One month does not a season make, but it is also a large enough sample size to start getting excited about players and their prospects for a big season. Last year we saw Derrek Lee, Brian Roberts, Jon Garland, and Dontrelle Willis all get off to hot starts and keep it going throughout the summer. There is something about the first month of the season that gives the season some direction and begins to develop storylines. Of course, Andruw Jones didn’t start mashing home runs until May, so you never know. However, May 1 is a nice time to take a look at where everything sits through the first month of action. In that spirit, I am honoring the best players of each April, complete with All-Star teams.
American League
C – Victor Martinez. Has picked up where he left off in ’05, hitting .398 for April whiling ranking as one of only five AL players with over 20 runs and 20 RBI.
1B – Jason Giambi. Chris Shelton has been getting the hype, but Giambi has the best numbers, hitting .344 with a whopping 1.407 OPS to go with nine home runs and an AL-leading 27 RBI.
2B – Tadahito Iguchi. He has the play of the year so far (the throw to first while hovering above the ground like Superman) and is hitting .322 with 19 runs scored.
3B – Eric Chavez. This will be A-Rod territory before too long, but Chavez is riding the junk food diet to a monster start. In addition to his usual stellar defense, he’s hitting .301 with nine home runs and an OPS of 1.079. All that because he ate so much candy that he gained 20 pounds. I wonder if Jolly Ranchers will become the new HGH.
SS – Miguel Tejada. What a stud. Every time something comes up that makes you doubt him (weight gains, stories of syringes, etc.), he just plays better than ever. He is currently hitting a whopping .422 with 21 RBI.
OF – Vernon Wells. The Blue Jays are in contention after the first month and Wells seems to be hitting another level as a player. .396 with nine home runs and 25 RBI has him among the game’s best after the first month.
OF – Jonny Gomes. The Rays are just as horrendous as ever, but Gomes is a superstar in the making. He leads the league with 11 jacks and has 22 runs and 23 RBI to go with a .303 average.
Article comments
1 - Matthew T. Sussman
Re, Hawpe: I'm always hesitant to highlight batters from Colorado but since they're winning I suppose it's OK.
Nice job on this.
2 - Chris Beaumont
Can't really argue. I will say David Wright will be there soner rather than later. He started hot, but has been in somewhat of a slump of late. Delgado has come on strong, but it is hard with Pujols and Berkman ahead of you.
Not an all-star, but Xavier Nady is proving he can play everyday, and Kaz Matsui may have some major league life in him yet.
Can you tell what team I'm a fan of?
3 - Adam Hoff
Wright is a beast and I agree that he will be the premier third baseman in the league in short order. If not for a few errors and the slump that you mentioned, I would have listed him over Ensberg anyway. He does, after all, have six stolen bases to go with his solid hitting stats. Nady has been terrific. I am feeling very good about picking the Mets to play in the World Series.
As for Hawpe, I agree that you have to be wary of Rockies players, but their record combined with his splits make the case for him. At home he's hitting .279 with a .764 OPS and on the road he's hitting .415 with a 1.361 OPS. Six of his seven home runs and 14 of his 18 RBI have come on the road. No Coors Field Factor for Hawpe during his splendid April.
4 - Matthew T. Sussman
By the way, usage of "Old Pee Hands" -- love it.