We’ve almost reached the one third pole of the 2018 MLB season and it’s already been full of interesting stories: the Yankees look like the Evil Empire of old, Shohei Ohtani is doing his best Babe Ruth impression for the Angels, and the Derek Jeter-led Marlins are bad. Like really, really bad.

But as we get closer to June and the dog days of summer, I’m turning my focus to a few other stories that have caught my eye:

Trout vs. Betts to be an all-time MVP race

I’m a Red Sox fan, so I’ve been happy to see that Boston has been able to go toe-to-toe with the red-hot Yankees in the early part of the season. A lot of that is due to the play of Mookie Betts.

The 25-year-old right fielder is having his best season to date, leading the American League (as of Tuesday) in runs (48), doubles (19), home runs (15), batting average (.365), OPS (1.198), and total bases (127).

And yet despite all of that, he may not be the favorite for AL MVP. Why? Because Mike Trout is having one of the greatest seasons of all time for the Angels.

The 26-year-old Trout has for years been considered by many to be the best player in baseball, but he has somehow gotten even better in 2018.

While Betts does lead the league in most major hitting categories, Trout is right behind him in several of them (14 homers, 38 runs, 1.072 OPS). But it’s his all-around game that truly makes Trout special. He is consistently one of the game’s best defensive players in centerfield and is also among the most dangerous baserunners in the game.

Through 47 games, Trout has a WAR (Wins Above Replacement) of 4.0. Over 162 games, that comes to a WAR of 13.8. For reference, Babe Ruth’s 1923 campaign — perhaps the greatest single season of all time — saw The Great Bambino post a WAR of 14.1.

So when you hear baseball experts proclaim Trout as one of the greatest players of all time at such a young age, know that there’s plenty of evidence to support that claim.

Even if Trout and Betts can’t keep up their blistering pace for another four months, the AL MVP race is shaping up to be one for the ages.

Baby Braves look here to stay

For the better part of two decades, the Atlanta Braves were the class of the National League East, winning 14 division titles in 15 years between 1991 and 2005.

After some lean years that’s seen them win the division only once since (2013), the Braves look like they’re building the foundation for another possible dynasty.

Where the Braves of the 90s were built on the dominant pitching of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz, these “Baby Braves” will rely on a promising group of young hitters.

Outfielder Ronald Acuna, all of 20, was the top prospect in baseball coming into the season and hasn’t looked out of place so far, hitting .253 with four homers and 11 RBI in 24 games. Diminutive second baseman Ozzie Albies (5’8”) looks like the next Jose Altuve, as the 21-year-old keystone already has 13 long balls in just 46 games.

And that’s before you even get to 24-year-old shortstop Dansby Swanson, a former number one overall pick who looks like he could be a Jeter-type leader in the lineup.

Despite fielding one of the youngest teams in baseball, the Braves have already found success: entering Tuesday’s games Atlanta was leading the NL East at 28-18. In addition to those young bats, Freddie Freeman is having an MVP-type season at first base, while outfielder Nick Markakis is enjoying a career resurgence at age 34.

There are sure to be a few growing pains along the way, but the Braves look like they could be very good for a long time.

Surprising Pirates find themselves in playoff hunt

When the Pittsburgh Pirates jettisoned franchise pillars Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole (among others) this past offseason, many fans felt that they would be among the teams “tanking” the 2018 season.

But while the Pirates are currently fourth in the NL Central — which wouldn’t have surprised many people in early April — they found themselves just two games out of first place heading into Tuesday at 26-20. In fact, Pittsburgh has been at or near the top of the division for a good part of the season.

Now it goes without saying that it isn’t easy for Pirates fans to see McCutchen in a Giants uniform or to see Cole turn into a Cy Young favorite with the Astros. But these Pirates, who came into the season with such low expectations, have surprised a lot of people despite the lack of any upper-echelon players.

The Pirates rank fifth in the majors in runs scored thanks to surprising seasons from no-name role players like Corey Dickerson, Francisco Cervelli, Colin Moran, and Elias Diaz.

Meanwhile, the pitching has been at least average, with Trevor Williams having a breakout season of his own and the bullpen duo of Michael Feliz and Edgar Santana showing good stuff as well.

It remains to be seen if the Pirates can keep pace in what figures to be a very tough NL Central (apart from the woeful Reds). There’s also a question if Pittsburgh can continue to compete while relying on journeymen.

But if the lineup continues to produce and top prospects like Mitch Keller, Tyler Glasnow, Austin Meadows, and Nick Kingham can offer any sort of meaningful contribution, who’s to say the Pirates can’t make an unlikely playoff run in 2018?