This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian's Cubs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CHICAGO -- A lot was thrown at the Cubs throughout the first month of the season. Injuries piled up and there was a steady stream of players coming up from Triple-A Iowa to fill in the gaps. But that did not stop the North Siders from regularly raising the ‘W’ flag.

The Cubs’ 18 wins out of the chute marked the most for March-April in team history. The 2016 and '08 teams notched 17 wins, while the '18 and 1969 Cubs won 16. True, this season started earlier than previous years, but this success has nonetheless been a testament to the depth that Chicago hopes can sustain success all summer long.

“It doesn’t necessarily surprise me,” Cubs center fielder Cody Bellinger said. “Because I think we all knew how good we were, right? And so, I think we’re all just playing good baseball. Obviously, we’ve had some crazy injuries, but the guys that come in have stepped up and have played really well.”

The Cubs started off May with a dramatic 1-0 victory over the Mets, keeping the North Siders near the top of the National League Central. Let’s take a look back at the best performances in April that put Chicago in that position heading into the season’s second month.

Player of the month: 1B Michael Busch

With apologies to outfielder Mike Tauchman (.955 OPS in 92 plate appearances), Busch gets the nod for a bit of history he achieved in his first month in a Cubs uniform. From April 10-15, the rookie tied a franchise record by launching a homer in five consecutive games. Busch led the Cubs in homers (six) and total bases (47) in March/April, tied for the most RBIs (17) and had a .266/.333/.500 slash line.

Pitcher of the month: LHP Shota Imanaga

In any other month, what Javier Assad did (2-0, 1.97 ERA, six starts) would grab the spotlight. This season’s top standout out of the gate, however, was unquestionably Imanaga. The rookie lefty went 4-0 with a 0.98 ERA, 28 strikeouts and three walks in 27 2/3 innings in April. He joined Cole Hamels (August 2018), Jake Arrieta (August '15, September/October '15 and June '14) and Mark Prior (August '03) as the only Cubs pitchers with four-plus wins and an ERA under 1.00 in a single month (min. four starts) in the past 47 seasons.

Reliever of the month: RHP Mark Leiter Jr.

The bullpen endured its share of bumps on the road in the first month, but Leiter offered a steady hand. The right-hander led Chicago with 14 appearances, in which he limited batters to a .200 average and .526 OPS. Leiter struck out 13 and walked six over 13 innings, logging a 0.69 ERA along the way.

Best offensive game: OF Ian Happ

On April 16 in Arizona, Happ fell a triple shy of a cycle. While his performance (single, double, homer, four RBIs and three runs) came in a 12-11 loss in 10 innings, the .595 Win Probability Added Happ produced was the second-highest by a Cubs hitter in a game within the season’s first month.

Best pitching performance: Imanaga

The pick here was an easy one: Imanaga’s MLB debut on April 1 against the Rockies at Wrigley Field. The lefty carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning, tying the longest no-hit bid by a Cubs pitcher in his MLB debut in at least the past 50 years. Imanaga struck out nine, walked none and yielded two hits.

Best defensive play: 2B Nico Hoerner

On April 5, the Dodgers had runners on second and third with two outs in the fourth inning when Gavin Lux sent a low liner up the middle. Hoerner made a diving stop, snaring the ball on one hop with a quick stab of the glove. The second baseman hustled to his feet, got off a pinpoint throw to first and pumped his fist in celebration. The play proved big in a 9-7 win for the Cubs.