April in Review: MLB Edition

Major League Baseball's first month of the season is behind us and as we flip the calendar to May, we look back at some of the biggest storylines of the season thus far, including the upstart Pittsburgh Pirates, the disappointing Chicago White Sox and more.

The first full month of the major league season is behind us and as the calendar flips to May, we take a look back at some of the biggest stories and best moments from the game's first month -- and a few disappointments as well.

(These musings are in no particular order, just in the stream of consciousnesses of the writer). 

1) The Pittsburgh Pirates are fun!

--The Pirates lead the National League Central after going 20-9 overall. They are 1.5 games up on the Milwaukee Brewers and are playing well thanks to veteran contributions from Andrew McCutchen and Carlos Santana. Pittsburgh is trying to make the playoffs for the first time since 2015 and is seeking its first winning record since 2018.

***Bonus points to the Pirates for the heartwarming reception that McCutchen got during his first game back at PNC Park.

2) Shohei Ohtani is the best player on the planet.

--I don't say this lightly. For years, I was in the Mike Trout camp, and Trout is still incredible, but Ohtani is on another level. After helping Team Japan to the World Baseball Classic title in March, Ohtani has come out and dominated on the mound and at the plate. On the mound, Ohtani is 4-0 with a 1.85 ERA. He's struck out 46 batters in 34 innings. At the plate, he's got seven home runs and 18 RBIs to go along with a .294 batting average. As the Angels try to win their first playoff game since 2009, they are 15-14 and 2.5 back in the American League West. The discussion around Ohtani will only continue to grow as the Angels have to reconcile with the idea of trading the superstar.

And he just missed some really fun history this past week....

3) The Tampa Bay Rays are incredible.

--Similar to the Pirates, it's amazing to see what the small-market, player development-minded Rays have done. They are out to the best start in baseball (23-6) and lead the vaunted American League East by 3.5 games. They have one of the best pitchers in baseball in Shane McClanahan, who has a 2.12 ERA, while also boasting a healthy Wander Franco, who is hitting .300. They do have injury concerns to pitchers Tyler Glasnow and Jeffrey Springs, but 23-6 is a nice base for assuring yourself a playoff spot.

4) Disappointment for last years playoff teams...

--The idea of carrying momentum from one season to the other hasn't come true for the Seattle Mariners and Philadelphia Phillies as both teams disappointed in the early going. The Mariners, who won 90 games each of the last two years and were predicted as World Series contenders by some, are out to a disappointing 12-16 start. They are 1-5 in extra innings and are dealing with injuries to Robbie Ray and Andres Munoz on the pitching staff. They also are dealing with underperformance from offseason offensive additions Kolten Wong (.171) and Tommy La Stella (.190).

As for the Phillies, who went to the World Series a year ago, they are over .500 at 15-14 but find themselves in fourth place in the National League East. Hopefully a return of Bryce Harper, potentially this week, will spur the offense forward.

Lets not also forget the St. Louis Cardinals, who are 10-19 at this point and in last place in the NL Central. They have lost three straight and eight of their last 10.

**And we know they weren't a playoff team a season ago, but my goodness, what has happened to the Chicago White Sox? The White Sox beat the Astros in a great Opening Day game but finished April at 8-21. Tim Anderson and Yoan Moncada are injured, but with Luis Robert, Eloy Jimenez and Dylan Cease, this team is supposed to be a playoff contender, not battling for the top draft pick.

5) Speaking of disappointment. We can't forget the news that came out of Oakland this month. The A's, mired in a 6-23 start, are going to leave Oakland. The news came out that the team was nearing a deal for a stadium in Las Vegas and the team confirmed it. We can't help but feel for the fans in Oakland that have seen the roster gutted over the last few years.

6) Checking in on offseason signings:

Xander Bogaerts, Padres: .308 batting average, six home runs, 13 RBI

Trea Turner, Phillies: .260 batting average, two home runs, seven RBI

Carlos Correa, Twins: .202 batting average, three home runs, 10 RBI

Carlos Rodon, Yankees: DNP due to injury

Justin Verlander, Mets: DNP due to injury

Jacob deGrom, Rangers: 2-0, 2.67 ERA, 0.76 WHIP but on the injured list as of this week.

7) The new rules.

--Baseball went into the season with three major rule changes for 2023. The greatly reduced shift, the pitch clock and bigger bases, and all three seem to have yielded a more enjoyable overall product.

Game times are down, offense is still ticking and more players are running. The game has introduced more action than we've seen in years and that bodes well for the product on the field. There are already eight players in double-digit steals this season. We wrote this week about Ronald Acuna Jr. being on pace for 80 stolen bases this year. Last year, the league leader had just 41 (Jon Berti, Marlins).

--That said, a PSA to umpires: Don't be so beholden to the pitch clock that you miss great moments. The McCutchen memory we posted above was incredible. We need more of that and less of what happened to Cody Bellinger in his return to Los Angeles. 

8) Wacky history made!

--Here at Fastball on FanNation, we are fans of zany baseball history and we saw plenty of it in April.

***We told you this interesting nugget from an early April game between the Angels and Blue Jays.

***We told you this fun factoid from a late April game between the Red Sox and Orioles.

***And this one, from just this week, courtesy of the Twins.

We can't wait to see what May brings! The month kicks off today with a limited schedule as the Mets and Braves battle in an NL East doubleheader, the Cubs visit the Nationals, the Guardians go to New York to play the Yankees in a playoff rematch, the Blue Jays travel to Boston, the Astros host the Giants, the Padres host the Reds and the Phillies travel to LA to take on the Dodgers.

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