MLB Month In Review: April 2009

Well, the 162-game season that is the MLB season is 1/6 over. As expected, we have plenty of surprises in the first month of play. We also have a few disappointments. But you have to be careful in reading too much into the month of April. Last year, Arizona jumped out to a 20-8 start in April and were heralded by some to be the NL champion come October. Yet, by the end of September, they weren't in the postseason.

AL Team of the Month: Seattle Mariners
What a great month for the Mariners. Last year, the team finished 61-101, the worst record in baseball. But so far, out of the gate, they are 13-9 and look like a completely different team. Felix Hernandez has been amazing, with 4 wins, 36 K and a 2.38 ERA. But he's getting a lot of help from the rest of the pitching staff. Overall, the team ranks first in ERA (3.47), batting average against (.244), saves (8) and quality starts (12). The bats haven't been lighting it up but they haven't needed too yet. 1st year manager Don Wakamatsu has to be given some credit for the great start, especially since expectations were so low for this team.
Runner-Up: Boston Red Sox

NL Team of the Month: St. Louis Cardinals
Not many people (if anyone) is picking the Cardinals to win the NL Central. Well, you may want to re-think that. This team is playing some great baseball. They lead the league in runs scored (133) and are 2nd in batting average (.285) and OPS (.810). But it's the starting pitching that is carrying this team. Joel Piniero, Kyle Lohse and Adam Wainwright are pitching like veterans though all three are younger than 30. And don't forget about Chris Carpenter, who in his 2 starts, gave up just 5 hits and no runs. If he can stay healthy, expect the Cardinals to make this 16-7 start not look like a fluke.
Runner-Up: Florida Marlins

AL Most Disappointing Team: Cleveland Indians
Pains me to write that but it's the truth. There are a lot of expectations for this team, especially after the furious finish they had in the 2008 season to finish at .500. So far this year though, they are 8-14 and look just as bad as last year's first half. The hitting though is not the problem this year (5th in the AL in runs scores). So far, it's the pitching. In the month of April, Cleveland pitchers have an ERA of 5.81 and a WHIP of 1.62. Oh, and opposing batters are averaging a healthy .287 against it. The bullpen was supposed to be the strong suit of this team. It's been the exact opposite in fact, blowing at least 5 late leads so far. So far, injuries have missed the team for the most part so a turnaround can happen but if the bullpen doesn't improve, neither will this team.
Runner-Up: Tampa Bay Rays

NL Most Disappointing Team: New York Mets
New ballpark should signal a new beginning. But the 2009 Mets of 2009 look like the Mets of old, as in 2008. The Mets finished April at 9-12, not terrible but not the way they would've liked to begin the season. They're hitting the ball just fine (team batting avg. of .282). The problem is they aren't scoring runs (9th in the NL with 96). And that's proving to be a problem, especially as their pitching staff struggles. Besides Santana, the Mets do not have a reliable starting pitcher. John Maine, Mike Pelfrey, Oliver Perez and Livan Hernandez are a combined 6-5 and each has an ERA higher than 5.40. They may have the best closer in baseball in Francisco Rodriguez but that doesn't matter too much when you never have the lead to get him the ball.
Runner-Up: Chicago Cubs

AL MVP of the Month: Carlos Pena, TB
The first baseman had a year to remember last season. Some thought he would fizzle this year but that hasn't been the case. Pena hit 9 HR and led the league in RBI with 24. His .256 batting average has also been steadily on the rise after a slow start. The Rays may be struggling but Pena is obviously not.

NL MVP of the Month: Albert Pujols, STL
When you bat .356, hit 9 HR and drive in 29 runs, odds are you're going to win this award. Pujols is turning into a machine. He has been a productive player ever since he arrived in this league and showed no signs of slowing down this year. The best player in baseball leading the best team in baseball in the month of April.

AL Cy Young of the Month: Zack Grienke, KC
No surprise here. Grienke is finally living up to the potential that was given him 5 years ago. the 25-year old has come out of the gates on fire. 5 starts and 5 wins. 2 complete games, including one shutout. And that's not all. In those 5 starts, he's given up just 2 ER, 8 BB and struck out 44. There's no guarantee he'll keep this crazy pace up but odds are, he'll at least finish with 15 wins and have a lot more confidence in himself, something that has defied the youngster his entire career.

NL Cy Young of the Month: Johan Santana, NYM
It's nice to see a pitcher that is being paid to be an ace and dominant pitcher actually do that. Johan Santana is single-handedly carrying the Mets rotation right now. In the month of April, he went 3-1 with an ERA of 1.10, leading the NL. His stuff has been outstanding too, as seen by his 44 K and WHIP of 0.95. He's being paid $18 million this season and I think it's fair to say that with numbers like that, he's been worth every penny.

Biggest Story of the Month: Nick Adenhart's death
As if the Angels pitching staff wasn't decimated enough due to injuries, the entire team and baseball world was shaken by the sudden death of 22-year old pitcher Nick Adenhart. Just hours after pitching in his first start of the year, he was killed by a drunk driver. I've never dealt with a death of a teammate during a season so I'm no expert on how the Angels have been dealing with it. But it is evident that his death has left a hole in an Angels rotation that needs to get healthy soon. They went 9-12 in the month of April, which isn't bad considering.
Runner-Up: Yankee Stadium = Homer-Happy Ballpark