With one month in the books, that means one-sixth of the MLB season is already behind us. The Milwaukee Brewers are the best team in the major leagues right now at 21-11, and the Astros are the worst at 10-21. One of those we could have predicted, but the other one is a major surprise to everyone not living in Wisconsin.
The All-April team features one player at each position that excelled on the diamond. Whether it was offensively or defensively or even both, these are the best players at each position through one month of the season.
*Note: Statistics are up to date as of before the games starting May 5th*
Catcher: Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals
So far this season, “Yadi” is hitting .336 with four home runs and 17 runs batted in while scoring 13 runs and hitting eight doubles. Molina leads all catchers in hits and total bases, he is second in batting average and third in runs batted in. Not to mention a .992 fielding percentage with a league-leading caught-stealing percentage of 47 percent. Molina is the entire package at catcher and the first member of the All-April Team. Look at his ability behind the plate:
GIF from fangraphs.com
First Base: Jose Abreu, Chicago White Sox
How often is it that rookies burst onto the scene? It seems like a lot, but it’s hard to remember a rookie making this kind of impact on a lineup the way that Abreu has in Chicago. So far this season, Abreu leads all first basemen in home runs with 12, total bases with 79, and runs batted in with 34. Abreu is doing exactly what a prototypical first baseman does, produce. He leads the major leagues in home runs and it looks like no one is slowing him down.
Second Base: Brian Dozier, Minnesota Twins
At first, you may think Dozier is just an average second baseman. His .248 batting average certainly indicates that, but his other statistics are incredible. Dozier leads all second basemen in: runs scored with 31, home runs with eight, and he is second among second basemen with 11 stolen bases. While his .248 batting average seems pedestrian, Dozier has walked a whopping 23 times this season, and his on-base percentage is set at .373, which ranks among the best in baseball.
Third Base: Josh Donaldson, Oakland Athletics
At the end of the first week of the season, A’s fans were thinking “What happened to Josh Donaldson?” after a horrific two hits in his first 22 at-bats. But since that stretch, Donaldson is 34 for 108 which is over .300. In addition, he leads all third basemen in runs, home runs, total bases, and runs batted in while boasting a much-improved .277 batting average. Donaldson was the second-easiest choice for the All-April team.
Shortstop: Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies
As mentioned above, Josh Donaldson was the second-easiest choice for this team. The easiest was none other than the Rockies shortstop, who has been on a tear so far this season. Tulowitzki leads all shortstops in runs scored, home runs, total bases, and runs batted in, just like Donaldson. But, Tulowitzki is hitting over .400 with his two-for-three game last night. “Tulo” is now hitting .408 with nine home runs and 29 runs batted in. If he stays healthy he will be a triple crown candidate, and for now he is the shortstop for the All-April team.
Left Field: Melky Cabrera, Toronto Blue Jays
Cabrera will be remembered for testing positive for a banned substance, but he can still flat out hit the baseball. Cabrera leads all players with 45 hits so far this season, including eight doubles, two triples and six home runs. Cabrera is slugging a ridiculous .560 so far this season, which is good for a player who’s career high in home runs is just 18. He also boasts one of the best arms in the major leagues, which he has shown off for two outfield assists already this season to along along with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.
Center Field: Charlie Blackmon, Colorado Rockies
Blackmon is the second Rockie to make this list, but he may be the most valuable so far, which says a lot considering he plays with Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez. Blackmon is hitting .359 with six home runs, 22 runs batted in, seven stolen bases and a whopping 27 runs scored, the latter of which is good for third in the major leagues. In addition, Blackmon has a perfect fielding percentage and a career high in range factor per nine innings.
Right Field: Giancarlo Stanton, Miami Marlins
GIF from thescore.com
The first word that comes to mind when Stanton swings the bat is often an expletive. It’s either an act of admiration, wondering how a human being can do that to a baseball, or it’s out of lividity because he just made your team’s chances of winning decrease. Stanton leads the majors with 36 runs batted in and is second in home runs with 10. Stanton also has two outfield assists with the rocket he calls his right arm.
Starting Pitcher: Johnny Cueto, Cincinnati Reds
Johnny Cueto. Photo by Frank Victores, USA Today Sports Images.
Unbelievable is usually the word used to describe something when you’ve no other words, but I do not think that does what Cueto has done so far justice. Stating that he has been the best pitcher in the major leagues is an understatement, but that is truly the only way to describe him. Cueto leads the major leagues in innings pitched with 55, ERA with a 1.31, WHIP with a 0.727, complete games with two, shutouts with one, and that’s not even the best part. Johnny Cueto has allowed just 25 hits in 55 innings this season. That leads to another stat that Cueto leads the majors in, which is hits per nine, where he is allowing a minuscule 4.1 per nine innings. Every fifth day, it seems all the Reds have to do is score two runs and it’s a win. That is how good Cueto has been so far.
Relief Pitcher: Francisco Rodriguez, Milwaukee Brewers
As good as Cueto has been as a starting pitcher, “K-Rod” has been even better as a closer. Rodriguez was the obvious pick for the All-April team because he leads the majors in saves with 14. That is a very high number for one month, as he is currently on pace to shatter the record of 62 saves in a season set by…himself. But, what is really incredible about Rodriguez is that he has not allowed a run all season in 17 innings of work. In nine of these 17 appearances, Rodriguez has retired every batter he has faced. In all 17 appearances, he has allowed more than one hit just once. “K-Rod” has been dominant so far this season, and was an easy choice for the All-April team.
Photo by Ron Chenoy, USA Today Sports Images