Biggest disappointment:  The Angels starting staff
The Angels in recent years have always been a team built around a solid pitching core.  While they lost John Lackey to free agency in the offseason, they seemed like they could survive quite well without him.  But now with a quarter season of baseball gone, only one starter (Jered Weaver) can boast a record that is better than .500 (and his is just 4-2).  In fact the starting rotation including Weaver only boasts a 15-18 record and that's a bitter pill to swallow since the offense minus Vlad Guerrero has fallen from second in the AL in runs scored in 2009 to eighth in 2010.

Biggest surprise story:  The Padres in 1st with a woeful offense

Adrian Gonzalez helps the Padres stay competitive

Photo by SD Dirk, used under creative commons license.

Dark Horse Story:  The Reds vying for the Central
Ok, I could have picked the Padres again here, but the Padres are doing it with smoke and mirrors in a division where it will catch up with them. It was a nice story but they've gone 2-5 in their last seven and the wheels appear to be about to come off.

The Reds on the other hand surprised an awful lot of people, although not myself. (I picked them as a dark horse to steal the Central when I wrote my team preview of them back in March.) They've got a solid offense, decent pitching and a division that is so weak that you won't have to win 95 games to win the division.  The emergence of Mike Leake only bolsters a pitching staff that should add more depth later on in the season when Edinson Volquez returns from his suspension and DL stint, and Aroldis Chapman finally makes it to the big leagues with his overpowering stuff.  That makes the Reds a team to watch and one that the Cardinals shouldn't take lightly.

Overachiever award Player AL: Paul Konerko
Tell me you thought Paul Konerko would have 14 home runs (and be on a pace for 56), with 30 RBIs at this point in his career, let alone in this season and I'll call you a liar to your face.  The resurgence of the 33-year-old Konerko has been downright scary.  You can't say he's kept the 16-24 White Sox in contention, but can you imagine how bad they'd be without him?

Overachiever award Player NL: Kelly Johnson
Sure he's just 28 and in a year where he should be in his prime, but nobody saw this power surge coming from a middle infielder who in his four year career had only managed 45 home runs.  Johnson's 12 home runs so far are staggering as are his 25 RBIs -- just four short of the 29 he finished with in 2009.  Clearly it's something in the water out there in AZ.  It will be even more impressive if he can keep it up and finish in the mid 20s.

NL Cy Young NL:  Ubaldo Jimenez
Other contenders: Barry Zito, Tim Lincecum, Roy Halladay, Adam Wainwright

The Rockies only consistent starter thus far seems to have taken a step forward and entered the elite ranks of pitchers.  That's no small feat when you consider that he pitches half his games at Coors Field.  At 7-1 with a 1.12 ERA, 54 Ks and .184 BAA (the best in the NL) and a no hitter thrown this year, he has to be considered even a notch better than Lincecum who pitches half his game in one of the most pitcher friendly ballpark in the Majors.

Biggest Flop Pitcher 1st Quarter NL:  Trevor Hoffman - Runner Up: Carlos Zambrano
It's hard to imagine that Hoffman (1-3, 13.15 ERA, 3 saves, 3 blown saves and a 1/1 K/BB ratio), the all-time leader in saves, has been this ineffective.  Hoffman simply has self destructed almost every time he has been given the ball this season.  At 42 he just may not have enough left to be an effective closer.

1st Quarter Cy Young AL:  David Price (Rays)
Other Contenders:  Andy Pettitte, Phil Hughes, Matt Garza, Clay Buchholz, James Shields, Jered Weaver

Wins count a lot when looking at Cy Young candidates and Price leads the Junior Circuit in wins, is second in ERA and sits in the top 20 when it comes to strikeouts.  His 6-1 record and 1.81 ERA show what all the hype was about last year.  Right now the Rays hand him the ball and expect to win every time.

Biggest Flop pitcher 1st Quarter AL:  Javier Vazquez - Runner Up: Josh Beckett
Vazquez didn't pitch well in New York during his first stint as a Yankee and things have only been worse the second time around.  An unsightly 8.01 ERA and 17 walks in just 30 1/3 innings pitched has been a recipe for disaster.  It's been so bad that his starting status is now in question.

AL MVP: Evan Longoria
It's hard not to love what Longoria has done so far in his young career and as he's developed he's just gotten better.  That has helped propel Tampa to the top of the AL East and post the best record in the game.  His first quarter line .329-9-37 with 32 runs scored and seven steals shows that he's a threat in all aspects of the game -- and he's compensated a ton for Carlos Pena's .185 BA and Ben Zobrist's lack of power thus far.  He's the hitter who's carried the Rays offense.

AL ROY:  Austin Jackson
There was some competition here, especially since some serious talent has popped up this year, but Jackson is eighth in the American League in terms of average and has stepped neatly into the pressure packed leadoff role in Detroit with an OBP of .383.  He's been the best young hitter in the AL so far.

NL MVP:  Andre Either
Bad luck for Andre that he managed to break a finger earlier this week, because in the first quarter he was making a serious run at a triple crown.  His .392 BA leads the Majors, his 11 home runs was second only to Kelly Johnson's 12 in the NL and his 38 RBIs lead the NL.  He's been a one man wrecking crew and the best player by far on the Dodgers.

NL ROY Jamie Garcia
Without the 23-year-old lefty the St. Louis Cardinals would be in a position where they'd be looking up at a Cincinnati Reds team who'd be out in front by more than just one or two games.  Garcia so far has been ace material, pitching as well, if not even better at times than teammates Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter.  He's 4-2 with a 1.28 ERA (second best in the NL), has struck out 42 batters and has held opponents to a .203 BAA.

Who wins your first quarter awards? Post your feedback below.

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