The best, wildest, most surprising things to happen around baseball in April

Ah, Opening Day. Were we ever so young?

Believe it or not, Tuesday marks the last day of the first full month of the MLB season. There are six of these -- if you count March and April as one, as we are -- and the first one will soon be in the rearview mirror.

A lot can happen in one month of the baseball calendar, so after each one we’ll be looking back: What changed, what didn’t, who thrived, who struggled, what we may have learned, what we didn’t.

Here's a look at the best baseball had to offer in April (and a few days of March).

• 7 early breakout stars nobody saw coming

Team That Doesn’t Want This Month to End: Guardians

Before the season, the Guardians looked like a team that was spinning its wheels. It had barely made any offseason moves, mostly running everyone back from a team that finished 10 games under .500 in 2023. And despite a strong start early in 2024, it lost ace Shane Bieber to a season-ending injury after two starts. That’s a recipe for disaster, right?

• Power Rankings: Fascinating week sends teams shuffling

Well, the Guardians proved everyone wrong in April, storming out to a 19-9 start thanks to a surprisingly strong offense, led by Josh Naylor, Steven Kwan and Estevan Florial. (And by the end of the month, José Ramírez was back to smashing the ball again.) It once looked like Guardians brass was being passive in the offseason. In April, it just looked like they were being patient. And smart.

Team That Is Eager For the Calendar to Turn: Astros

Look, it was reasonable to think that the Astros wouldn’t be as dominant in 2024 as they’ve been for most of the past decade. The team is older, it has a first-time manager in Joe Espada, and it was dealing with pitching injuries even before Opening Day. But goodness gracious, who foresaw this? After their first 28 games, the Astros sit in last place in the AL West, behind both the A’s and the Angels.

That’s despite fantastic starts from Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker and Ronel Blanco, all of whom made our All-Star squad for the first month (see below). Can you imagine where they’d be without those guys? The Astros showed some signs of steadying the ship over the weekend in Mexico City, with a convincing two-game sweep of the Rockies. Even so, we haven’t seen them endure a month like this since before their current run of seven straight ALCS appearances began. If they have another month like April, that streak may just be over.

Play of the Month: Cedric Mullins goes all out

Cedric Mullins was in Baltimore before the Orioles turned it around and became one of the best teams in baseball, and he plays every day like he is deeply appreciative. He actually had two truly fantastic catches this month -- here’s the other one -- but this one made our jaws drop.

Best Single-Game Performance: Tanner Houck’s Maddux

Houck’s transition into being a full-time starter has been a somewhat bumpy one after he posted a 5.01 ERA in 21 starts for the Red Sox last year. But in April 2024, he was incredible for a surprisingly strong Boston rotation, putting up a 1.60 ERA in six starts. None were better than his three-hit shutout of the Guardians on April 17, in which he struck out nine and walked none, the first “Maddux” of 2024. It was also the shortest nine-inning game in nearly 14 years, if you’re into that sort of thing.

• Where Red Sox win ranks among fastest games this century

Wildest Game: Rays vs. Angels (April 16)
The Rays have hardly enjoyed the electric start to 2024 that they did in 2023, but they certainly played a barnburner against the Angels at Tropicana Field on April 16. They entered the bottom of the ninth inning trailing, 3-1, then made two quick outs against Angels closer Carlos Estévez before rallying. José Caballero tied the score with a two-run triple. Tampa Bay had to come from behind in the 10th, 11th and again in the 13th, when Richie Palacios kept them alive with a two-out, game-tying RBI double, before an infield hit from Amed Rosario walked it off. We got worn out writing this paragraph, so we can’t imagine what it was like to actually play in this game.

Best Player to Make His MLB Debut: Shota Imanaga, Cubs

It helps when you’ve had a long career in Japan to help prepare you for the big leagues, but the Cubs’ 30-year-old left-hander -- aptly nicknamed the “Throwing Philosopher” for his studious approach -- took Wrigley Field by storm in his first month. In five starts, Imanaga went 4-0 with an 0.98 ERA, striking out 28 and walking just three in 27 2/3 innings. The Cubs sure needed it, too, with their rotation getting hammered by injuries.

Player of the Game Leader: Juan Soto, Yankees (6)

MLB launched the Player of the Game initiative this season, and as the first month draws to a close, it’s Soto who has taken that honor more than any other player so far. The Yankees came storming out of the gates, and their offseason trade acquisition, a guy who sure looks like he’s going to win multiple MVPs in his career (and may well do so this year), was a primary reason why.

• MLB Player of the Game FAQ

All-Star Squad of the Month

C: Salvador Perez, Royals -- 1.000 OPS, 7 HRs, 26 RBIs
1B: Josh Naylor, Guardians -- .895 OPS, 6 HR, 21 RBIs
2B: Jose Altuve, Astros -- .342 AVG, 1.010 OPS, 7 HR
SS: Mookie Betts, Dodgers -- .377 AVG, 1.118 OPS, 6 HR
3B: Alec Bohm, Phillies -- .364 AVG, 1.046 OPS, 29 RBIs
OF: Mike Trout, Angels -- .541 SLG, 10 HR, 14 RBIs
OF: Juan Soto, Yankees -- 7 HR, 24 RBIs, 24 BB
OF: Kyle Tucker, Astros -- .948 OPS, 7 HR, 20 RBIs
DH: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers -- 1.041 OPS, 14 2B, 7 HR
Utility: Elly De La Cruz, Reds -- 8 HR, 19 RBIs, 18 SB

SP: Ranger Suárez, Phillies -- 5-0, 1.32 ERA, SHO
SP: Ronel Blanco, Astros -- 1.65 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, no-hitter 4/1 vs. TOR
SP: Shota Imanaga, Cubs -- 4-0, 0.98 ERA, 0.80 WHIP
SP: José Berríos, Blue Jays -- 4-1, 1.23 ERA, CG
SP: Tanner Houck, Red Sox -- 1.60 ERA, 41 K's, SHO

RP: Mason Miller, A’s -- 1.46 ERA, 25 K's in 12 1/3 IP
RP: Clay Holmes, Yankees -- 0.00 ERA, 12.00 K/BB, 9 SV

Three Storylines For Next Month

1) Are the Astros going to turn this around?

When you’ve made seven straight ALCS appearances, your absence is going to leave a pretty big crater in the American League playoff picture. The AL West has collectively gotten off to a slow start, allowing the Astros to keep their heads above water, but this is still a last-place team after one month. Can they recover in time?

2) What’s up with the NL Central?

The Brewers and the Pirates leapt out to a hot start, but both have cooled a bit, especially the Pirates. Meanwhile, the Cubs are holding on despite a gaggle of injuries; the Reds are enjoying Elly De La Cruz’s ascendance; and the Cardinals, despite being in last place, have the feel of a team that’s a lot better than last year’s last-place team. This division may be toggling positions 1-5 all season.

3) Will Aaron Judge warm up in time to give us an all-time 1-2 punch?

The excitement for the Yankees this year was the opportunity to watch two of the best hitters in baseball, Soto and Aaron Judge, hit back to back. Soto has looked like an MVP in the early going, but Judge sure hasn’t, hitting only .211. But by the end of the month, he was warming up, and if he can have one of those Judge Months at the same time Soto is being Soto … look out.