I don’t care if LeBron James is reading “The Hunger Games.”

Katniss Everdeen can’t play first base for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Sure, the NBA is deep in its excessively long playoffs. So is the NHL. But lurking in the shadows is the intrigue of the Major League Baseball season, which has just hit the one-quarter pole.

Now, things start to get serious.

With a 40-game sample size, some trends are apparent, yet there is still time for teams and players to turn things around — or go into the tank.

What we know:

• The Pirates’ offense is really, really, really bad.

No, really.

The Buccos’ offense — if you can call it that — is ranked dead last in baseball in runs, on base percentage and OPS. They are 29th in batting average as only the Oakland A’s are worse.

The Pirates also have the most strikeouts and the fewest walks of any team in baseball.

Yet the club is still hanging around .500 thanks to a pitching staff that is among the best in the game.

The Pirates, though, have to find a way to score more runs. The pitching can’t be this good all season.

• Josh Hamilton is really, really, really good.

The Texas slugger may end up with more home runs and RBI than the Pirates.

Well, not really. But Hamilton may be the most feared hitter in baseball these days.

What we think we know:

• Albert Pujols has to break out of his slump, doesn’t he?

The Angels certainly hope so, as does anyone who has Prince Albert on their fantasy baseball roster.

They’re still waiting.

Forty games into the season, Pujols is still batting a mere .212 with just three home runs.

This won’t last another 40 games, 80 games, 120 games? Nah. Well ...

What we don’t know:

• Who is going to win the American League East?

Usually, this is a pretty slam-dunk question. But the Baltimore Orioles have shown little signs that their stellar 40-game start is a fluke.

If there was ever a year when a team like the Orioles can make a Cinderella run to the playoffs, it’s this year.

What we are pondering:

Mike Kilroy is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.