Outside The Confines: A look back at April

Well, we’ve made it through the first month of baseball, and I think it’s safe to say no one expected a lot of the results we’re seeing in early day. Okay, we all probably saw the red-hot rivalry of the Padres and Dodgers, but there have been quite a few surprises in the mix as well.

Look at the AL East, where experts predicted the Yankees would easily lead the pack, and right now it’s the Red Sox by three games, while the Yankees and Orioles are tied for last in the division.

Or the AL Central, where it’s the Kansas City Royals who currently have the best record in baseball? In the AL East, the A’s are at the top after a 13-game winning streak, but it’s the Mariners right on their tail, surprising many.

And what about the NL? All those Mets offseason moves, and it’s the Phillies leading the NL East, while the Brewers of all teams lead the Central (but the Pirates being in third place might be the biggest shocker there).

And the most surprising in the NL? That while that Dodgers/Padres rivalry has been a blast to watch, it’s the Giants who are quietly leading the division.

Isn’t baseball fun?

• Chelsea Janes looks at what happened after Curt Flood left the Senators, and how the decision changed him and baseball.
• Ben Clemens examines a double play from the Brewers-Marlins game in great detail.
• If you’re in camp “Rob Manfred is bad,” this Defector article by Craig Goldstein is a great read.
• Jacob deGrom’s lack of run support might not be as bad as we think, claims Dan Szymborski.
• Meanwhile David Schoenfield suggests that deGrom’s run support has reached a new all-time low.
• Since we’re talking about deGrom, Michael Baumann explores what the odds are of the Mets ace getting into the Hall of Fame.
• At least he’s consistent.

• Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Sam Dykstra offer one hot prospect to watch for each team.
• On the topic of prospects, Jim Bowden shares the 11 best pitching prospects in the game right now. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Tim Kurkjian looks at a month of quirky baseball plays.
• Jay Jaffe explores how Kyle Higashioka is surpassing Gary Sanchez in the Yankees catching ranks.
• Akil Baddoo has been the most exciting surprise of the Detroit Tigers season, so Cody Stavenhagen gets to know Baddoo better. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Will Leitch assesses which players have been hottest in the month of April.
• Where does your team rank in terms of ESPN’s newest power rankings? (spoiler alert, the Cubs aren’t doing very well on the ranking...)
• Is Mike Trout on the cusp of becoming even better? Fabian Ardaya thinks he’s about to become “really scary.” (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Michael Baumann looks at how one rebuilding club (the Royals) has managed to claim top spot in their division.
• Enjoy this legitimate witchcraft.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. Make it so.