New Faces, Old Faces

One month of the 2010 MLB season is now in the past. April was full of intensity, from the first ever no hitter by a Rockies pitcher (Ubaldo Jimenez) to the Mets having an 8-game win streak snapped by 10-0 loss to their division rivals. The Rays have been very impressive so far, starting off the decade with the best record in the league at 18-7. Many of the same great players have put up big stats, like Albert Pujols and Tim Lincecum. However, there are always new players who make names for themselves early in the year. Austin Jackson and Jason Heyward won Rookies of the Month for April, and they have both gotten my attention. Along with Heyward and Jackson, here are a few guys who really stood out to me:

Robinson Cano - Yankees
The defending champs are just one game back of the Rays for the best record in the league. Their statistical leader hasn't been Jeter, it hasn't been A-Rod, and it hasn't been Teixiera. It's been their 27-year-old 2nd baseman. Cano is second in the MLB in home runs, batting average and runs scored. With a .371 batting average, 9 home runs, 21 RBIs and 23 runs scored, he's well on his way towards the AL MVP. He's definitely put up the numbers I was hoping he would when I drafted him over Dustin Pedroia in fantasy baseball.

Jason Heyward - Braves
I heard great things about Heyward in the preseason, especially that this kid has what it takes to become a legend. My brother made a bet with me that Heyward would make the All Star team this year, and at this rate, I'm going to owe him money in July. To start, the right fielder homered in his first career at bat off of 3-time All Star Carlos Zambrano. Heyward has 7 home runs, 23 RBIs and a .580 slugging percentage for Atlanta. Watch out for this kid in the next two decades.

Austin Jackson - Tigers
Jackson has been a little more under-the-radar thanks to Heyward, but this rookie is leading the entire league in batting average at .377. Not just for a week, not just for a dozen games, but for an entire month. He's also 5th in the league in runs scored at 22 for the quietly strong 16-11 Tigers. The centerfielder has been a bright spot for Detroit, and should continue to contribute throughout the season.

Ubaldo Jimenez - Rockies
If the season ended today, Jimenez would get every vote for the Cy Young Award. Another one of my stronger fantasy steals, the Rockies ace has the Triple Crown for pitching: he leads the entire league in ERA, wins and strikeouts. Jimenez is undefeated with 6 of the Rockies' 13 wins, an ERA of 0.87 and 44 strikeouts in 44.1 innings. Jimenez is why the Rockies are just two games back of first place in the NL West.