MLB Power Rankings 2012: Pinpointing April's Most Pleasant Surprises

My goodness, is the 2012 MLB season really one month old already?

The calendar says so, and I've never been one to argue with calendars (save for on daylight savings days...lousy farmers). It must be true.

It's a long season, and it's obviously still pretty early. Of all the things that have transpired this April, many of them are going to be forgotten.

We should, however, take care to remember the pleasant surprises. I'll point a few out as I move through my MLB Power Rankings for this week.

1. Texas Rangers (16-6, Previous No. 1)

Not exactly a huge shock that the Texas Rangers have looked like the best team in baseball for the better part of April. This is a team that can win any kind of ballgame imaginable. The most pleasant surprise for Texas this season has to be Josh Hamilton. He's erased all his offseason drama by jumping out to a hot start with a .395 average, nine homers and 25 RBI. You can't help but root for the guy.

2. Tampa Bay Rays (14-8, Previous No. 8)

The Rays are as hot as can be right now, as they've won seven of their last eight games. They even took two of three from the Rangers in Texas this weekend. The odd part is that the Rays are succeeding primarily because of their offense. Just imagine how dangerous they'll be once their pitching comes around.

3. Los Angeles Dodgers (16-6, Previous No. 6)

The Dodgers as a whole are easily the most pleasant surprise in baseball in the early goings this season. Matt Kemp has been utterly brilliant, but don't overlook how good Andre Ethier has been this season. He's making Kemp's life much easier by providing protection for him in LA's batting order.

4. St. Louis Cardinals (14-8, Previous No. 5)

The Cardinals are doing it all this year. They're among the league leaders in every major offensive category, and they're also among the league leaders in every major pitching category. Not bad for a team that doesn't have Albert Pujols, has gotten mediocre production out of Adam Wainwright and is waiting for Chris Carpenter to return from injury.

5. New York Yankees (10-6, Previous No. 4)

I take back all the things I said about Derek Jeter being old and over the hill. Old and over the hill guys don't hit .396 with four homers in the first month of the season. He looks like his old self, and that makes the Yankees that much scarier.

But um...anytime you want to show up, Mr. Teixeira, that would be just fine.

6. Atlanta Braves (14-8, Previous No. 7)

The Braves finished 22nd in the league in runs scored last season. This year, they currently rank fourth in runs scored. Their pitching hasn't really come together either, so look for the Braves to get even better as the season rolls along.

7. Washington Nationals (14-8, Previous No. 3)

Washington's offense is a big problem that can only be solved with time, but the Nats will stay relevant thanks to their pitching. It's amazing, and I've particularly enjoyed watching Gio Gonzalez pitch this year. His control has been much sharper, and his stuff just looks flat-out tremendous.

8. Detroit Tigers (11-11, Previous No. 2)

The Tigers have run into a rough patch in recent days, but they deserve the benefit of the doubt. Their pitching will be stabilized once Doug Fister will return, and their offense will start crushing the ball with regularity soon enough. 

The pleasant surprise in Detroit so far this season is the pitching of Drew Smyly. Raise your hand if you had him leading the American League in ERA at the end of April.

9. San Francisco Giants (12-10, Previous No. 10)

The Giants look a lot more like they did in 2010, which is good news for them. With all respect to Pablo Sandoval, the best part about the Giants' season so far has been the return to form of Buster Posey. Considering the circumstances, I'll bet most Giants fans didn't anticipate Posey returning to hit over .350 with four home runs in April. I couldn't be happier for the guy.

10. Arizona Diamondbacks (12-11, Previous No. 11)

The D-Backs have fallen into something of a frustrating pattern this season, as I'm finding it hard to evaluate them a month into the season. But of all the pitchers on Arizona's starting staff, Joe Saunders was the last guy I figured would be leading the NL in ERA right now. Hats off, Mr. Saunders.

11. Baltimore Orioles (14-8, Previous No. 17)

I don't buy the notion that the Orioles can stay in this thing for the long run, but I'll be darned if it hasn't been fun to watch them jet out to a hot start. I, for one, can't believe they have a 3.06 team ERA. Their pitchers were supposed to struggle against me if I were to step into the batter's box.

The not-so-pleasant surprise? Mark Reynolds. 'Nuff said.

12. Toronto Blue Jays (12-10, Previous No. 9)

There are a number of different storylines that come to mind when talking about the Blue Jays. But my goodness, has anybody noticed what Edwin Encarnacion has been up to? He's hitting over .300 with seven homers and 20 RBI. He ranks in the top 10 in the American League in quite a few offensive categories.

Who needs Jose Bautista?

13. Cleveland Indians (11-9, Previous No. 13)

The Indians will come back down to earth in the long run, but you can't help but feel good for Derek Lowe. He still has a problem with baserunners, but it's hard to complain about his 4-1 record and 2.27 ERA. He looked like he was finished when he was with Atlanta last season. I guess he's not.

14. Boston Red Sox (10-11, Previous No. 23)

I've raved about David Ortiz before, so I'll rave about something else concerning the Red Sox. What surprises me is that Felix Doubront and Daniel Bard—both of whom were supposed to represent the weak spot in Boston's rotation—have been pretty good. Both of them belong in the bullpen, but the Sox should be very happy with what they've gotten from them so far.

15. New York Mets (13-9, Previous No. 20)

I don't buy the Mets' hot start either, but it's admittedly quite nice to see David Wright doing work. Citi Field is still holding him back, but his contract drive is going quite well. If he keeps it up, the Mets may have no choice but to cough up the money to keep him.

16. Cincinnati Reds (11-11, Previous No. 21)

The Reds have righted their ship after a disappointing start, and Jay Bruce's bat has had a lot to do with that. He's homered in four straight games entering Monday, and he currently ranks second in the NL with seven home runs. But since we're talking about Bruce, Reds fans should cross their fingers and hope his hot April is for real.

17. Chicago White Sox (11-11, Previous No. 12)

The White Sox are right about where they should be record-wise, but nobody should be too quick to overlook what this team's pitching has done this season. Philip Humber is Mr. Perfect, but Jake Peavy is Mr. Dominant. He's enjoying an outstanding bounce-back season and has gone the distance in both of his last two starts. Good for him.

18. Philadelphia Phillies (10-12, Previous No. 14)

There's admittedly not a lot for Phillies fans to get excited about with this team. Their pitching is great, sure, but the Phillies' offense is atrocious. My advice to Phillies fans is to be thankful that Jonathan Papelbon is earning his money. He's got seven saves and he hasn't allowed a hit in any of his last four outings.

19. Colorado Rockies (10-11, Previous No. 18)

It's hard to imagine this Rockies team achieving much this year, as they just don't have the pitching to compete in the NL West. But hey, you can't hate on Jamie Moyer. The dude leads the Rockies with a 3.14 ERA, which is pretty impressive seeing as how opponents are hitting better than .300 off of him.

20. Milwaukee Brewers (10-12, Previous No. 19)

I've been disappointed with the Brewers so far this season, especially with their pitching. The one bright spot for the Brewers this season has been Corey Hart, who leads the team in batting average, home runs, RBI, runs and OPS. Who needs Prince Fielder?

21. Seattle Mariners (11-12, Previous No. 25)

The Mariners swept the Tigers in Detroit last week, thus proving that they are capable of beating somebody other than the A's. That deserves a round of applause.

Brandon League deserves a round of applause too. He's made it interesting, but he's among the league leaders in saves with seven.

22. Oakland Athletics (11-12, Previous No. 22)

Pointing out Yoenis Cespedes' ridiculous power would be too easy, so why don't we focus in on Bartolo Colon? He's thrown a tremendous amount of strikes this season, yet his BABIP is just .238.

Dear baseball: Swing the bats against Bartolo!

23. Los Angeles Angels (7-15, Previous No. 15)

Let's see, pleasant surprises means the exact opposite of what Albert Pujols' season has been to this point. And I guess I shouldn't point out that the Angels have fewer home runs than the Oakland A's.

Ummm...yeah, I've got nothing. The Angels are a train wreck right now.

24. Miami Marlins (8-14, Previous No. 16)

The Marlins are also a train wreck, which is a huge disappointment given how much collective talent they have. It's especially painful watching their offense struggle. Giancarlo Stanton is leading the team in batting average, and he's hitting .247.

The bright side? Anibal Sanchez is striking out hitters at an even higher rate than he did last season, which was supposed to be a fluke. Apparently not.

25. Pittsburgh Pirates (9-12, Previous No. 24)

Pittsburgh's offense is a mess, but the team's pitching staff is pretty solid. Despite his 1-4 record, the Pirates have to be happy with what they're getting out of Erik Bedard. He has a 2.48 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 29 innings of work.

26. Chicago Cubs (8-14, Previous No. 29)

The Cubs are right about where we expected them to be, but how about the season Matt Garza is having? He has a 2.67 ERA in five starts, and he ranks second in the National League in innings pitched and first in strikeouts. He's worth visiting Wrigley for.

27. Houston Astros (8-14, Previous No. 27)

The average baseball fan probably can't name three hitters in Houston's lineup, yet said lineup currently ranks ninth in baseball in runs scored and ninth in baseball in batting average. Respect.

28. San Diego Padres (7-16, Previous No. 28)

There's not much to like about the Padres, but Padres fans should be happy that Chase Headley is keeping the team's offense afloat. He leads the team in every major offensive category.

No, he doesn't have a whole lot of competition. But still...

29. Minnesota Twins (6-15, Previous No. 26)

Joe Mauer still isn't hitting for power, but it's nice to see his batting average back up at .325. The power likely won't come, but the hits will keep falling as long as he stays healthy.

30. Kansas City Royals (6-15, Previous No. 30)

I'm a big fan of the color blue, so the Royals are okay in my book.