With a month’s worth of ballgames already the books, fantasy general managers and baseball fans alike face a dilemma. How seriously do we consider the numbers in April? Can we chalk up a bad first month to a slow start or write off a fringe player’s torrid beginning as a fluke? Have we finally assembled a large enough sample size to re-examine our rosters and and trim the fat? One thing is for certain: the following players have shown no signs of lagging through the April showers, and give us every reason to believe that they will continue to bloom in May. Today, we’ll evaluate the top-10 pitchers - starters and relievers - of April.
1. Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners
Fresh off a payday that made him the closest thing to Seattle royalty, King Felix has pitched into the sixth inning or beyond in all of his seven April starts - six of which were Quality Starts. In 42.2 innings pitched, he has struck out 44 batters, while allowing only seven free passes. Hernandez’ impressive track record, combined with an improved overall Mariners’ team makes him a solid pick to top this list.
2. Matt Harvey, New York Mets
Earlier this week, Mets fans had visions of Tom Seaver and Dwight Gooden when the wunderkind from UConn took a perfecto into the late innings against the Chicago White Sox. Harvey had an April for the ages, winning his first four decisions and striking out well over a batter per inning. Harvey will be facing many of his opponents’ lineups for the first time, a notorious advantage for pitchers. Look for this train to keep on rolling in Queens.
3. Clay Buchholz, Boston Red Sox
We’re going to buy the story that whatever Toronto announcers saw Buchholz rubbing on the ball was nothing more than the blood, sweat and tears of a pitcher with a whole lot to prove in 2013. The 28-year-old righty went 6-0 in the month, pitching into the seventh inning or later in all of his April starts. Buchholz has allowed only one ball to leave the yard, and continues to strike out more than a man per inning.
4. Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers
Clayton Kershaw’s dominance thus far has been overshadowed by the Dodgers’ struggles as a team, and by all accounts, his win-loss record is not reflective of the April he compiled. Kershaw opened the season with a complete game shutout against the rival Giants, and closed the month by striking out 12 Brewers in an eight-inning effort. Consistently a top finisher in Cy Young voting, 2013 looks to be more of the same for the Dodgers ace.
5. Yu Darvish, Texas Rangers
Will Rangers fans be able to claim the first 300-strikeout pitcher since Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson with the 2002 Diamondbacks as their own? Yu Darvish, through his first six starts in April, has eerily resembled another fireballing Texas righty who accomplished the feat a whopping six times - Nolan Ryan. Through the month, Darvish is holding opponents to a measly .170 batting average, while proving he can pitch deep into ballgames and limit bases on balls. In his sophomore season, the Japanese import has shown his ability to make adjustments, and what’s more - he’s got The Ryan Express in his corner!
6. Jordan Zimmermann, Washington Nationals
With the flashy 2012 seasons put up by Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann could be easily written as a “third starter” off by fans outside of the DC Metro Area. The truth is, Washington is carrying three bonafide aces this season, and Zimmermann leads the pack. Though his strikeout rate, at 5.5 K/9, is well below average, Pitching Coach Steve McCatty says this is by design. McCatty encouraged Zimmermann to focus on getting ground ball outs, allowing him to pitch deeper into games. Much to his fantasy owners’ content, these grounders aren’t finding many holes, as the righty has allowed only a .186 average to opposing hitters.
7. Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers
It was difficult not to smirk, just a little, at the first “What’s Wrong With Verlander?” headline of the season. The truth is, while he’s allowed more baserunners thus far, Detroit fans have no reason to worry that their ace starter’s star has faded. Even with significantly more pedestrian numbers, by Verlander standards (3-3, .242 opponents’ batting average), he’s still the most consistent, most dominant, and most consistently dominant starting pitcher in the game today.
8. Jason Grilli, Pittsburgh Pirates
The first relief pitcher on our list should shock you - that is, if you haven’t seen the Pirates this season. Coming off a World Baseball Classic tournament serving as the closer for Team Italy, Grilli has racked up 13 saves while pitching to a minuscule 0.64 ERA. As fantasy owners have learned, especially in recent seasons, a closer’s job is only as secure as his latest appearance. Grilli appears to have the position locked down. At age 36, whether he can continue before the proverbial carriage turns back into a pumpkin remains to be seen.
9. Anibal Sanchez, Detroit Tigers
Anibal Sanchez, now three years removed from arm injury woes that cost him a large portion of his early career, has shown that he can be the same pitcher who no-hit the Diamondbacks as a rookie in 2006. While he hasn’t received the run support this season to push his winning percentage over .500, Sanchez is striking out more than a batter per inning while holding opponents to a .213 average.
10. Jim Johnson, Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles’ Jim Johnson picked up right where he left off in 2012 when he led the league in saves pitching for a resurgent Baltimore team. Through his first 14 appearances, Johnson has allowed only one earned run, while striking out 12 batters. He will continue to be the go-to man in the ninth inning for Baltimore, and is arguably the most dependable relief pitcher in the league.