After a 2011 Major League Baseball season that left us amazed, confounded and breathless for seven months, Opening Day 2012 couldn’t get here fast enough.
There were huge free-agent signings in the off-season (Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder among the largest), risky managerial appointments (Mike Matheny in St. Louis and Robin Ventura with the White Sox top that list), and the promise of amazingly talented rookies ready for their first full year in the majors (Matt Moore, Brett Lawrie, Bryce Harper and Mike Trout won’t disappoint).
Of course, it’s still early in 2012 and with “Warning: Small Sample Size” announcements abound, there are some real surprises in the first month of the baseball season.
Here are the Top 10 surprises in the MLB through the first month of the 2012 season.