NEW FEATURE. In this piece, which will run every Monday afternoon, I’m going to look at five hot and cold hitters, just to highlight who’s doing fantastic and who really isn’t. If you want to use this piece for fantasy purposes…don’t blame me if these guys suddenly have a reversal of fortunes. I’m not a fantasy expert, I just like to analyze what’s already happened.
SCORCHING HITTERS
Troy Tulowitzki, COL: .519/.606/1.074, 7 R, 8 RBI, 1 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 6 BB, 1 K
What an amazing week for the Rockies’ franchise player. He battered the Mets at Citi Field, then came home to Coors where he handled the Cubs, though maybe not as easily. Six walks and only one strikeout? Amazing line. If he can stay healthy, he’ll be a solid candidate for the NL MVP award this year. If he can stay healthy too, maybe that massive contract that the Rockies handed to him won’t look so bad after all.
Lance Berkman, STL: .417/.462/1.167, 9 R, 12 RBI, 6 HR, 2 BB, 4 K
Many of us in the blogosphere panned the Berkman signing when it happened. At the end of the day, we might still end up on the right side of things. Berkman has been a complete disaster in the outfield for the Cardinals with the glove, but with the bat, he’s provided Matt Holliday and Albert Pujols with some backup. Six homers in a week, are you kidding me? His isolated power (SLG – AVG) for the week was .750, which is beyond Bondsian. He’s still an old man liable to break down at any time, but John Mozeliak and the Cardinals have to be happy with this signing so far.
Alex Rodriguez, NYY: .545/.625/1.091, 3 R, 4 RBI, 3 2B, 1 HR, 4 BB, 0 K
A-Rod only played in five games this week, but he sure made them count. Six hits total, and four went for extra bases. Like Berkman, he’s another “wily veteran” that people have been counting out for ages. He’s still Alex Rodriguez, one of the best players in baseball history, and he can still really crank it when he needs to. He didn’t strike out at all this week either, which is something pretty special too. Well done, old man.
Jed Lowrie, BOS: .533/.563/.867, 6 R, 5 RBI, 2 2B, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 K
How can I put a Yankee on the list without mentioning a member of the Red Sox? Lowrie was great for Boston this week, getting into five games and delivering when it mattered. The signing of Marco Scutaro just one offseason ago seems like a distant memory with Lowrie going for broke right now with the Red Sox. Adding a potent hitter like he’s been this season to Boston’s stacked (on paper) offense makes them even stronger, as if they really needed it.
Starlin Castro, CHC: .536/.552/.714, 7 R, 5 RBI, 2 SB, 2 2B, 1 HR, 1 BB, 2 K
Castro just turned 21, and he’s putting up weeks like this in the major leagues? The Cubs have to be happy with his performance so far, even if the team is dwelling around mediocrity thusfar in 2011. Castro isn’t the reason why, of course. He is an absolute stud for the Cubs, and can hurt you in so many ways.
FRIGID HITTERS
Gordon Beckham, CHW: .091/.091/.136, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 2B, 5 K
Just when the White Sox thought Beckham was back on track after a solid finish to his 2010 campaign (pre-injury), he puts up a stinker of a week like this. The whole team on the south side of Chicago is struggling, so why not Beckham too? Once they start getting cranked into another gear, they’ll be the team to beat in the AL Central. Cleveland and Kansas City can’t hang on forever.
Torii Hunter, LAA: .042/.077/.167, 1 R, 3 RBI, 1 HR, 1 BB, 6 K
If it wasn’t for that one homer, the week would have been even more dreadful for Hunter. At least he got that to pull himself out of the slop just a tad bit. The Angels totally retooled their team in the offseason, and with as strong as the Rangers are looking in the early going, they’re going to need a great performance from Hunter this year if they want to return to their former glory at the top of the AL West.
Carl Crawford, BOS: .118/.167/.176, 1 R, 1 2B, 3 K
Crawford gets a special spot on the list because of the nine figure contract he signed this offseason. He’s already been benched for a game by Sox manager Terry Francona, though that was just to get his head in order as opposed to any sort of dissatisfaction with his overall skills. Crawford will be fine in the long run for Boston, but it’s funny to see their fanbase already up in arms with their new toy.
James Loney, LAD: .160/.160/.160, 1 R, 3 RBI, 4 K
I remember back in 2008 when the Braves put Mark Teixeira on the trade market, that the Dodgers refused to give up Loney because they thought he was a huge part of their team in the future. As a Braves fan, I was really pissed off at the time. Here we are now, nearly three years later, and Loney has gotten much worse since that deal that never happened. I’m thanking god he’s not a Brave, because I would be pulling my hair out watching this mediocrity every night of the season.
Ian Kinsler, TEX: .048/.231/.048, 2 R, 1 RBI, 4 BB, 3 K
At least he walked four times. Otherwise, this would have been at the top of the list. Texas’ high powered offense sputtered this week, and Kinsler’s slump probably had a big hand in that. He is the catalyst that drives the Rangers offense, and if he’s not on, it’s going to be a lot more difficult for the Rangers to score runs.
