Knuckle Curve » adrian gonzalez

Fantasy Baseball First Baseman Rankings

Stephen Kersey — Fri, 01 May 2009 12:16:32 +0000

Many first baseman around Major League Baseball have gotten off to unbelievable starts to their 2009 campaigns. If you have any of these players on your fantasy baseball team, you are undoubtedly loving the production. Here are the top five first baseman in these fantasy baseball rankings:

5) Carlos Pena, Tampa Bay Rays
Although his batting average is lower than preferred (.256), Carlos Pena is off to an otherwise fantastic start for the Rays. He already has nine homers in his first 22 games, while also driving in 24 RBIs, scoring 14 runs and walking 11 times.

4) Kevin Youkilis, Boston Red Sox
Kevin Youkilis was an MVP candidate last season. This season, he’s hitting even better. Through 21 games, the slugger is hitting .395 with five homers, 15 RBI, 20 runs and 14 walks. His on-base percentage is at an astronomical .505.

3) Jorge Cantu, Florida Marlins
Jorge Cantu has long been considered a solid prospect but he has really started off well this season. He’s hitting .365 with seven homers, 22 RBI and 15 runs. He’s on pace to shatter is already good numbers from 2008.

2) Adrian Gonzalez, San Diego Padres
Some scouts wondered if Adrian Gonzalez could keep up his great hitting ways despite playing in a pitcher-friendly ballpark and for a bad team. So far this season, he’s proving all doubters wrong. Gonzalez is hitting .333 with nine homers, 20 RBI, 19 runs and an on-base percentage of .438.

1) Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
So far, Albert Pujols has been the most valuable hitter in all of fantasy baseball. The Cardinals first baseman tops our rankings by batting .337 with eight homers, 28 RBI, 22 runs and even four stolen bases. He has to be considered the early favorite for National League MVP.

Albert Pujols of the Cardinals (Image: Newscom)

Post from: Knuckle Curve

2008 Gold Glove Winners – National League

Stephen Kersey — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 04:08:56 +0000

The National League had a youth movement of sorts when it came to the Gold Glove winners. Five of the players who won the 2008 Gold Glove award were first time winners. Here’s a complete list of the NL Gold Glove winners for 2008:

Pitcher – Greg Maddux, Los Angeles Dodgers – 18th Gold Glove
Catcher – Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals – 1st Gold Glove
First Baseman – Adrian Gonzalez, San Diego Padres – 1st Gold Glove
Second Baseman – Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati Reds – 1st Gold Glove
Shortstop – Jimmy Rollins, Philadelphia Phillies – 2nd Gold Glove
Third Baseman – David Wright, New York Mets – 2nd Gold Glove
Outfielder – Shane Victorino, Philadelphia Philles – 1st Gold Glove
Outfielder – Nate McLouth, Pittsburgh Pirates – 1st Gold Glove
Outfielder – Carlos Beltran, New York Mets – 2nd Gold Glove

Post from: Knuckle Curve

Worst Hitting Teams in Baseball in 2008

Stephen Kersey — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 03:58:30 +0000

Kansas City Royals
The Royals actually have a lot of talented arms. The problem in Kansas City this year is their total lack of hitting. The Royals are 23-34 and they are lucky to be that good with the way they’ve swung the bat. The good news is Jose Guillen has started to heat up so perhaps there is hope for the Royals.

San Diego Padres
The Padres play in a pitcher’s park but that doesn’t totally explain why they are last in the NL in runs scored. Adrian Gonzalez is having a good season but that can’t be said for any other batter on San Diego. In fact, Gonzalez has more homers than the next highest two totals combined.

Washington Nationals
The Nationals are horrible once again and it’s their bats that are most to blame. They have a few decent bats in their lineup but they just have too much trouble scoring runs. The 24-34 Nationals really have no hope of coming out of the cellar unless they bring in a few hitters for the middle of the lineup.

San Francisco Giants
The Giants have been hot lately but they still field one of the worst lineup of the last decade. Bengie Molina is a good catcher and a solid hitter, but he’s far from your prototypical cleanup hitter. For the Giants, he’s the best thing they have going.

Cleanup Hitter?

Photo: Newscom

Post from: Knuckle Curve