It early in the season, and likely to be brief, but 12 games into the 2011 season the baseball has been flying with the wind, causing these major league baseball players bring smiles to hometown fans. Review by Baseball Historian

Five major league baseball players are batting over .400 as of mid-April 2011 – Joey Votto of Cincinnati .444 … Miguel Montero of Arizona .444 … Yunel Escobar of Toronto .438 … Matt Kemp LA Dodgers .425 and Nick Hundley of San Diego .406. (Nick is the son of former MLB catcher Randy Hundley of Cubs)

Many newer names make our hot-start batting list – Toronto Blue Jays’ Yunel Escobar; Miguel Montero of Arizona Diamondbacks, Colby Rasmus of St. Louis Cardinals and Starlin Castro of Chicago Cubs. Pitching leaders include many familiar names but still young guys – Los Angeles Dodgers Clayton Kershaw, Brian Fuentes of Oakland Athletics, and Jered Weaver of Los Angeles Angels, plus new names like Alexi Ogando of Texas Rangers and Zach Britton of the Baltimore Orioles.

The Kansas City Royals have been a pleasant surprise so far for the first half of April 2011. They have an 8-4 record and have 3 players in the AL Top Ten in Batting – third baseman Wilson Betemit .379, lf Alex Gordon .346 and 2b Chris Getz

Hot Batting Top Ten as of April 15, 2011

American League Batting Average Leaders Yunel Escobar Toronto Blue Jays .438 … Wilson Betemit Kansas City Royals .379 … Dustin Pedoria Boston Red Sox .366 … Paul Konerko Chicago White Sox .362 … Bobby Abreu LA Angels .357 … Alex Rodriguez New York Yankees .355 … Jose Bautista Toronto Blue Jays .353 … Miguel Cabrera Detroit Tigers .349 … Alex Gordon Kansas City Royals .346 … Chris Getz KC Royals .342

National League Batting Average Leaders Joey Votto Cincinnati Reds .444 … Miguel Montero Arizona D’backs .444 … Matt Kemp Los Angeles Dodgers .425 … Nick Hundley San Diego Padres .406 … Starlin Castro, Chicago Cubs .389 … Prince Fielder Milwaukee Brewers .385 Angel Sanchez Houston Astros .383 … Colby Rasmus St Louis Cardinals .375 … Andre Ethier LA Dodgers .370 … Placido Polanco Philadelphia Phillies .370 Home Run Leaders as of April 15, 2011

American League Home Run Leaders Nelson Cruz Texas Rangers 5 … Asdrubal Cabrera Cleveland Indians 4 … Miguel Cabrera Detroit Tigers 4 … Ian Kinsler Texas 4 … Howie Kendrick LA Angels 4 … Jorge Posada NY Yankees 4 … Mark Teixeira NY Yankees 4 … Alex Rodriguez NY Y 4

National League Home Run Leaders Troy Tulowitzki Colorado 7 … Alfonso Soriano Cubs 4 … Ryan Braun Milwaukee Brewers 4 … Lance Berkman ST L Cardinals 4 … Pat Burrell SF Giants 4

RBI Leaders

American League RBI Leaders Paul Konerko Chic White Sox 12 … Nelson Cruz Texas 12 … Miguel Cabrera Detroit 10 … Mark Teixeira NY Yankees 10 … Asdrubal Cabrera Cleveland 10 … Carlos Quentin Chic WhSox 10 … Adrian Beltre Tex Rangers 10

National League RBI Leaders Troy Tulowitzki Colorado 14 … Prince Fielder Milw Brewers 14 … Ryan Howard Phillies 13 … Lance Berkman Cardinals 12 … Placido Polanco Phillies 12

American League Runs Scored Leaders Gordon Beckman Chic WhSox 10 … Alexei Ramirez Chic WhSox 10 … Alex Rodriguez NY Y 10 … Alex Gordon Kansas City Royals 10 … Howie Kendrick LA Angels 10 …

National League Runs Scored Leaders Joey Votto Cinc Reds 13 … Brandon Phillips Cinc Reds 13 … 6 tied with 11

Stolen Base Leaders AL mid-April 2011 Sam Fuld Tampa Bay Rays 6 … Coco Crisp Oakland Athletics 5

Stolen Base Leaders NL Matt Kemp LA Dodgers 7 … Willie Bloomquist Arizona D’backs 6 Orlando Hudson San Diego Padres 5 … Jose Tabata Putts Pirates 5

Pitching Wins

AL Leaders Jared Weaver LA Angels 3 … Dan Haren LA Angels 3 Matt Harrison Texas 3 A.J. Burnett NY Y 3 … Justin Masterson Cleve 3

NL Leaders Aaron Harang SD Padres 2 … Jhoulys Chacin Colo Rockies 2 … Kyle Lohse Cardinals 2 … Roy Holliday Phil 2 … Charlie Morton Pittsburgh Pirates 2

AL Earned Run Leaders (ERA Leaders) Alexi Ogando Texas 0.00 … Jeremy Guthrie Baltimore Orioles 0.64 … Zach Britton Baltimore 0.66 … Gio Gonzalez Oakland A’s 0.69

NL ERA Leaders Chris Narveson Milw Brewers 0.00 Jaime Garcia STL Cardinals 0.60 … Huston Street Colo Rockies 0.90 … Roy Halladay Philadelphia Phillies 1.23

AL Strike Out Leaders Jared Weaver LA Angels 27 Ks … Edwin Jackson ChicSox 24 … Justin Verlander Det Tigers 21 … Dan Haren LA Angels 21

NL Strike Out Leaders Clayton Kershaw LA Dodgers 24 … Jonathan Sanchez SF Giants 24 … Roy Halladay Phillies 22 … Tim Lincecum SF Giants 22 … Ryan Dempster Chic Cubs 22

AL Saves Leaders Mariano Rivera NY Y 5 … Brian Fuentes Oakland A 5 … Neftali Feliz Texas Rangers 4 … Chris Perez Cleve Indians 4

NL Saves Leaders Huston Street Colorado 6 … Jon Broxton LA Dodgers 5 … Carlos Marmol Chic Cubs 4 … Joel Hanrahan Pittsburgh Pirates 4