with a 2.19 ERA and 0.95 WHIP through his first 14 starts.

With 16 wins and an ERA slightly north of 3.00, Dan Haren (RHP, LAA) had a successful year in 2011. Much was expected going into this season, but he’s not met those expectations.

Many of the pre-season questions about Hanley Ramirez (3B, MIA) were focused on his co-existence with new teammate Jose Reyes (SS, MIA). But while he seems to have taken to the positional switch and has remained healthy, his numbers are now the concerning thing.

To this point in his career, Elvis Andrus (SS, TEX) has distinguished himself with his strong speed and defense. Yet in 2012, Andrus is impacting games in Texas at the plate as well. Can Andrus stay hot all summer?

It appeared in mid-May that the wheels had finally fallen off for Alfonso Soriano (OF, CHC). The former All-Star was batting .230 with nary a home run. But something apparently clicked, and he has been among the NL's hottest bats since then with 12 HRs and a near-.300 average.

Back in the halcyon days of 2010, it was often noted that if Curtis Granderson (OF, NYY) could only hit left-handed pitching, he would break out with a banner campaign. That happened in 2011, and Granderson’s power onslaught continues this year.

Hard to believe that the midpoint of June has passed and Cliff Lee (LHP, PHI) still sports a zero in the win column. Unlike some of his Phillies teammates, there are no concerns about Lee from a skills perspective.

After a career year that finally paired his superior skills with terrific results, James Shields (RHP, TAM) entered 2012 with high expectations. And while he's been effective, Shields hasn't performed as many expected...

In 2010, little-heard-of Andres Torres (OF, NYM) took over the CF job at AT&T Park and provided some surprising offensive punch for San Francisco's playoff run. Two years later, Gregor Blanco (OF, SF) is trying to come from nowhere and fill the same role. And so far he's doing a good Torres impersonation.

When Andy Pettitte (LHP, NYY) walked into the sunset after the 2010 season, it looked like he had ended his career with 240 wins. But retirement apparently didn’t set well with Pettitte, who returned to the mound this spring. Even with a year off, he hasn’t skipped a beat.

Jay Bruce (OF, CIN) entered the season with high expectations—coming off his first 30-HR season, good xBA trend, still just 25—but a .229 May BA raised some questions. But he's back to his old stroke in the first 10 days of June.