One of the better storylines from the first month of the 2012 MLB season was the Washington Nationals, who now have a walking headline playing right field for them.

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo admitted to the media that rookie phenom Bryce Harper is unlikely to be sent back down to the minors after the club called him up a week ago.

“We’re no dumb either,” Rizzo told the Washington Post. “This guy is performing admirably in the big leagues. We feel he’s got a chance to really impact the ball club. He’s a special talent. So you have to throw ordinary development curves out the window if you have to.”

Harper is currently batting .375 over his first 16 at bats and he’s shown off his rocket of an arm. He’s also playing extremely hard, most notably running out routine fly balls on the base paths. Say what you want about Harper being overly confident (also known as “cocky”), but the guy is “Charlie Hustle” out there right now.

The bottom line is that Bryce Harper is good for baseball. All good, young players are. And if he succeeds, he’s going to be great for the game for a very long time. Hopefully he’ll continue to rake, play good defense and flash speed on the base paths.

This game needs its budding young stars and it’s great that, at least for the moment, Harper is here to stay.

With April now in the books, what were some of the biggest surprises through the first month of the 2012 MLB Season? I’ve outlined five shockers below.

Pujols suddenly can’t hit.
It’s not completely surprising that Albert Pujols is slumping at the plate to start the season. After all, midway through April last year he was hitting just .222 for the Cardinals with only one home run. But who could have predicted that Pujols would look this bad in his first full month with the Angels? He has zero home runs, is hitting just .217 and has collected only four RBI. He’s clearly pressing right now and it doesn’t look like he has a clue on how to shake out of his funk. He’ll eventually come around but thus far, his struggles at the dish have been national news.

The Cardinals’ pitching staff.
Who would have thought that Adam Wainwright would be the biggest issue facing the Cardinals’ pitching staff through the month of April? Entering Tuesday’s action, Wainwright was sporting a 0-3 record with a 7.32 ERA. Meanwhile, Kyle Lohse and Lance Lynn are both 4-0 and Jake Westbrook is 3-1 with a 1.30 ERA. In fact, Wainwright is the only Cardinals’ starter that has an ERA over 2.78. When Wainwright eventually figures it out (and he will), and Lohse, Lynn, Westbrook and Jaime Garcia continue to pitch as well as they have, the Cardinals will be extremely tough to beat in the National League again this year.

The Washington Nationals are in first place.
Ask the Pirates – being in first place after the first month of the season or even at the All-Star Break (as Pittsburgh was last year) doesn’t mean squat. But the Nationals have been fun to watch regardless. Adam LaRoche has been fantastic, as he’s leading Washington in average (.329), home runs (4), RBI (17), OBP (.415) and total hits (27). But the other story has been the Nationals’ pitching, as four of their five starters have ERAs south of 2.00. The organization just brought up rookie phenom Bryce Harper too, which virtually guarantees that the Nationals will be relevant for a little while longer.

The Tigers aren’t in first place in the AL Central.
Blame the media for this one. Once the Tigers signed Prince Fielder last offseason, everyone just assumed that the rest of the AL Central would just roll over and play dead. But while the Tigers have had issues with their starting pitching, the Indians (11-9, first place) and White Sox (11-11, tied for second) have played well. Justin Verlander continues to be the rock of the rotation and Drew Smyly has been a pleasant surprise, but Rick Porcello and Max Scherzer have been disastrous. Porcello is currently sporting an ERA of 6.45 while Scherzer’s ERA is an abysmal 7.77. It doesn’t matter if Fielder and Miguel Carbera continue to hit the snot out of the ball – if the Tigers’ pitching doesn’t come around then there could be an upset brewing in the AL Central.

The Dodgers have the best record in the NL.
Ah, the power of Magic. Apparently all it took for the Dodgers to start playing well was for them to be sold. Los Angeles is currently sitting atop the NL West standings at 16-7, which includes a dazzling home record of 10-2. Matt Kemp has been ridiculous through 23 games, leading the league in batting average (.417), home runs (12) and RBI (25, tied with Texas’ Josh Hamilton). Better yet for L.A. Andre Ethier (.276, 5 HRS, 24 RBI) is actually contributing as well. If the pitching continues to be as good as it has (Clayton Kershaw is 2-0 with a 1.78 ERA while Chad Billingsley is 2-1 with a 2.64 ERA), then the Dodgers will prove that their hot start isn’t a fluke.

The Objective: Compile a MLB roster complete with only the top minor league prospects.

The Rules: As long as they were viewed as a prospect coming into the 2011 season, they can be on this team. Thus, just because guys like Jeremy Hellickson and Eric Hosmer are already contributing at the Major League level, doesn’t mean they can’t be included on this team.

That’s it.

Let’s get nasty, Ricky.

C: Jesus Montero, Yankees
There’s no doubt that Montero is the future at catcher for the Yankees, but he may have some maturity issues to iron out first. He was benched twice earlier this month for showing a lack of energy and apparently loses focus at times. But that doesn’t mean the 21-year-old isn’t a great prospect, which he is. As soon as he shows he has the mental makeup to handle catching a big league staff, he’ll be up. In fact, I have a hard time believing the Bombers won’t recall him at some point in 2011.
Honorable Mention: Gary Sanchez, Yankees; Devin Mesoraco, Reds.

1B: Eric Hosmer, Royals
Hosmer has been slumping recently but he’s still hitting .268 with five home runs and 26 RBI this year for the Royals. Those aren’t terrible stats for a 21-year-old trying to make adjustments to big league pitching. Considered the top first base prospect in baseball, it’ll be interesting to see how he fares throughout a grueling second half.
Honorable Mention: Brandon Belt, Giants; Freddie Freeman, Braves.

2B: Dustin Ackley, Mariners
The M’s called Ackley up in mid-June and already the youngster is hitting over .300. In a recent win over the Marlins, Ackley went 3-for-5 with a double and a triple while scoring the go-ahead run in the 10th on a wild pitch. Once pitchers adjust, his batting average will likely drop but Seattle has to be thrilled so far with his production.
Honorable Mention: Jason Kipnis, Indians.

3B: Mike Moustakas, Royals
Yet another one of the Royals’ young hitters makes this mock roster. Moustakas hit his first big-league homer in just his second game with the Royals earlier this month and has now reached base in seven of his last eight games. Outside of the one home run, his power hasn’t translated to the big leagues so far, but it’s still early. He has a short, compact swing and despite having an aggressive approach, he doesn’t strikeout a lot. He could be a star in Kansas City for years to come.
Honorable Mention: Brett Lawrie, Blue Jays; Lonnie Chisenhall, Indians; Nick Castellanos, Tigers.

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In a Class A South Atlantic League on Monday night, Washington Nationals top prospect Bryce Harper hit a home run to right-center field, stood at home plate to admire the longball before making his way around the base paths and then blew opposing pitcher Zach Neal a kiss while trotting down the third base line.

If you only read that opening sentence, then Harper sounds like immature teenager who is only holding himself back when it comes to advancing through Washington’s minor league system. If you hear the rest of the story then…Harper sounds like an immature teenager who is only holding himself back when it comes to advancing through Washington’s minor league system.

Some fans are giving Harper a free pass because apparently Neal was the one who said something to the outfielder as he made his way around the bases. In other words, Neal provoked Harper to blow him a kiss and therefore, Harper was somewhat justified in what he did. (Never mind the fact that Neal only scolded the young outfielder because Harper stood at home plate to admire his home run.)

But whether or not you like Harper’s cockiness or are willing to give him the benefit of the doubt because he’s so young, it doesn’t change the fact that actions like these will only hold him back in the long run.

Look, he’s a teenager and teenagers make poor decisions. That’s just the way it is. Let’s keep in mind that Harper is only 18 and isn’t benefiting from going off to college to mature for four-plus years. He’s been the center of attention for years now and is already a millionaire before his 21st birthday.

But the point is to see this kid play in the major leagues as soon as possible. And whether he was provoked or not, blowing kisses at an opposing pitcher doesn’t give the Nationals confidence to promote him. They’re not just looking for a star player – they want Harper to be a solid clubhouse presence as well. How can they rely on him to be a well-rounded player if they breeze him through the minors without teaching him what it’s like to be a professional ballplayer first?

Some people can take or leave baseball’s “unwritten rules.” Personally, I favor some and think others are rather ridiculous. (For example, not being able to steal when you’re up by X amount of runs in the late innings. Hey, man up and throw those runners out if you don’t want them taking a free 90 feet on you.)

But whether you’re in favor of those unwritten rules or not, it doesn’t change the fact that baseball has always been a game that polices itself. Granted, times have changed and Major League Baseball has cracked down on retaliation plays. But if Harper doesn’t cool it he’s going to find a couple of fastballs in his ribs. I’m one of the few who appreciates an athlete’s cockiness but at the end of the day, showing up a pitcher isn’t beneficial to anyone – especially for a youngster like Harper who is trying to make his way to the big show.

It went down to the final minute of Monday’s Midnight deadline, but the Nationals finally agreed to terms with 2010 No. 1 overall pick Bryce Harper.

According to Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports, the deal will pay the 17-year-old Harper $9.9 million guaranteed over five years, while $6.25 million of the guaranteed portion of his contract is his signing bonus. He’ll receive base salaries of $500,000 in 2011 and 2012, $750,000 in 2013, $900,000 in 2014 and $1 million in 2015.

The Nationals will reportedly move Harper to right field (his natural position is catcher) in order to put him on the fast track to the big leagues. The club loves his power potential and assuming he can move through the minor league ranks quickly, he might be able to make an impact in the major leagues in a couple of years.

Thanks to Harper and 2009 first round pick Stephen Strasburg, the Nats are loaded with young talent for the foreseeable future.