Fan News

Did you know that Saturday night at Safeco Field is Dustin Ackley Bat Night?

All kids 14 and under will receive a full-sized Dustin Ackley Louisville Slugger, complements of Jack Link's Beef Jerky. 

Seriously, I can't make this stuff up.

Don't believe me?

While the Chicago Cubs didn’t head into the 2013 season with the expectation that this would definitely be a rebuilding season, they knew it was at least a reasonable possibility—one that’s looking more likely after an 8-14 start.

Early on in 2013, we're being treated to shocking individual turnarounds across Major League Baseball. Those of us who thought John Buck and Vernon Wells were on the decline have been eating crow.

Even under-30 players like Patrick Corbin and Chris Johnson have caught the sport off guard by performing above their perceived potential.

The following guys underachieved last season, but seem reinvigorated thus far.

*Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com, up to date as of April 26.

Baseball is a game with many faces. Pitchers, catchers, big bats, managers...There are so many intricate parts to a great team, and the St. Louis Cardinals are historically one of the greatest teams.

Making one's mark as a player is not easy, and unfortunately some slip through the cracks, never truly getting the attention they deserve.

In no particular order, I've picked out 5 players from Cardinals history who I would consider underrated.

Another example of the baseball card collector's "holy grail" is on the auction block.  Just a few weeks after a T206 Honus Wagner tobacco card brought $2.1 million, another one of the 1909 rarities is up for bid.

Pitcher Anibal Sanchez set a Detroit Tigers franchise record on April 26 by throwing 17 strikeouts in a win against the Atlanta Braves. In setting the record for most strikeouts in a game by a Tiger, Sanchez proved how valuable he can be to the Tigers this season.

If Major League Baseball is interested in speeding up the pace at which games are played, it should take some cues from the Atlantic League.

What the heck is an Atlantic League, you ask?

Anibal Sanchez struck out 17 batters in the Detroit Tigers' 10-0 win over the Atlanta Braves at Comerica Park on Friday.

According to CBS Sports' Eye on Baseball, that's the most any Detroit pitcher has thrown in one game:

In the old days, there was no explaining hot April starts in Major League Baseball.

But these are the new days. We have numbers that explain everything that needs explaining, making it pretty easy to understand what's under the hood of hot April starts.

So that's what we're going to do, while we still have a few days left to go until the end of April. And when I say "we," I mean I'm going to ramble on about a couple guys while you sit there and nod.

April is the easiest month of the year in the baseball season to overreact to. All the stats are going to move up and down at a rapid-fire pace because players are just beginning to accrue at-bats and innings. 

Last year, there was a panic about Albert Pujols because he went an entire month without hitting a home run and hitting like Luis Mendoza. He wound up finishing with 30 home runs and 105 RBI, not a bad season for a player who was done because of a poor April.