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Yeah, it's still relatively early, but the Cincinnati Reds qualify as one of the pleasant surprises of the 2017 season to date. At present, they're 18-15 and only one game behind the first-place Cardinals in the NL Central. At one point, the Reds were five games over .500, which is the first time they've pulled that off since 2014, and they've spent 18 days atop the division standings. They've backed up that early success with a +18 run differential, and it's also worth noting that 20 of their 33 games to date have come against winning or .500 teams. 

Coming into the year, the Reds, with something close to unanimity, were tabbed for last place in the NL Central. Maybe that's how things wind up -- especially if there's any kind of deadline sell-off in Cincy -- but for now the Reds are on an 88-win pace. At this writing, that pace would put them in line for the second NL wild card berth. To be sure, that's not likely to happen, but after almost six weeks of regular season the Reds are defying expectations in a notable way. The question is thus raised but not begged: How have the Reds done it so far? Let's briefly explore ... 

The offense is humming

Right now, the Reds' attack ranks second in the NL with a runs-per-game mark of 5.21. In related matters, they rank fourth in the NL in OBP and third in slugging percentage. The Reds' home park does indeed inflate power numbers, but overall it doesn't affect run-scoring all that much. Also, thus far the Reds' offense ranks second in the NL in OPS on the road. They're producing everywhere. 

On an individual level, Joey Votto has overcome a slow start and is now raking at customary levels. Adam Duvall is on pace to threaten the 40-homer mark, and the bench has been quite productive. Also, the Reds are getting excellent production from the left side of the infield. Shortstop Zack Cozart (168 OPS+) and third baseman Eugenio Suarez (154 OPS+) have been the regulars at those positions, and they've been putting up big numbers. Let's put it in context ... 

Position/Team, League

Reds' 2017 AVG/OBP/SLG

2017 MLB average AVG/OBP/SLG

as SS

.325/.406/.520

.249/.306/.391

as 3B

.298/.374/.540

.253/.327/.436

Yep, that's quite an edge relative to positional norms that the Reds are enjoying. And bear in mind that those league averages would be even lower if you removed the Reds' outputs from the numbers. 

On another level, the Reds are also a good base-running team. That's driven by Billy Hamilton, of course. He's stolen 19 bases in 21 attempts (despite getting on base at just a .306 clip), and indeed the Reds lead all of baseball in stolen base success rate while ranking second in steals. The Reds also take the extra base at an above-average rate and have also been one of the league's best at staying out of the double play. 

The defense has been among baseball's best 

Maybe this surprises you, but the 2017 Reds have been highly adept in the field thus far. At this writing, they lead all of of baseball in defensive efficiency, which is the percentage of balls in play that a defense converts into outs. Right now, the Reds have a defensive efficiency of .723. To put that in context, the 2016 Cubs -- widely and sensibly regarded as one of the top defensive teams ever -- led MLB with a mark of .728. Possibly related to this is that the Reds are on pace to employ almost 1,100 infield shifts this season. In 2016, they shifted 877 times, and in 2015 that figure was 428.

Here's more ... 

Tending to the routine and fundamental has been a big part of the Reds' early success with the glove. They're just not giving away easy outs. 

Manager Bryan Price is using his bullpen properly

Not unexpectedly, the Cincy rotation has been a liability thus far. However, a strong bullpen performance has helped limit the damage. Right now, the Reds rank third in the NL in bullpen ERA and second in bullpen WHIP. What's also helped is that skipper Bryan Price has taken a progressive approach to running his pen. 

On that point, the Reds this season lead all of baseball in multi-inning appearances. That is, Price isn't locked into the single-inning model that's prevailed for far too long. At the same time, the Reds have the fewest relief appearances on zero days' rest in all of baseball. Yes, Cincy relievers are going longer in a given game, but Price is working to limit consecutive outings so as to limit fatigue. 

There's also the way Price has deployed his best reliever, 27-year-old right-hander Raisel Iglesias. Iglesias and his sub-1.00 ERA lead the team in saves, but in just four of his 12 appearances has he entered the game in the ninth inning. Price has used him as early as the fifth inning this season, and his use has been driven by leverage -- or importance -- more than the save rule. Iglesias has also recorded more than three outs in all but five of his appearances. Price has given similar treatment to Michael Lorenzen, who projects to improve moving forward. For now, such an approach has helped the Reds paper over a weak rotation

To be sure, the Reds probably aren't going to contend deep into the season, but the start of 2017 has been beyond reasonable expectations. It's almost the middle of May, and the Reds are worth your attention. Even if that doesn't last, it's something we haven't been able to say in quite a while.