To me the MVP is not just the player who had the best year. There should be a significant impact felt by the team due to this player's production. So below I have the prime candidates that I would consider.

It should also be noted that I do not believe a pitcher should get this award. So while their is no doubt a pitcher can have a vital influence on the team winning or losing they do not appear in enough games. If you are going to count a pitcher than you can't discount someone like Alfonso Soriano who had a great year and helped the Chicago Cubs to one of their best seasons ever. But he was limited to 109 games this year and as a result the Cubs had to rely on other players just as much as they needed Soriano when he was in the line up. Other than Soriano the Cubs got equal value from guys liek Derek Lee, Jim Edmonds and Aramis Ramirez. And the pitching staff was stellar.

Consider the impact that C.C Sabathia had on the Milwaukee Brewers. It was huge. He was traded to the Brewers from Cleveland in early July. His pitching stats since coming to the Brewers is remarkable. His wins were enormous especially over the final 2 weeks of the season. In the end though they needed a lot more contribution than that to sneak into the playoffs. But if you are one that thinks pitchers can be MVP's then Sabathia should be up near the top. The Brewers stumbled in September but won in the games that Sabathia pitched. In fact he accomplished a rare feet of winning 3 games pitching on only 3 days rest. Most of the time doing this once is unsuccessful and he did it 3 times in a row. You need to add the fact that this helped Milwaukee get into the playoffs as the Wild Card team.

Brad Lidge, the closer for Philadelphia would also get some love if you are going to include pitchers. Now with a closer it is even more specialized than a starter. But when you consider that the Phillies had 70+ wins when leading after 8 innings and Lidge had 41 of those wins chalked up as saves you have to say wow. Then add the fact that Lidge has 0 blown saves for the entire year. Then add the fact that the Phillies won the NL East.

But here are my leading candidates for the National League MVP of 2008:

Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies, NL East Champions

• SPLITS G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS
• Season 162 610 105 153 26 4 48 146 81 199 1 1 .251 .339 .543 .881

Albert Pujols, St Louis Cardinals

• Season 148 524 100 187 44 0 37 116 104 54 7 3 .357 .462 .653 1.114

Carlos Delgado, New York Mets

• Season 159 598 96 162 32 1 38 115 72 124 1 1 .271 .353 .518 .871

Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins

• Season 153 589 125 177 34 4 33 67 92 122 35 12 .301 .400 .540 .940

Manny Ramirez, Los Angeles Dodgers, NL West Champions

• Season 153 552 102 183 36 1 37 121 87 124 3 0 .332 .430 .601 1.031

Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers, Wild Card in Playoffs

• Season 151 611 92 174 39 7 37 106 42 129 14 4 .285 .335 .553 .888

#1 Ryan Howard

Howard carried this team as a whole. Yes the Phillies had siginificant contributions for Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino and even Jayson Werth in the second half. But Howard was the catalyst all year. This despite his struggles with hitting for a high average and striking out 199 times. Ryan Howard hits when it is important. And in the end that is where value should be measured. Now if he hit the same .251 and hit porrly with men in scoring position and had more moderate Home Run and RBI numbers then you could say he doesn't belong. The fact is when it counted he was as clutch as any one has ever been. Casey Stengel the great Yankee manager used to say "give me a guy who hits .250 when the bases are empty but hits when people are on base". Ryan Howard was the biggest reason why the Phillies stayed in the hunt and won the NL EAST. The September outburst was the icing on the cake. He hit over .350 with 11 Home Runs and 32 RBI's just in September! Just look at their pitching numbers as a staff. It is quality from starters to relievers but take out Howard and you have a .500 ball club at best. And he played all 162 games!

#2 Manny Ramirez

But he only played half a season in LA. True but irrelevant in this case. His season is right there for an MVP candidate. Plus prior to coming to LA, he was crucial to helping the Red Sox remain a power in the AL. But the impact he had coming to LA is unprecedented. The Dodgers were sputtering through the year and were only an honorable mention as to their chances of post season. Manny put them over the top. No Manny , no playoffs for the Dodgers. And if he had been there all season? Well come on, use your common sense. Take his first half in Boston and put it in LA. The Dodgers would have clinched their Division by Labor Day.

#3 Albert Pujols

Albert is the man. He won the batting title this season and had another monster year. He didn't play as many games as Howard though. And he did not effect his team the way Howard or Manny Ramirez did. You certainly can't blame Albert for the Cardinals fading down the stretch but I do not see he was a valuable to his team when it was all said and done. But I can't ignore or imagine what St Louis would have been without him.

So at this point I would like to say this is my order but I would have no problem with any of the 3 above winning the National League MVP. The following players I do not think had the impact of the above 3.

#4 Ryan Braun

Well the fact he is somewhat unknown gives him the same problem Matt Holliday had last year when he was considered for his contribution to the Rockies World Series run. But Milwaukee rode this horse all year. Other than the help of C C Sabathia's pitching, Braun was the go to guy of this team. And his numbers are pretty darn good. This guy was smooth and consistent all year.

#5 Carlos Delgado

Okay he started out a little slow. But so did Ryan Howard. But with all the ups and downs the New York Mets experienced this year they wouldn't have even flirted with the NL East Division and the Playoffs if not for Delgado. Yes they failed but not because of Carlos. Although unlike Howard who raised his game in September Delgado failed to come up clutch over the last weekend. In game 161 for example the Mets only scored 2 runs in a must win game against Florida. Delgado was invisible like the rest of the Mets were.

#6 Hanley Ramirez

The Florida Marlins quietly put up a big year. Ramirez was the main reason for that. Remember to he is a shortstop so the numbers have to be considered from that standpoint. He had the Marlins play out their hearts until the last out even though they fell short of a post season opportunity.

For the second straight year, the Florida Marlins have crushed the hopes and dreams of any playoff and world series contention for the NY Mets and along with that comes the hearts of their die-hard fans. This year was the last year of the stadium that served as their home for many years, Shea Stadium, which made it all worse.

The Mets were caught from behind by another team for the wild card playoff spot, the Milwaukee Brewers. With C.C. Sabathia leading the Brewers back and stepping up as the ace of the staff and arguably even the best pitcher in the N.L. the Brewers were almost unstoppable. They beat the best team in the N.L., the Chicago Cubs, to earn their well-deserved playoff spot. The Brewers batting lineup is one of the best with Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun being the main causes of that. Ryan Braun came through in the clutch for the Brewers countless times this year, but the most memorable was his last home run in the last game of the season, where from that point on the Brewers never looked back and took the wild card right out of the Mets lifeless hands.

The Brewers should be given 95% of the credit for their wild card position, and who gets the remaining 5% of the credit? Well the answer to that is the NY Mets bullpen and their inability to finish out a game no matter how big the Mets are leading. Since Billy Wagner went down with a shoulder injury; the Mets had no bullpen and had lost all ability to closeout games. The bullpen blew 7 wins for Johan Santana alone, if the bullpen could have closed out at least 2 or 3 of those games they would be sitting comfortably in the wild card playoff spot. Last year, Jose Reyes took much blame for his slumping during the Mets' colossal breakdown. This year, Reyes was in anything but a slump, he was the hottest Mets player there was down the stretch in every category, from fielding to batting. It can not all be done by one person, he needed some help and even if he did receive help their bullpen would let them down.

This is starting to become a habit for the Mets as they have done this twice in two years. They will always be in question on whether they will be able to finish out a season or not. It will be interesting to see if they make any drastic moves this off season. Minaya will be under the media's microscope this off season and all of next year. Everyone will be watching next year waiting to see how they closeout the season if they are in playoff contention. It should be interesting. Stay tuned.

The funny thing about this situation because of the inconsistancy of Carlos Zambrono, Dempster should be the number one pitcher for playoff match ups. Another great move by Piniella. He has established a team with big playmakers and many key team players like a Ryan Theriot, Mark Derosa, reed johnson and mike Fontenot. He does a great job managing playing time between them and having these player on the roster allows Piniella to rest his stars through out the season.

One of the best things he did was bringing up Jeff Samardzija for the second half of the season as a set up man. As the young Carlos Marmol struggled half way through the season. I thikn the most telling decision he has made all year is to sit the player they spent over $48 million dollars on in in koske fukudome. The coach that has brought the Chicago Cubs to the playoff in consecutive years, Lou Piniella should win the Coach of the Year Award.

In the American league, the LA Angels already have a playoff spot locked up, which leaves a position for 3 teams. Tampa Bay and the defending World Series Champions, Boston Red Sox, are battling for a position in the East Division, meanwhile Chicago and Minnesota are battling for the other spot in the Central Division. Unless there is a big winning streak, it is looking like Boston and Tampa Bay have positions in the playoffs. The team who does not win the division will clinch the Wild Card. Chicago and Minnesota are battling for the last playoff position.

In the National League, there are 6 teams that stand out from the rest to make the 2008 playoffs. New York Mets and Philadelphia are competing for top spot in the East Division. Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee are going for first place in the Central and the LA Dodgers and Arizona are battling for the West Division lead. Out of these 6 teams, 4 will move on to the playoffs and the other two will end their seasons wondering how they missed out.

In every sport, every season, every game, every second played will change a persons life. Whether it is a fan or player, lifes will be affected. There is much more to sports then just the game, it builds character and the person you become. Lets wish all these teams luck in their 2008 World Series run.

Even more impressive has been the playoff prowess of the team from New York. In that same timeframe, the Yankees have never been home in October, a streak of thirteen seasons, currently the longest active playoff streak in Major League Baseball. In those thirteen seasons, they’ve been the American League representative in the Fall Classic an astonishing six times, coming away victorious in four of them. They have arguably been the most dominant team in sports.

But what makes sports so great is parody. At some point, parody will enter into the equation as a necessary evil, and baseball is no exception. The Arizona Diamondbacks became the quickest expansion team to win the World Series, doing so in 2001, upsetting those Goliath-like Yankees in stunning fashion. The Oakland A’s consistently field competitive team after competitive team with one of the lowest payrolls. Even the Florida Marlins have managed to grab two titles recently, once in 1997 and then in 2003 (before remembering that they were the Florida Marlins forcing them to unload any and all talent). Only the AL East has been impervious to change. Until 2008.

Exit the New York Yankees. Enter the Tampa Bay Rays.

Since their addition to the league in 1998, the team from Tampa has been a laughing stock. Year after year they’ve been one of the worst teams in baseball, finishing dead last in their division all but once, in 2004, when they finished fourth and posted their best record in franchise history, a whopping 70-91. The front office, ownership, and a small number of fans have witnessed prospect after prospect fail before their eyes, culminating in a culture of losing as devastating as the Black Plague.

But finally new ownership and a superior manager has this team in the right direction to say the least. As of today, the Rays hold the best winning percentage of the thirty teams. They’ve shown character and fortitude never thought possible from a team whose fan base consists of elderly Florida natives and Dick Vitale. As games passed, baseball pundits watched and waited for this emergence to come to a grinding halt. Well rest assured; the Rays are not going anywhere anytime soon.

The facts don’t lie. 85-56. Second in baseball.

While fans live for a powerhouse offense (thank you steroids), pitching and defense continues to win championships. What do the Rays possess? The pitching staff collectively has an ERA of 3.71, good for second in the majors. Their rotation boasts a trio of young studs in Scott Kazmir, James Shields, and Matt Garza. There is certainly no drop off in the late innings either. Veteran newcomer Troy Percival has anchored a bullpen that has been tops basically the entire season and the emergence of J.P. Howell and Grant Balfour has certainly aided in that. The defense has been equally as impressive, with a fielding percentage strong enough to place the Rays third in the American League.

While the offense lacks eye-popping statistics generally associated with a team performing at their level, the line-up is not something to brush off. Carl Crawford is a perennial All-Star with the ability to hit for decent power, while stealing fifty bases. Third baseman Evan Longoria is a first-time All-Star and current front-runner for the AL Rookie of the Year honors. He was leading all rookies in home runs and all AL third basemen in fielding percentage before heading to the disabled list with a broken wrist. Carlos Pena, a former Boston Red Sox reject, has emerged over the past few seasons as a dominant power threat, having been near the top of the league lead in home runs during his tenure with Tampa. And B.J. Upton is finally coming into his own, displaying the speed, fielding, and hitting ability that made him the second overall pick in the 2002 draft.

Let us not forget the bench. Willy Aybar has proved to be a capable utility player and free-agent signing Eric Hinske, who has seen a dramatic increase in playing time due to injuries in the outfield, has a respectable nineteen home runs.

Since numbers can be deceiving, what defines a championship season is how it overcomes adversity. To their credit, the Rays have fought through more adversity than any young team should have too, and they’ve smiled in the face of it. Not even acknowledging the fact that they play in arguably the worst facility in sports (Tropicana Field) and cannot give their tickets away, key members have succumbed to big injuries. The team was left for dead when Longoria and Crawford went down in back-to-back days, but feel-good-story Rocco Baldelli reemerged from the grave as a fill in, displaying flashes of the brilliance which made him a household name years ago. The media, too, has been critical of this team because of the aggressiveness with which they played at the beginning of the season (remember the brawls with New York and Boston!). Not even a seven-game losing streak entering the All-Star break, something which would understandably destroy a team this inexperienced with this culture of losing, fazed them. Good coaching and timely production has kept them focused in the driver’s seat. Look no further than the fact that they are 26-15 in one-run games.

They’re young, impressive, and seemingly unstoppable. As New York falls from grace, Tampa Bay has no problem filling the shoes.

Get used to saying it: Rays-Red Sox. They’re here to stay.

If you would have asked me five months ago who the winner of the AL East would be i would have told you the Red Sox or the Yankees. Of course the Yankees have never shown consistency and have too many over paid players. Here we are with just September left to play and the Devil Rays... err uh, the Rays are not only leading the division but also have the best record in the American League. They have a commanding lead over the Red Sox and barring a colossal collapse they should win the east and make it to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

The American League West is a snooze fest. The Angels are running away with that division. They are arguably the best team in baseball. They have talent all around and when they’re playing to full potential they are a dangerous club. I see them making it far in the post season.

Take your pick, White Sox or Twins. Both are decent teams but neither seems to be able to put teams away. The Twins nearly escaped a sweep effort in Seattle a couple nights ago and although the Sox just swept the Yankees they lack the killer instinct needed to make a deep playoff run. The Ken Griffey Jr. trade has yet to make a huge difference but he does add a quite type of leadership. Nobody loves to play the game more than Jr. and he will go out every day do what he has to do to ensure a victory. I look for the Sox to hold on to their 1.5 game lead over the twins.

The National League is typically horrendously painful to watch. Terrible hitters that can’t even hit the awful pitching. This year is different, except for the west. The west is boring. Randy Johnson is a symbol of the west. It was once interesting to watch but its lost its luster. The Dodgers made a move to get Manny but that seven game slide isn’t going to win them a division title. The Diamond Backs should hold on in the west but they shouldn’t go deep in the playoffs. Even the Seattle Mariners could knock off the D-Backs.

The National League Central looks to be controlled by Cubbies and the Brew Crew probably wont be able to over take them unless C.C. Sabathia pitches every game in the month of September. I see both of those two teams making the playoffs however. And wouldn’t that be exciting if they faced each other in the post season.

East Side! This is an exciting race. Probably the only could race in baseball right now. It seems like every night the Mets and Phillies flip flop positions in the standings. Currently the Metropolitans lead by one game but the Phillies keep finding ways to win. The Mets are certainly the better team. They have the pitching, offense, and it seems like David Wright is on Web Gems every other night. The only thing holding them back is their hideous barracks they call a stadium.

A good pennant race is the best part of baseball. We don’t appear to have one heading our way this year. Fortunately, for the first time in years the National League is presenting us with some excitement. Who will make the run for October? Stay tuned and we’ll find out.

1. The Lombardi Trophy Curse

   Who was Affected?
   

   Every NFL team since 1970.

   What Happened?

   In 1970 Vince Lombardi died, and the NFL renamed the championship trophy in his honor. According to Aslam Rawoof, no team nor head coach shall ever hold aloft the Vince Lombardi trophy as NFL world champions more than two consecutive seasons.
   
   In 47 years, no team has done it although some have won two in a row, and one player has one three in a row (Ken Norton JR) although on two different teams.

   Severity of the Curse

   
   
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   Seeing as how to get this “curse” you have to win two previous Super Bowls, this is the weakest curse I have ever heard. It probably feels the same way you feel when you stub your toe.
   

2. The 1993 Runner Up Curse

   Who was Affected?

   Los Angeles Kings, Phoenix Suns, Philadelphia Phillies, Buffalo Bills, University of Michigan (Basketball), University of Notre Dame (Football).

   What Happened?

   The Philadelphia Phillies lost the world series in six games to the Toronto Blue Jays. Not only did they lose the world series, they are the only team to lose the world series outside of America. The shame of losing in Canada, to Canada in Baseball was too much for the Phillies it seems, seeing as how they never even made it back to the playoffs until the 2007 National League Division series, in which they were quickly swept by the Colorado Rockies.
   
   The Notre Dame Football team had all but locked up their national title birth. In a battle of unbeaten teams, Notre Dame beat Florida State to become the top ranked team in the nation, yet Florida State remained in second place. All Notre Dame had to do was beat Boston College and they would be on their way to the national championship. Notre Dame lost, where denied a chance at the title, and have not been anywhere near one since.
   
   The Buffalo Bills were known for losing the Super Bowl by the time the 1993-1994 NFL season got underway, having lost the last 3 Super Bowls in a row. That did not stop them from trying to do it again though. After losing handily to the Cowboys in the Super Bowl the year before (52-17), they got their chance for revenge when they met again the next year. The Cowboys again pounded them (30-13) and the Bills have not been back since.
   
   The Phoenix Suns entered the NBA Finals with 62 wins and regular season MVP Charles Barkley. The Chicago Bulls entered having won the previous two NBA Finals and with legendary badass Michael Jordan. The series was odd, with the home team losing every game besides game four. The Bulls won in six games for the three-peat.
   
   The Los Angeles Kings first trip to the Stanley Cup Finals was also their last trip. Playing against the Montreal Canadians featuring Wayne Gretzky in his last Finals appearance, the Los Angeles Kings where embarrassed. They lost four games to one.
   
   Michigan Mens Basketball team played North Carolina in the NCAA Championship. With 11 seconds left in the game and only down by two points, Chris Webber of Michigan got double teamed and called a time out. This, it turns out, was a bad idea because Michigan had no time-outs left. The gaffe resulted in a technical foul, which sealed the win for North Carolina.

   Severity of the Curse

   
   
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   While it is impressive that it has happened to every team in major American sports that was the runner up that year, the curse is only 15 years old. As far as sports curses go, this one would be the equivalent of carpal tunnel syndrome.
   

3. The Curse of Barry Bonds

   Who was Affected?

   The Pittsburgh Pirates

   What Happened?

   The Pittsburgh Pirates where the home of one of the most prolific home run hitters of all time from 1986-1992. Before his steroid allegations arose, and back when he looked like this:
   
   
   
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   And not this:
   
   
   
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   He was beloved by the fans. For the Pirates, Bonds won two National League MVP awards, golden gloves, and silver slugger awards. The Pirates won the National League Eastern Division title three times in a row and came within one out of going to the World Series. After the 1992 season, Bonds left as a free agent and signed with the San Francisco Giants for a then record $43.75 million.
   
   With the Giants, Bonds won five more MVP awards and broke the single season and career home run records. The Pirates have had 15 consecutive losing seasons since Bonds left, one shy of the Major League record held by the Philadelphia Phillies.

   Severity of the Curse

   
   
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   As of the time of this writing, the Pirates are 44-54 with 64 games remaining. More than enough time to break .500, if they weren’t forever cursed that is. Another relatively new curse, yet caused by the loss of a loved one, puts this at non fatal STD level.
   

4. The Cleveland Curse

   
   
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   Who was Affected?

   Every major sports team in Cleveland.

   What Happened?

   There does not seem to be any apparent cause to this curse according to my research, so I am just going to say that it was a crazy Gypsy. According to the legend I am now creating, at the 1964 NFL Championship game, a crazy Gypsy bet it all on Don Shula and the Colts (led by Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas) to beat the Cleveland Browns. The Browns won 27 to 0, and the Gypsy let out a loud yell, “LOOOOSER”.
   
   Since then, no major Cleveland sports team has won a Championship. The Indians last won a world series in 1948 and the Cavaliers have never won an NBA Championship. Not only have they not won titles, they have been the victim of some of the greatest sports stories of all time.
   
   Remember “The Catch”? How about “The Drive”, “The Shot”, or “The Fumble”? All of these things happened against a Cleveland sports team.

   Severity of the Curse

   
   
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   To have one team cursed for over 40 years is bad enough, to have all the main teams in your city cursed that long is maddening. Add that to the total smack in the face of all the amazing plays that went against them, and you have the makings of some severe depression or alcoholism, or both. This curse is as bad as when a cop gets shot one day before retirement.
   

5. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Curse

   Who was Affected?

   Anyone who has lost to the Buccaneers in the NFL regular season.

   What Happened?

   The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are considered to be one of the worse teams in NFL history. Prior to 2003 they had never won a Super Bowl, returned a kickoff for a touchdown, or won a road playoff game. Since then they have done all of those things, but where founded in 1976. That iss over 25 years of torment and ass hattery, including being the only NFL team to lose every game in a season since the merger. That is, except for the dubious honor of never allowing anyone they beat in the regular season to win the super bowl. If they can not be there, and you are bad enough to lose to them, then you probably do not deserve to be there either.

   Severity of the Curse

   
   
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   Not going to the Super Bowl in itself is hard, knowing that you lost to the Buccaneers as well must be even harder. This curse is the equivalent of getting kicked when you'’re down.

The Traverse City Beach Bums are a professional minor league baseball team in Northern Michigan. They're a part of the independent frontier league with 11 other teams ranging from the Kalamazoo Kings, a few hours away, to the Washington Wild Things all the way in Pennsylvania.

The team is composed of talented baseball players from all around the United States, some who have already been around the block with various MLB teams, and some fresh out of college, and new to the whole thing.

The Beach Bums are Traverse City's first professional baseball team since 1915, preceded by the Traverse City Hustlers, and the Traverse City Resorters. The Beach Bums originally were located in Richmound, Indiana and known as the Richmond Roosters until the summer of 2005 when ownership was transferred to the Wuerfels.

Their stadium, known as Wuerfel park, was first opened in 2006 to a sell out crowd. The first game, played on May 24th, was against the Beach Bums greatest rival in following years, the Kalamazoo Kings.

Icons

The Beach Bums have two mascots, Suntan and Sunburn, who always steal the show with their amusing antics and love of dancing. They're both portrayed as bears, Suntan is a light brown, with dark sunglasses, while Sunburn is a bright red with googly eyes. They participate every game in the lead up to the first inning by coming down from the stands and dancing on the field to various tunes.

Between each inning either a game, contest, or giveaway is done to keep the audience involved and always entertained. Rather it be Race against the Mascot, where young Beach Bum fans run the bases to try and beat the clumsy bear, or the popular Meal or No Meal, where the contestant has the opportunity to win a $40 dollar gift certificate to Outback Steakhouse, there is always something to keep you occupied, and usually laughing.

The Wuerfels

John, Leslye, and Jason Wuerfel are the gears behind the machinery when it comes to the Beach Bums. Father John is not only CEO of the Beach Bums, but of Wuerfel Sports Development as well. He himself oversees the marketing and sales departments, when he's not mingling with fans on game days that is.

Wife Leslye is the general manager of WSD and the TC Beach Bums, but on game nights she can be found passing out the daily giveaway at the gate to the first 500/1000 people through the gates, always with a smile and a few kind words.

Son Jason is not only the Vice president of the Beach Bums, but the Director of Baseball Operations, the team's hitting coach, and operates the Traverse City Beach Bums Baseball Academy, which gives children an opportunity to learn how to improve at playing the game in a safe and fun atmosphere, with real Beach Bum players.

A family operation like this one leads to a family feeling when at the park. As their motto says, 'Go for the game, stay for the fun!'

Brian McCann, Braves

• .326 Batting Average
  
• 9 Homeruns
  
• 32 RBI's
  
• 27 Runs
  
• 0 Steals
  

The Skinny

 

McCann made his name known in 2006 when he had a .333 batting average and 26 home runs in only 130 games. His numbers are high this year, but this is where they should be expected to stay for some time. He has shown good plate discipline so far this year drawing 20 walks and only striking out 21 times in 50 games. Look for him to be a consistent helper on your fantasy team.

Geovany Soto, Cubs

• .296 Batting Average
• 9 Homeruns
• 37 RBI's
• 21 Runs
• 0 Steals

The Skinny

Soto seems to be the real deal and he should be scary good once he fully develops. His numbers show that he could possibly be the next Mike Piazza of the position and if the Cubs could ever get past their constant injury problem that would mean more RBI's for Soto. Take him for his power and the fact that he hasn't began to peak yet.

Russell Martin, Dodgers

• .326 Batting Average
• 4 Homeruns
• 23 RBI's
• 27 Runs
• 4 Steals

The Skinny

Martin brings an extra dimension to his game; speed. In his last three seasons he has either had as many steals as home runs or had more. He is young and hits consistently for a high average. Like Soto, he is also young and still has room to grow. Plus he is virtually an everyday catcher which is rare these days in baseball. Take him or trade for him because he will produce.

Joe Mauer, Twins

• .318 Batting Average
• 0 Homeruns
• 21 RBI's
• 33 Runs
• 0 Steals

The Skinny

Mauer will never be a power hitter but you can't look past his hitting consistency. In 2006 he batted a whopping .347 and this year he is again well over 300. He could be valuable just off of his average alone but the fact that he is in front of Justin Morneau means that he will score plenty of runs. And he is still young.

Bengie Molina, Giants

• .324 Batting Average
• 6 Homeruns
• 36 RBI's
• 20 Runs
• 0 Stolen Bases

The Skinny

Molina has always been an above average catcher at the plate but his numbers are outstanding this year. The fact that he has 36 RBI's with only 6 homeruns means that he is hitting well with men in scoring position. I wouldn't necessarily expect him to keep up this pace but I do think that he is in for a career year and maybe the sleeper of the year at this position. However, he is turning 34 this summer and a catchers knees at thirty four are something to worry about.

Dioner Navarro, Rays

• .361 Batting Average
• 1 Homerun
• 18 RBI's
• 13 Runs
• 0 Steals

The Skinny

Navarro is finally beginning to show his development this year. After two months in the season, he is batting .367 and is now the everyday catcher for the Rays. His power numbers are down but as he continues to hit consistently, he will likely get a better spot in the batting order. He is one of this year's surprises and I'd be willing to bet that he is sitting pretty by the end of the year.

Victor Martinez, Indians

• .294 Batting Average
• 0 Homeruns
• 18 RBI's
• 11 Runs
• 0 Steals

The Skinny

Martinez for some reason hasn't hit for power yet this year and for a fantasy owner that is disappointing. However, 3 out of the last 4 years Martinez has hit over 20 homeruns. Since Martinez is hitting the ball consistently right now I would be willing to bet that he will come out of his dry spell soon. If someone has always hit the long ball, they usually never completely stop. In a month his power numbers should be improving drastically.

Ryan Doumit, Pirates

• .350 Batting Average
• 5 Homeruns
• 15 RBI's
• 21 Runs
• 0 Steals

The Skinny

Doumit hasn't played a game since May 12th and his numbers look this good. Good news also; he is coming off of the DL this week and should be back to starting very shortly. Although he hasn't proved to be a strong hitter in the past, Doumit hit the ball extremely well earlier this year and should be back to knocking them around for the rest of the summer. However, I wouldn't count on his average staying very high.

Jorge Posada, Yankees

• .302 Batting Average
• 1 Homerun
• 11 RBI's
• 8 Runs
• 0 Steals

The Skinny

By July Posada will be in the top five on this list. He should be back in the lineup full time by mid June and we know that the guy can hit. The problem is can he stay healthy. Look for him to be a big contributor for the rest of the summer and if you can pick him up now, do it.

Yadier Molina, Cardinals

• .291 Batting Average
• 2 Homeruns
• 20 RBI's
• 10 Runs
• 0 Steals

The Skinny

Molina may not be putting up the greatest numbers but since he is batting later in the lineup he should help contribute with RBI's. St. Louis likes him and he is their everyday catcher, plus he is consistent and not streaky.

1. Albert Pujols-He is currently 67 for 186 at bats and is batting .360. He has 32 runs and 34 RBI's (Runs Batted In). He has 42 singles, 13 doubles, 0 triples, and 12 home runs. He also has 2 stolen bases and has striked out 19 times.
2. Chipper jones-He is currently 76 for 182 at bats and is batting .418. He has 38 runs and 35 RBI's. He Has 43 singles, 11 doubles, 0 triples, and 12 home runs. He also has 0 stolen bases and has striked out 18 times.
3. Lance Berkman-He is currently 73 for 190 at bats and is batting .384. He has 56 runs and 46 RBI's. He has 37 singles, 18 doubles, 2 triples, and 16 home runs. He also has 10 stolen bases and has striked out 30 times.
4. Garrett Atkins-He is currently 67 for 200 at bats and is batting .335. He has 27 runs and 30 RBI's. He has 47 singles, 11 doubles, 1 triple, and 8 home runs. He also has 0 stolen bases and has striked out 30 times.
5. Miguel Tejada-He is currently 71 for 214 at bats and is batting .332. He has 43 runs and 37 RBI's. He has 45 singles, 16 doubles, 2 triples, and 6 home runs. He has 4 stolen bases and has striked out 26 times.
6. Aaron Rowand-He is currently 56 for 169 at bats and is batting .331. He has 21 runs and 30 RBI's. He has 35 singles, 14 doubles, 0 triples, and 7 home runs. He has 0 stolen bases and has striked out 17 times.
7. Bengie Molina-He is currently 56 for 170 at bats and is batting .329. He has 18 runs and 34 RBI's. He has 36 singles, 15 doubles, 0 triples, and 6 home runs. He has 0 stolen bases and has striked out 12 times.
8. Joe Mauer-He is currently 54 for 164 at bats and is hitting .329. He has 31 runs and 20 RBI's. He has 43 singles, 10 doubles, 1 triple, and 0 home runs. He has 0 stolen bases and has striked out 13 times.
9. Brian McCann-He is currently 58 for 177 at bats and is batting .328. He has 27 runs and 32 RBI's. He has 30 singles, 18 doubles, 1 triple, and 9 home runs. He has 0 stolen bases and he has striked out 18 times.
10. Milton Bradley-He currently is 55 for 168 at bats and is batting .327. He has 30 runs and 29 RBI's. He has 29 singles, 16 doubles, 0 triples, and 8 home runs. He has 0 stolen bases and has striked out 40 times.