After a turbulent 99 days of a baseball lockout, Major League Baseball finally got back on track with an insane month of April to get things started. It was a month full of young stars making their marks in the big league and legendary veterans catching their milestones, insane plays were made and teams sparked at the right time, all combining for a crazy first month of the 2022 season.
On the very first day of the season, April 7, 2022, the Arizona Diamondbacks walked off the San Diego Padres 4-2 on a three-run home run by Seth Beer. In the most poetic way possible, Beer walked off San Diego on National Beer Day. But it gets more wild from here.
The following day, two more walkoff wins happened, with the Tigers beating the White Sox 5-4. Originally, it looked as if Chicago outfielder A.J. Pollock caught a long fly all by Detroit shortstop Javier Baez to send the game to extra innings. However, after Tigers manager A.J. Hinch challenged the play, the replay showed the ball had hit the wall before Pollock had caught it. Therefore, the play was ruled a single and Baez drove in Austin Meadows to give Detroit the wild win.
Shortly thereafter, the Yankees walked off the Red Sox in a classic rivalry game, as former MVP Josh Donaldson drove in Isiah Kiner-Falefa on a walk-off single to give the Bronx Bombers a 6-5 win in eleven innings over their rivals.
Rookies have been making their mark on the big leagues as well, starting with top overall prospect Bobby Witt Jr. The son of a former big leaguer, Junior had a big RBI double in the Kansas City Royals’ home opener against the Cleveland Guardians.
Another big prospect is the Seattle Mariners’ Julio Rodriguez. Although he has gotten off to a slow start, he just hit his first home run against the Miami Marlins. Currently, he’s leading the majors in stolen bases, so it won’t be long before fans see him start to catch a groove.
Two rookies took the baseball world by storm that no one expected at the time, those two being the Cleveland Guardians’ Steven Kwan and the Chicago Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki.
On April 10, in a 17-3 win over the Royals, Cleveland’s Steven Kwan went five for five at the plate with a double. Kwan has established himself as a force in the Guardians’ lineup, and although an injury cut him off for a week, he is batting .340, with a near .500 on base percentage and an OPS over .900.
Sieya Suzuki was hyped up as one of Japan’s best baseball prospects, so there was a lot of hype around the Arakawa native. He’s more than delivered. Suzuki is tied for first on the Cubs in home runs with four, to go along with six doubles and fifteen RBIs. He’s slugging over .500, demonstrating that same power he flashed while in Hiroshima.
Some of the best moments of April also made huge milestones. The Detroit Tigers’ Miguel Cabrera recorded his 3,000th hit against the Colorado Rockies, which also included a hug from his former teammate Jose Iglesias.
Another amazing moment was Byron Buxton’s walk-off blast against the Chicago White Sox, giving the Minnesota Twins a 6-4 win in ten innings. Since then, Minnesota has sat at the top of the AL Central while the White Sox continue to slump.
The final flashing moment from April was the Mets’ combined no-hitter against Philadelphia Phillies on April 29. Tylor Megill went five hitless innings before Drew Smith, Joely Rodriguez, Seth Lugo, and Edwin Diaz shut the door and completed the no-hitter. It was the Mets’ second-ever no-hitter, with the last being when Johan Santana no-hit the St. Louis Cardinals on June 1, 2012.
The teams leading the divisions after the first month of the season include the New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Angels, New York Mets, Milwaukee Brewers, and Los Angeles Dodgers. Other teams have also performed well, including the Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, and San Diego Padres.
All-April Team
Catcher: Jonah Heim, Texas Rangers
A Buffalo native, Heim has become the Rangers’ best hitter on a team that boasts Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Mitch Garver, and Adolis Garcia. He’s had four extra base hits with nine RBIs and six walks in 10 games.
First Base: Anthony Rizzo, New York Yankees
The best team in the American League has been powered by Rizzo’s still formidable bat. He hit nine home runs in April, including three against the Baltimore Orioles on April 27.
Second Base: Jazz Chisholm Jr., Miami Marlins
Jazz is a player that flashes off the diamond with his style, making him one of MLB’s most popular players. But he is one of the best young stars in the game. Chisholm collected three doubles, three triples, and four home runs while slugging over .600 and had an OPS over 1.000.
Shortstop: J.P. Crawford, Seattle Mariners
After ending 2021 as a solid position player for a blooming Seattle team, J.P. Crawford has proved himself of his 2013 first-round draft pick pedigree. Crawford batted .360 in April to go with nine extra base hits and ten walks.
Third Base: Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Guardians
Ramirez has proven himself worthy of the contract extension he got on April 14 by playing out of his mind in April. Ramirez leads the league in RBIs with 28 and total bases with 58, while collecting seven doubles and home runs en route to a .342/.411/.722 slash line.
Outfield: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels
What is there to be said about Mike Trout that hasn’t already been said? He’s the best player in baseball, and he’s got the Angels off to a hot start. The three-time MVP collected twelve extra base hits and walks, slashing .323/.447/.694 with a 1.141 OPS.
Outfield: Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins
When healthy, Byron Buxton is up there with the best of the best in baseball. He’s been the key contributor to a Twins team that leads the AL Central. Buxton had four doubles and six home runs with eleven RBIs in the month of April, with a slugging percentage of .729 and an OPS of 1.069.
Outfield: Joc Pederson, San Francisco Giants
Following a World Series title with Atlanta last year, Pederson signed with his hometown Giants this past offseason and has been nothing short of stellar. Pederson has six home runs and ten RBIs through sixteen games, slugging .745 with an OPS over 1.100.
Designated Hitter: Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros
Following a season where Alvarez won ALCS MVP, he has continued to ride the momentum and establish himself as one of the best hitters in baseball today. Alvarez slugged six home runs with twelve RBIs for an OPS nearing 1.000.
Starting Pitcher #1: Pablo Lopez, Miami Marlins
No starting pitcher had a better month than Pablo Lopez. Even with a stellar staff behind him, Lopez pitched to a 3-0 record with a league-leading ERA of 0.39 and ERA+ of 1012. Through 23 and a third innings, he’s only allowed one run and struck out 23.
Starting Pitcher #2: Carlos Rodon, San Francisco Giants
Rodon continues to prove his doubters wrong; following an All-Star season in 2021 with the White Sox, the lefty continues to dominate with the Giants. Rodon boasts a 3-0 record with a 1.17 ERA, striking out 38 batters through 23 innings.
Relief Pitcher #1: Josh Hader, Milwaukee Brewers
One of the best closers in the game, Hader has been a big piece in the Brewers’ April, where they lead the NL Central. Through nine and a third innings, Hader has struck out fifteen with ten saves and held opponents to a .067 average.
Relief Pitcher #2: Garrett Whitlock, Boston Red Sox
Many would feel as if a Red Sox pitcher wouldn’t make an all-monthly team. Although their staff has struggled, the second year Rule Five pick in Whitlock has been the lone bright spot. Through sixteen and two-thirds innings, Whitlock has twenty strikeouts and amassed a 0.54 ERA with one save.
