SSG Baseball April Recap

  1.  Mr. April: Nomar Mazara, RF, Washington Nationals. When you talk about the Nats, it’s always about Bryce Harper. But did you know that they also have another talented outfielder? Well, what has Mazara done? Oh, not much. Just hit .398 with nine homers and 21 RBIs in a month.
  2.  Cy April: Gerrit Cole, RHP, Los Angeles Angels. Cole was traded before the trade deadline last year and has signed an extension in the off-season. In the first month of the season, he ran his April record to 3-0 with a 0.52 ERA and allowed opponents to only hit .123. We’ll give him the April nod over Washington’s Corey Kluber (4-1, 1.45) because Cole didn’t face any pitchers.
  3.  World Series (in April) winner: Los Angeles Angels. With the pitching staff clicking (Starters’ ERA at 2.34) — particularly searing Cole, Steven Matz, Derek McGriff and Braden Shipley, it’s May and Los Angeles has a 4.5 game lead in the AL West.
  4.  April’s Child: Trea Turner, SS, Baltimore Orioles. Last off-season, Turner was claimed off waivers by Baltimore. Then, out of nowhere, rookie Turner had a .326 average in April and added four doubles and four homers. He also scored 11 times and drove in 16 runs just for fun.
  5.  Who the heck? New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals. Both teams were predicted to finish 4th and 3rd place in their respective divisions. However, after one month, they both sit atop their divisions. Mets have the lowest starters’ ERA (3.45) and runs allowed (115) while the Cards have the lowest bullpen ERA (2.04) and most strikeouts (327) in the National League.
  6.  April management: Ron Washington, New York Mets. Washington is doing a wonderful job of balancing a slugging hitting attack (3rd in the NL in HRs) with more than adequate rotation. In the process he’s stunning the NL East.
  7.  The injury bug: David Dahl, OF, Colorado Rockies. In the past three seasons, Dahl has averaged 7.5 WAR. Unfortunately for the Rockies, they will miss their MVP with a thttps://simsportsgaming.com/ssgootpb/reports/news/html/images/person_pictures/player_31852.pngorn rotator cuff for three months.
  8.  April’s magic moments:Texas Rangers’ 1B Prince Fielder collected his 2000th career hit. San Francisco Giants’ outfielder Justin Upton hits his 300th career home run. Chicago Cubs’ shortstop Addison Russell hits for the CYCLE, going 4-5 against the Philadelphia Phillies, with 6 RBI and 2 runs scored. Toronto Blue Jays’ outfielder Anthony Garcia sets the AL regular season game record for RBI with 9.