MLB: Justin Morneau and 10 Feel-Good Storylines from This Season

One of the best things about baseball is the month of April. While the rest of the season may serve as a reality check for several players and teams, April is where hope springs eternal and anything can happen.

Some of the things that happen in April are completely out of the blue and have you cheering for them the rest of the way. Meanwhile, others make you want to see an early demise continue for a perennial contender.

Here, we'll take a look at ten feel-good storylines that have impacted baseball so far in 2012.

Justin Morneau's Return to Health

It's been a long road for Justin Morneau to get back to relevance. While the Minnesota Twins are tied for the worst record in baseball at 5-14, they've received good news that Morneau has started to show glimpses of his former self.

Although his bat has cooled off in the past week, Morneau hit two home runs in the Twins 6-5 win over the New York Yankees on April 18. With the two blasts, Morneau matched his home run total (four) from an awful 2011 season in which he dealt with several injuries.

While there is still work to go with Morneau to get to his 2006 American League Most Valuable Player form (1-for-18 against lefties, and hitting .111 with runners in scoring position), the key is that Morneau has been able to play almost everyday from the designated hitter position.

If all goes well, Morneau could be playing first base regularly by June. Despite the fear that his concussion-like symptoms will return, Morneau is healthy and should improve as the season goes along.

The Los Angeles Dodgers Lead the National League West

There can be several guesses on what is the catalyst for the hot start the Los Angeles Dodgers are enjoying.

Is it because the Dodgers are playing a weak schedule? Is it because the Dodgers are being lead by last year's Cy Young Award winner and Most Valuable Player runner-up? Or is it the change in ownership?

Whatever it is, the Dodgers are 13-6 and leading the National League West division. Clayton Kershaw has posted a 1-0 start with a 1.64 earned run average even after battling a flu in his first start. Ted Lilly has come off the disabled list with a vengeance as well going 2-0 with a 0.90 earned run average.

It's unknown whether the Dodgers can get better once they start playing better competition, but with the recent sale of the team to Magic Johnson and company, their morale should be sky high at this point.

Matt Kemp Dominates Baseball

I'm sorry, did I forget someone? Oh yeah, Matt Kemp is raging out of control at the plate in the early part of the season. Perhaps Kemp felt snubbed when Ryan Braun was awarded the NL Most Valuable Player last year, or maybe he just went out and got better over the offseason.

Kemp had a season worthy of winning the MVP award in 2011, but he's trying to cement the 2012 award in April. Entering Friday's game, Kemp is hitting an ungodly .449 with 10 home runs and 23 runs batted in.

Kemp stated before the season that his goal was to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in 2012. Most people laughed at this goal as no person in Major League Baseball had ever accomplished that feat. Now people are laughing because Kemp is hitting so many bombs, it might be impossible to steal 50 bases.

There's almost no way Kemp continues his April production throughout the season, but after being snubbed by the Eastern half of the country last season, he's making sure that nobody will make that mistake this season.

Philip Humber Finds a Home in Chicago

It's funny what happens when someone throws a perfect game. They automatically become a household name even if they've had a stop or two where they've failed to live up to expectations.

That's the story for Phil Humber, who threw a perfect game against the Seattle Mariners on April 21. Humber has been a disappointment throughout his career after he was selected third overall in the 2004 entry draft by the New York Mets.

After a couple cups of coffee, the Mets traded him to the Twins in the Johan Santana trade where he never really made a mark. Humber had a couple of bad starts in Kansas City before finding a home in Chicago last season.

While Humber was solid last year, he may finally be comfortable in the Major Leagues pitching for the White Sox. He's already 1-0 with a 0.63 ERA entering Thursday, and the perfect game may be able to help him build confidence as he tries to be a force in the rotation.

Lance Lynn Is the First Pitcher to Four Wins

Four wins isn't exactly a milestone in baseball, but Lance Lynn has a unique story for how he got to those first four wins.

After a season in which Lynn was a key bullpen member for the world champion St. Louis Cardinals, he barely made the team out of spring training. The Cardinals needed someone to replace the injured Chris Carpenter, who may be out for a long time with a shoulder injury.

That's where Lynn has taken the ball and pitched well for the Cardinals. Entering Thursday, Lynn has gone 4-0 with a 1.33 ERA.

The biggest surprise to Lynn's start is that scouts never thought of him as a starter, either. He has an average array of pitches, but he's been able to keep his spike in velocity (roughly two miles per hour) that the Cardinals saw in the bullpen last year.

Dave Duncan deserves some credit for whatever he's done to get these types of results from Lynn, and it will be interesting to see if Lynn can be a 15-20 game winner for the Cardinals at the end of the year.

David Wright Producing for the New York Mets

Over the offseason, it wasn't a sure thing that David Wright would even be playing for the New York Mets. His injury history alone was cause for concern, but so was the fact that the Mets were shopping him around to several teams.

It's amazing what the beginning of baseball season can do, huh? David Wright has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball with a .364 average with three home runs and ten RBI.

It could be that Wright has benefited from the fences being moved in at Citi Field, but Wright is currently raking anywhere he goes. His resurgence has given the Mets life as they find themselves at 10-8, which is a lot better than many of us expected at this point.

Where this goes remains to be seen. If Wright continues to hit, will the Mets continue to shop Wright at the trade deadline, or will they decide to keep him in hope that Wright has rediscovered himself?

The Washington Nationals Lead the National League East

Three years ago, the Washington Nationals were looking for something to establish their franchise which had relocated from Montreal for the 2005 season. The number one pick in the draft had to be Stephen Strasburg, but with the evil Scott Boras as his agent, the Nationals were not sure if they could sign him.

Well, they did. It's turned out very well for them, in fact, as Strasburg has lead the Nationals to an NL-best, 14-4 record.

It's not just Strasburg who is lighting things up, either. The rest of the rotation (known as K-Street) has been spectacular for the Nationals, as well.

The Nationals had a scare when Ryan Zimmerman went down with a right shoulder injury, but a recent MRI showed there was no significant damage.

Mix in that the Nationals could have reinforcements coming when Michael Morse returns from injury and Bryce Harper gets called up to the majors, and the Nationals could be a legitimate contender for the National League pennant.

The Texas Rangers Are Back with a Vengeance

The Texas Rangers are mad. After coming one strike away from winning the first World Series in franchise history, the Rangers don't want to taste defeat anymore. So, they've been playing like it.

The Rangers came into Thursday with the best record in baseball at 15-4. Unlike the Los Angeles Dodgers' fast start, the Rangers have played some of the toughest competition in the American League as they've won series against the Detroit Tigers and the New York Yankees.

The secret for this team has been their rotation. A lot of people thought that the Tommy John injuries were going to increase when team owner Nolan Ryan demanded more from their starting pitchers, but that hasn't happened yet.

What has happened is that the Rangers have become the toughest rotation in baseball with Derek Holland, Neftali Feliz, and Yu Darvish all fitting in nicely to offset the loss of C.J. Wilson.

The Rangers have also gotten help from Josh Hamilton who, after a relapse from sobriety, has responded by hitting seven home runs coming into Thursday's game.

Simply put, the Rangers are locked in and ready for revenge.

The 100th Anniversary of Fenway Park

In today's baseball, many owners have been ranting about how they want a new ballpark with all the amenities for the high-profile clients. The result has been a scary glimpse into the future of how baseball stadiums could change for the worse (see Marlins Park).

However, there are still a few gems out there, and Fenway Park is one of them. While the rival New York Yankees decided to tear down their historic stadium, the Red Sox have kept theirs alive with simple tweaks like adding seats on top of the Green Monster.

Unlike some of the new stadiums, Fenway Park is so simple that it's kept its true beauty. Because of this, many more generations can say that they've seen a game at the original Fenway Park, which is something that Yankee fans (and possibly Chicago Cubs fans) won't be able to say.

A ballpark that survives 100 years is something to look at in amazement.

The Red Sox Get off to a Slow Start

During Spring Training, new Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine routinely grabbed a microphone and talked like he was a professional wrestler gearing up for WrestleMania.

The Yankees were pounded into the ground by Valentine's verbal blows, and to make matters worse, ESPN covered every word like it was Tim Tebow helping an elderly lady cross the street. In other words, a lot of people outside of the East coast got sick of this.

That said, it's been refreshing to see the Red Sox go out and flop like fish for their new manager. Their pitching staff has seemingly forgotten what it's like to throw strikes, and their lineup has started to look old and outdated.

It's not purely Boston's fault that this feels good, but more the media coverage devoted to the collapse of the Red Sox that feels good. A lot of times, the other 28 teams in Major League Baseball get the shaft from ESPN when it comes to coverage.

To see one of ESPN's mega-powers at the bottom of the standings is refreshing for baseball fans elsewhere who couldn't care less if Bobby Valentine said that the Yankees cafeteria has the worst meatloaf in the world.

It's great. It's awesome. And it probably won't last when the "Sawx" hit their stride, but who cares? It's April, and it's a lot of fun.