The first weeks or even a couple of months of the MLB season bring surprises and unexpected stories. The hot starts that the unnamed players have, as well as the early season slumps that the big names go down.

Here are some of the biggest surprises of the 2009 season.

pittsburgh Pirates / Florida Marlins / Toronto Blue Jays

Each team is off to a fast start with the Pirates going 9-6, the Marlins going 11-4 and the Blue Jays going 10-5 leading the AL East. A story could be written about each of these three teams and how effective they have looked as of April 22. The Pirates have had some off pitches and have been solid at the plate. The Marlins have produced some great scoring games and mixed in some great outings on the mound. The Blue Jays have had one of the best offenses in the entire league thus far, putting up big numbers almost every night.

Fantasy Hits: Naturally, winning teams produce some of the best and most productive fantasy players. Since the three teams mentioned above were not expected to start so well, many producers have so far not been drafted in most leagues. Scan your league to see if any of Toronto’s hot bats remain on the free-agent wire (Hill, Scutaro, Lind), as well as pitching in Florida and the overall balance Pittsburgh has so far.

Nelson Cruz (TEX) / Carlos Quintin (CHW)

When you see these names, you’re probably wondering why I’ve chosen them for inclusion in this article on the upsets of 2009 when they both already have quite a colorful past in the league. Quentin had a monster 2008 and Cruz’s potential has been talked about in the past. Well, they both had a lot of fun this season with Quentin already hitting 7 home runs by April 22nd. Cruz has been solid, hitting 6. Quentin’s wrist injury at the end of the 2008 season made people doubt he could produce HRs at the rate he did in early 2008, but so far he’s shown them they were wrong. Cruz has never lived up to his potential, but to date he has been a driving force in the Texas lineup.

Aces getting roughed up

You name the ace on a staff and it was most likely lit in early 2009. Sabbathia, Hamels, Wang, Webb, Lincecum, etc. have all seen horrible ERAs next to their name. Dan Haren, one of the best pitchers to date, has 17k in 19 innings and an ERA of less than 2, but he has an 0-3 record to prove it. Big-name pitchers across the board have not fared well and this will be an ongoing situation to watch to see which players emerge from their early-season slump and which continue to struggle.