April's Surprise National League All Star Team

Taking a look at players that over performed during the month of April, there have been some outstanding performances from fringe players. As good as players such as Ryan Braun and Clayton Kershaw have performed, they will not be included in this, as their success was expected. While certain players, such as Justin Upton, have been phenomenal, they are already highly acclaimed and have made past All Star teams. These are the players that have flown largely under the radar, but have been the most productive through April. The team will be made up of one position player from each position, three starting pitchers, and one closer.

Starting at first base in the National League, Paul Goldschmidt gets the nod. Known in the past as primarily a pure power, low contact hitter, the Diamondbacks first baseman is sporting a .400 on-base percentage and a .299 average through the first month of the season. His 18 RBI's and 18 runs have been among the most productive in all of baseball, and he ranks in the top five among all first baseman for total bases (50).

At second base in the National League, no one has been more surprising than the Dodgers' Mark Ellis. The last third of the month saw Ellis lose playing time due to a strained quad. While healthy, though, Ellis posted a .342 average with two home runs. Not far behind Ellis is Mets' starting second baseman Daniel Murphy, who has a nice .289 average thus far. At a position not exactly known for hitting prowess, teams will gladly take averages like those of Ellis and Murphy.

The starting job at shortstop for the National League has to go to Jean Segura. A top prospect in the Angels' farm system before being dealt to Milwaukee in the Zack Greinke trade, Segura has been everything Milwaukee could have hoped through April. His .398 on-base percentage has been very solid, and he has shown some promising pop with his two home runs. He is tied for the lead in steals among all shortstops (seven), and is third among all shortstops in total bases (47). Nearly as deserving as Segura has been Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford, who has surprised everyone with five home runs and .281 average.

Starting at the hot corner for the National League is Reds' third baseman Todd Frazier. Frazier started the season on a tear, hitting five home runs in the first 17 games. His numbers have fallen off recently, and he only has one home run in his last seven games. His .247 average is not overly impressive, though he has been among the more productive third baseman in the National League. Aside from Miguel Cabrera, third has been a relatively weak position from an offensive perspective this year. Also earning consideration is the Braves' Juan Francisco, who, though he is splitting time with Chris Johnson, has put up four home runs and a .302 average.

The first of the three outfield spots belongs to Pittsburgh Pirates' left fielder Starling Marte. After being called up last season, Marte did not live up to the hype in his first Major League stint. This season, though, has been an entirely different story. Marte's .323 average and 11 RBI's through April made a fantastic compliment to Andrew McCutchen. His seven steals aren't too shabby, either. His performance has been a big reason for the Pirates being atop the very competitive NL Central.

Another representative of the Central, Brewers' center fielder Carlos Gomez makes a convincing argument for a starting spot. Gomez has been flying under the radar since his breakout 2012 season, but, especially this season, Gomez has been the definition of a five-tool player. His .360 average (.418 on-base percentage), along with four steals and four home runs, has been outstanding. Not to mention, his defense has frequented highlight reels.

Among the most surprising players thus far into 2013, Rockies outfielder Dexter Fowler has been mind boggling. Fowler had a career year in 2012, hitting .300 for the first time and knocking out a career high 13 home runs. Through April, Fowler has posted .303 average (.410 on-base percentage). His eight home runs are on base to shatter his career high (13 in 2012), and his four steals are on pace to come up just short of his career high (27 in 2008). Coors Field might be a hitter's park, but Fowler hasn't been able to take advantage until now.

The starter on Bruce Bochy's staff is Nationals' Jordan Zimmerman. He might not get the coverage that Stephen Strasburg gets, but Zimmerman has been electric this season. His five wins and one loss are remarkable. Even better, though, is the fact that he has allowed eight runs over 44 innings. That 1.64 ERA is among the best in baseball, and his .75 WHIP is the best among pitchers with 40+ innings.

Zimmerman gets the first few innings against the American League hitters, but Marlins' starter Kevin Slowey has to get the call after that. Slowey has four shutouts in six starts. Had he been able to get two more outs in his other two starts, he would be a perfect six for six. He has yet to allow more than than three runs in any of his starts, and has only allowed more than one run on two different occasions. He might not have a win yet this season, but put him with a competent offense, and Slowey would be piling them up.

The third and final rotation spot belongs to Cubs starter Travis Wood. A bottom of the rotation starter coming into the year, Wood already has five quality starts in five attempts. He has yet to allow more than two runs, and has faced some solid offenses (Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Texas). Much like Slowey, Wood is an example of lights out pitching receiving no offense. Wood has two wins, but on a better team would not be as under the radar.

Closing for the National League, Jason Grilli of the Pittsburgh Pirates is deserving of the role. He has been flawless through April; his 10 saves are tied for the most in baseball (Mariano Rivera also has 10). Grilli has allowed only one run this season, and has yet to blow a save. He has been a terrific complement to the Pirates staff through the first month of the season, and has really lived up to his prospect hype.