<
>
EXCLUSIVE CONTENT
Get ESPN+

Real or not? Examining the biggest April surprise for all 30 MLB teams

We're not supposed to overreact to April results. Baseball is a long season, small sample size, bad weather, luck hasn't evened out, and so on. That is the mature approach. A bad 12-game stretch in April stands out like Jazz Chisholm's bright blue hair, whereas the same 12-game stretch in July goes unnoticed.

But, react we must. It is the sacred duty of baseball scribes. The stat line is there, clear as the sky above Dodger Stadium, and the results mean something, they mean actual wins and losses in the standings. So let's take one surprise player from each team -- a good surprise or a bad surprise -- and examine their start and project if it's real or not.