First Month of MLB Season Recap

With the first month of the Major League Baseball season almost under our belts, let's view some teams and how they have fared during April.

Maddon's Rays are best in baseball.

Surprise Team - American League: Tampa Bay Rays
The fact that the Rays are in first is only a small shocker considering they have to duke it out with the Yankees and Red Sox. Boston hasn't been Boston, but the Yankees are playing .667 ball. Not an issue in Tampa. The Rays are 17-5 (.773), owners of baseball's best record. We know of Carlos Pena, Evan Longoria, Carl Crawford and B.J. Upton on the offensive side, but the Rays starting pitching has been spectacular. The highest ERA among the starters is Wade Davis at 3.68. That's 27th in the AL. You can't score on them and you can't hit them either. Four of the five starters hold opponents to a batting average under .235. Are you serious? If you can't hit, you can't score and the Rays staff does not yield a lot of hits.

Eckstein can still play.

Surprise Team - National League: San Diego Padres
So much has been made of the AL East leading New York Mets running off seven straight wins that people forget the Padres have a better record and lead the NL West. But how are they keeping up with that 14-8 record, 2nd best in the NL to the St. Louis Cardinals? It is truly a team effort. The pitching staff is 3rd in team ERA (3.05), tied for the NL lead in shutouts (4 with the Mets), allowed the second fewest hits (174 to divisional foe San Francisco at 172) and has struck out the second most batters (179 to the Mets 183). Kevin Correia's 4 wins ties him with the Phillies Roy Halladay for tops in the NL. There's a stat for you!

Konerko is the lone bright spot for the
White Sox.

Disappointing Team - American League: Chicago White Sox
Having a 9-13 record in AL Central may not seem so bad, but the Pale Hose have struggled with what some had presumed the best starting staff in the division. Jake Peavy has been a disappointment to say the least (0-2, 7.85 ERA, 4 HR allowed, 1.81 WHIP). The offense hasn't fared all that much better. No starter has a batting average over .300. One of the big acquisitions during the off-season was Juan Pierre. He has struggled with a .200 average and an on-base percentage of .261. Granted, Paul Konerko is knocking the cover off the ball, but that about covers the White Sox as a whole.

The Braves recent woes may have Cox
pondering why he returned for one last season.

Disappointing Team - National League: Atlanta Braves
So much preseason hype has spiraled downward due to a recent nine game losing streak. Can't have that in the NL East with the Mets playing so well and you know it's only a matter of time before the Philadelphia Phillies get moving. The Braves have the weakest hitting attack in the NL with a .228 team batting average. .228? Only the Houston Astros (68) and Pittsburgh Pirates (80) have scored less runs than the Braves (81). The Braves also rank next to last in the NL in HR (13), total bases (242) and stolen bases (8). The Braves pitching is almost as weak. Only three save opportunities and two of those translated to blown saves. Yes, the Atlanta Braves have one stinkin' save. One last thing. Atlanta is next to last in fielding percentage (.974, 21 errors). Can't win games giving your opponent free at-bats.

Player of the Month - American League: Robinson Cano, 2B, Yankees
I don't think there will be a dispute here. Cano is batting .407 with a slugging percentage of .790 (both tops in AL) with 8 HR (2nd in AL) and 17 RBI.

Pitcher of the Month - American League: Matt Garza, Tampa Bay Rays
Hard to argue with a 4-1 record and a 2.06 ERA.

Player of the Month - National League: Kelly Johnson, 2B, Arizona Diamondbacks
The Braves sure could use his bat. 9 HR and a .320 batting average

Pitcher of the Month - National League: Ubaldo Jimenez, Colorado Rockies
Jimenez authored a no-hitter adding to his marks of a 5-0 record and a microscopic 0.79 ERA.