Tuesday, June 19, 2007

One to Thirty and One to Fourteen: 1B and DH

First base come first, and then a supplemental DH list.

  1. Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals- He’s already one of the best hitters of our generation, let’s see how he stacks up all time.
  1. Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies- He may never hit 58 again, but he’s got one of the best power strokes in the game.
  1. Lance Berkman, Houston Astros- He’s a great hitter whose numbers could look even better for a better team.
  1. Mark Teixeira, Texas Rangers- Teixeira is one of the better switch hitters in the game, and he has a Gold Glove to his credit.
  1. Derrek Lee, Chicago Cubs- He had a great 05 before a wrist injury slowed him down in 2006. He’s bouncing back nicely.
  1. Prince Fielder, Milwaukee Brewers- Huge power hitter that’s in the mold of Ryan Howard.
  1. Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins- Last year’s MVP is finally putting up numbers after a slow start to his career.
  1. Todd Helton, Colorado Rockies- Helton is having a good rebound year after a couple mediocre seasons for his standards.
  1. Carlos Delgado, New York Mets- Delgado is suffering through a prolonged slump in 07, but he has a lot of power.
  1. Adrian Gonzalez, San Diego Padres- After being traded a couple times, this former #1 pick has a home in the middle of the Padre lineup.
  1. Kevin Youkilis, Boston Red Sox- He’s showing pretty good pop and has been batting behind Manny lately.
  1. Casey Kotchman, Anaheim Angels- Another former top prospect who has taken longer than expected to develop.
  1. Paul Konerko, Chicago White Sox- He struggled mightily early in the year, but he’s not hitting as bad lately.
  1. Carlos Pena, Tampa Bay Devil Rays- After being out of the majors for a brief time, Pena has come back better than ever, but has been awful against lefties.
  1. Nick Johnson, Washington Nationals- Hasn’t played in 2007.
  1. Nomar Garciaparra, Los Angeles Dodgers- The veteran has been wildly inconsistent, and hasn’t been what the Dodgers need out of the middle of the lineup guy.
  1. Ryan Garko, Cleveland Indians- Former catcher who was moved to first to get some at bats with Victor Martinez behind the plate.
  1. Sean Casey, Detroit Tigers- He has almost no pop in his bat left, but he can field and his for contact.
  1. Mike Jacobs, Florida Marlins- Young slugger who still needs at bats against lefties to get better.
  1. Lyle Overbay, Toronto Blue Jays- Usually pretty underrated, average player.
  1. Aubrey Huff, Baltimore Orioles- Huff is a notorious slow starter, but he’s at the point where he needs to pick it up a bit.
  1. Conor Jackson, Arizona Diamondbacks- Decent player now, and he’ll be a lot better in a few years.
  1. Adam LaRoche, Pittsburgh Pirates- Last year was probably an aberration. He’s not very good.
  1. Dan Johnson, Oakland A’s- He can take a walk, but he’s decidedly average in everything else.
  1. Ryan Klesko, San Francisco Giants- Another strict platoon guy that’s hard to judge. His career is winding down.
  1. Scott Hatteberg, Cincinnati Reds- He never hits lefties and is just mediocre all around.
  1. Doug Mientkiewicz, New York Yankees- He can’t hit, but his glove somehow makes him valuable to someone.
  1. Richie Sexson, Seattle Mariners- Dollar for dollar, Sexson is bar none the most overpaid player in baseball.
  1. Scott Thorman, Atlanta Braves- He needs to shorten his swing in half before he ever becomes anything in the majors.
  1. Ryan Shealy, Kansas City Royals- He’s looking like a strong candidate for the starting 1B job on the AAAA All-Star team.

DH

  1. David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox- He’s a huge bat that the Sox can count on every single year.
  1. Travis Hafner, Cleveland Indians- Having a bit of a down year in his contract year, but he’s still a dangerous batter.
  1. Jim Thome, Chicago White Sox- Going back to the AL has rejuvenated this fan favorite’s career.
  1. Gary Sheffield, Detroit Tigers- After a horribly start, Sheffield is swinging the bat well for his new club.
  1. Frank Thomas, Toronto Blue Jays- He’s not producing the way the Blue Jays would like, but he’s still an intimidating force.
  1. Sammy Sosa, Texas Rangers- On the verge of a huge milestone, Sosa came back into baseball and is having a nice year for himself.
  1. Mike Piazza, Oakland A’s- He’s spent most of the year on the DL, so the effects of only having to hit haven’t been seen yet.
  1. Jason Giambi, New York Yankees- With or without steroids, he’s a decent hitter with a good eye.
  1. Kevin Millar, Baltimore Orioles- Being a good clubhouse guy is the extent of his usefulness.
  1. Jose Vidro, Seattle Mariners- He’s not a typical DH guy, but he needs to play somewhere.
  1. Mike Sweeney, Kansas City Royals- He’s a shell of his former self.
  2. Rocco Baldelli, Tampa Bay Devil Rays- I guess only hitting will help out his frequent injuries.
  1. Jeff Cirillo, Minnesota Twins- Wow.
  2. Shea Hillenbrand, Anaheim Angels- He can’t play.

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