2012 MLB AWARDS Part 2

THE 2012 RESENTMENT AWARDS: PART 2 

CY YOUNG & MVP AWARDS

I'm good now.    

AL Cy Young Award: FELIX HERNANDEZ Seattle Mariners.  My opinion the 26 year old Ace is the best right hander in the game and has been in the conversation for awhile now. He is only 13-6 this season but voters have showed they can get past records. It is actually far superior to when he won the Cy Young back in 2010 when he was barely .500 at  13-12. In fact his stats are pretty much in line with that season given he still has 1 more start. If King Felix was pitching in New York or Boston he would be one of the biggest stars in baseball. 
My Resentment towards the losing candidates.
David Price - doesn't pitch deep enough in games, sorry. 
Jerad Weaver- DL time. missed a prolonged portion of the summer. sorry.
Justin Verlander- Don't really have a knock on him other then he wasn't as good this season as last. not sorry. 


NL Cy Young Award: R.A. DICKEY NY Mets. The bottom line is R.A. Dickey had an outstanding season. This was the season that showed he wasn't a fluke. He has found "it" and hasn't lost "it" for a season and a half now. Improving in every possible way while currently 20-6 is going to have to be the favorite at this point.  He is now tied for 1st in Wins while 1st in the league in ERA and is 2nd in Strikeouts. He has already been screwed out of starting the All Star game let's not make it this award. 
My Resentment towards the losing candidates.
Johnny Cueto- My only fantasy player that didn't under perform this season.  Thank you.
Ardolis Chapman- You are a reliever. Go win that award. 
Matt Cain- Perfect game yes but his numbers just don't match up.
Clayton Kershaw- 2nd in ERA  and 1st in K's but missed some time
Gio Gonzalez- 6th in ERA and 4th in K's. leads league in Wins. Wins are overrated. 
Craig Kimbrel- You are a reliever. 


AL MVP Award: MIKE TROUT. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. 
I am aware the Miguel Cabrera has put up better offensive numbers than Trout if you look at the raw offensive stats.  I ask you however isn't the objective of an offensive player to drive runs in and to score runs. This is the only way to win a ball game so therefore it is deemed important you see? If you add Miguel Cabrera's RBI + Runs Scored you get a total of 239. Mike Trouts total equal 202 but it took Miguel Cabrera 140 more AB's to reach that higher total. Given Trout's projected totals it becomes a wash = Both are having outstanding seasons. I am going to get why you shouldn't be fooled by the Triple Crown numbers in a second. 
What separates Trout from Cabrera is the defense. Trout plays an amazing CF and Cabrera well tries to play 3B and not get hurt. When you factor in runs Trout has prevented with his superior speed and athleticism it puts him over the top not only in my eyes but more importantly it puts him ahead in the WAR category. 
While Cabrera may walk away with the Triple Crown according to the stat WAR (Wins Above Replacement) he isn't even as valuable of player to his team this season as he was last year. He has a WAR of 6.6 as compared to a 7.3 last year.  Mike Trout's current WAR is a ridiculous 10.6 which puts him in the 25 BEST SEASONS EVER.  Ding Ding Ding Good night now. 


NL MVP Award: RYAN BRAUN. Milwaukee Brewers. Statistically he is having a better season than last when he stole the MVP from Matt Kemp.  His Slugging Percentage and OPS are higher and he already has more total bases and Home Runs. He is currently 1 behind last seasons total in RBI's so he will pass that category up as well. Is he going to win the real award going back to back? probably not. Is he having the best season in the National League? Yes. 
My Resentment towards the losing candidates.
Buster Posey- I'm not sure you are the best catcher in the National League. 
David Wright- You don't hit for enough power for my liking.
Andrew McCutchen- Not a good enough 2nd half. 
Yadier Molina- Posey making you look not as special as you are.

2012 MLB AWARDS Part 1

 THE 2012 MLB  RESENTMENT AWARDS: 
Part 1 The AWARDS THAT PEOPLE DON'T
CARE ABOUT. 

The Resentee's is a clown award show... or something bro. 

Let's start with the most obvious award given out in the history of this award show. 
The AL Rookie of the Year : MIKE TROUT. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim  The 21 year old sensation just might be having the best rookie season baseball has ever seen. If dig deeper then just the offensive numbers and see he holds down CF with his sprinter like speed. With a WAR of 10.6  Trout would be considered the most valuable player according to the stat. The WAR stat stands for Wins Above Replacement. That means he gave the Angels 10 more wins then they would have if they used Peter Bourjos and that would be the highest total in MLB since the juicy Barry Bonds . In fact it would put this season inside the top 25 WAR seasons of all time. WAR is the number one stat most geeks are basing players value on these days. 

The NL Rookie of the Year: BRYCE HARPER. Washington Nationals.
But how can you say that he doesn't even have the best rookie numbers? Wake up  people there is more to baseball then batting average. Bryce Harper is playing a major role on a team that won the East in a runaway fashion.  Harper's speed and arm make him a valuable asset in the field as he can play all the OF spots effectively. With great range and a cannon that has yielded 8 Assists his defense makes him a game changer. While only hitting .260 which isn't that bad he has run into 20 Home Runs while on pace to reach almost a 100 runs scored. His hype was off the charts. Has he lived up to it? I believe so, his season is being diminished by Trout jumping off the charts. 


The AL Comeback Player of the Year: FERNANDO RODNEY.  Tampa Bay Rays. Sorry Adam Dunn.
Coming off a horrible season for the Angels he lands with Tampa Bay and magically has turned it around in a way that would be cheesy if you saw it in a Disney movie. 
He goes from a season in which he had a WHIP of 1.69 and a ERA of 4.50 with 3 Saves
 to a season with a WHIP of 0.77 and a ERA of 0.64 and 44 Saves. He currently has a WAR of 3.4. 
You realize when closer Eric Gagne won the NL Cy Young Award he had a WHIP of .69 and a ERA of 1.20 with a WAR of 3.6   Pretty close.  

The NL Comeback Player of the Year: ADAM LaROCHE. Washington Nationals.  This was my hardest category to crown a winner. Of course A.J. Burnett had a solid season along with Ryan Ludwick, Pedro Alvarez and Stephen Strasburg and you can be generous and throw Adam Wainright in there after his second half bounce back. 
If you look at LaRoche's track record this season doesn't jump out at you like it's an outstanding season because really it's just another one of his solid under the radar seasons at the plate. He wins the award in my eyes because last season for him was simply a disaster. Playing in only 40 games he hit a weak .172 in 150 AB's. 3 of those 26 hits were bombs. This season he comes all the way back and not only manages a full season healthy he is hitting .269 with 32 HR with the same WAR value as Ferando Rodney. 

The AL Manager of the Year: BUCK SHOWALTER. 
Buck has already won 2 of these thing before and in my opinion he is the best manager in baseball. 
The Orioles were picked by many to finish dead last in the brutally tough AL East and now Buck has the O's battling for the division as we enter the last week of the season. No manager has done more with less expectations than that crazy Joey Maddon down in Tampa took his boys to the Series. Somehow the Orioles seem to win every single close game, the only team in playoff contention with a negative run differential means the O's are actually getting outscored this season. How are they winning these games? Obviously the players are coming through in the late innings but Showalter is using the matchup's to his advantage to the point it's schooling other coaches. As CP3 would put it "Buck is 'son-ing' them" 
Showalter has always been a master mind as a manager as he built the foundations for 2 dynasties before departing to reap the rewards. He manged and basically architected the Yankees before Torre walked into that cushy gig. Then again he was out in Arizona before The Unit and Schilling took over. It's nice to see Buck back in the spotlight if the Orioles make it in watch it. 


The NL Manager of the Year:MIKE MATHENY. St. Louis Cardinals. 
Not much of surprise to me seeing I had the Cardinals making the playoff's but it is still pretty remarkable what Matheny accomplished this season. All Mike had to do was find a way to replace all that offense left behind when the Albert Pujols bailed to Anaheim and having to do that while  following one of the best managers in the history of the game. Seem manageable? 
Well then try losing your Ace Chris Carpenter for the season all while your other ace Adam Wainright is trying to find it again coming off Tommy John having very little effectiveness the first half. Okay then imagine losing Lance Berkman the majority of the season. Matheny has dealt with some serious setbacks his first season at the top and has the Cardinals in position to hold off the rest of the contenders for the second Wild Card. Turns out they also just happen to have playoff tested Chris Carpenter lined up to start the play in game. 

The Game of Risk.

IS JOSH HAMILTON WORTH THE RISK?

what steroid allegations? 

BTW I am aware Josh Hamilton is a great player. Save it. You don't see me writing about Juan Rivera do you? Just analyzing the situation. 

JOSH HAMILTON is going to the highest profiled free agent as soon as some National League team beats the Rangers in the World Series again. The Rangers seem to have very little interest in paying anywhere near the amount the former MVP is expecting to get. Does this not throw up stop signs to other potential buyers? The organization that knows him the best isn't all that excited to keep him. With that being said, I ask is Josh Hamilton going to be worth the risk of signing? 

  

Josh Hamilton has been through a lot, we all know the story by now. His drug abuse is well documented and then there was the steroid allegations and his problem with alcohol, tobacco and now caffeine. Everything this guy touches he can potentially become addicted to it.  
Josh Hamilton struggled for 2 months this season because he couldn't get his mind off chewing tobacco. The report came out he tried quitting tobacco and shortly after he began that epic slump which ESPN documented like it was a Tebow a story.  He went back to chaw. 

Can you believe Hamilton's poor play has been blamed on  2 legal substances he has taken this season?  What was number 2? What cost him to miss games in September?  Red Bull of course. Apparently he has been drinking to many caffeinated energy drinks. Seriously? Does this guy not have any self control? Since he can't quit his tobacco habit it seems he is slamming Red Bull and chawing from the time he gets to the park until the end of the game. This can cause a problem in the body especially a body that has been through as much as Hamilton's. It was reported he couldn't see straight.
 It's great the Rangers have a sizeable first place lead in the West but what if this eye trouble takes place during the ALCS or World Series? I'm not to happy as an owner if my star player can't play because he wanted wings. 

A body that has dealt with  years of crack cocaine a long with alcohol abuse doesn't seem like he would have the best immune system. Although strong physically Hamilton is very fragile.

Let's skip pass the years when he screwed the Tampa Bay back when he let the Rays entire organization down by never reaching the Bigs. What could of been with Hamilton, Crawford, Upton, Longoria with those pitching staffs. I'm sure the Devil Ray's GM at the time holds no resentment. While it's clear Josh Hamilton puts up monster numbers but he is one Red Bull away from a DL stint. That's some risk, not necessarily the type of guy I would be willing to open up my wallet for. Aside from worrying about all his habits off the field you have to worry about him breaking down on the field. 

Hamilton's rookie season consisted of a couple DL stints. One for gasroenteritis and the other a hamstring strain.  The steroids/HGH allegations surfaced when Josh missed some time because of a torn abdominal muscle which is common amongst the steroid players. 2008 is Hamilton's only full season where he played in 156 of the 162. In the 2009 season he had  a sports hernia which cost him a career low in games. His MVP 2010 season was cut short in September after breaking some ribs. Of course last season we remember his broken arm caused by diving into home plate. 

It seems to always be something with Josh Hamilton doesn't it? The team that eventually signs him is going to have to be okay with the idea of Hamilton not being in the lineup roughly 40 times a season- since that is about the average number of games he missed in his PRIME YEARS. He is turning 32 and that is an old beat up 32. The idea that he has had several alcohol related relapses to go a long with his inability to kick the tobacco habit he so desperately wants to quit is also concerning to an owner that will have to be willing to shell out  around $120 million dollars. 

At this point everyone has come to the assessment that I am hating on the great Josh Hamilton. Not true, I acknowledge he is a premiere outfielder when he is able to stay on the field but I have to question why any team would give him a 5 year deal. Assuming Hamilton is done taking drugs and drinking the lingering effects are still immeasurable and irreversable. The idea you are guaranteed huge years signing him is something I don't feel comfortable saying. It is going to be a gamble but a gamble that could payoff for the franchise willing to pay the MVP outfielder. 

My guess in a desperate attempt at finding a respectable offense the San Francisco Giants are going to make a huge offer to lure Hamilton and add a bat around the Killer P's (Posey,Pablo,Pence) You add Hamilton to that lineup and keep him somewhat healthy that lineup instantly becomes NOT POOR.

ITS NOT YOUR FAULT MIKE

IS MIKE SCIOSCIA THE RIGHT MANAGER FOR THE ANGELS MOVING FORWARD?

Entering his 13th season managing in the same clubhouse.

The average tenure for managers in today's Major League Baseball is less then 3.75 seasons. He has been with the Angels 10 more years than expected according to the data. It's my belief no manager should be with the same team more then 10 seasons total now of days. It is just my opinion as a manager your message grows old on the players. You can only give so many different kind of speeches. Players become too comfortable with you and that can become and usually does become a problem.

Have we given MIKE SCIOSCIA to much credit for the Angels success? I wouldn't go that far. I am actually in the camp that he is one of the best manager in baseball and has always been TONY LARUSSA's equal. So I have nothing against the guy, I just see the writing on the wall. While an Angels fan, I am not blinded by what has actually been going on the past few seasons.

YES I AM AWARE THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN THE PITCHING THIS SEASON. THE THING IS IT DOESN'T MATTER. LET'S CONTINUE SHALL WE...

Mike Scioscia's best asset as a manager just may be his ability to surround himself with premier baseball minds. While certainly not a fault, it has become a problem as coaches have come and gone. Is it a coincidence that the season Ron Roenicke left was the Angels last season in the playoffs?
Mike Scioscia's coaching staff in 2002 when he won the World Series had 3 soon to be managers all considered top tier. BUD BLACK. JOE MADDON, RON ROENICKE. and since then Scioscia has been considered a great manager. Scioscia hasn't taken the Angels to playoff's without at least one of these guys just sayin.

The Angels 2002's team roster had no stars on it. Not one unless you want to count the. 250 hitting TROY GLAUS. Compare that to the 2012 roster and it is a completely different type of team. We will get back to that in a second.

Scioscia has built his success managing a National League style. He basically brought small ball to the American League. Hitting and Running. Stealing. Bunting. blah blah. That was his calling card.
This seasons roster was not built for small ball. The team is no longer suited for that style of managing. Today's team is a high salary, high powered offense. While the Angels offense doesn't seem to be a problem if you look at the raw offensive numbers since they rank highly in runs scored but if you break it down game by game you start getting into a lot of games the offense didn't do anything.
Is Scioscia not comfortable managing a roster of star players? Or maybe I never gave JOE TORRE enough credit enough for how difficult it actually is.

The constant line up changes and splitting the playing time of the outfield all while putting guys in different positions every night is amateur hour. First month of the season fine but not the whole season. That should be going on down in Salt Lake not a team that was one of the favorites to win the World Series. Rotating guys in and out like a Little League All-Star coach is ridiculousness.

A roster full of power bats need to have a more consistent feel. You never saw the Yankees dynasty teams having the amount of drastic lineup changes on a night to night basis the way you see Scioscia changing it up.

Bottom line evaluating this season...
Mike Scioscia was handed the best hitter ALBERT PUJOLS in baseball before the season started. He was also given the best pitcher CJ WILSON available in the off season and the best rookie MIKE TROUT season in the history of baseball. Out of nowhere they get a dominant closer ERNESTO FRIERI while giving up nothing. Then at the deadline the Angels get the best available arm ZACK GREINKE. The Angels could have the MVP and Cy Young (although unlikely since he missed some starts.)

If a manager is given all that and can't make place in the top 5 teams in the American League then it's time to go. His fault or not Ask TERRY FRANCONA how it works, he has 2 World Series and by the way he won them a lot more recent and he was let go because his team had one bad month. Mike Scioscia hasn't taken the Angels to the playoff's for let's face it, way to long.

I think Terry Francona would be a perfect fit. The roster is similar to what he worked with in Boston. He also has already worked with GM JERRY DIPOTO. Francona has a track record of leading superstar driven teams. It would be perfect match for Scioscia to go take the Boston job as Bobby Valentine looks to not be coming back. Makes sense for both teams.

Updated: Reggie Jackson vs. Adam Dunn

UPDATED: 
REGGIE JACKSON VS. ADAM DUNN

Statistical look at first 12 Seasons

Since Adam Dunn is only in his 12th season we see it only fair that we compare the stats of both sluggers up until that point. While Reggie Jackson goes down as a Hall of Fame player, it is in my opinion he just might be the most over rated player the game has ever seen; at least statistically speaking. I can prove it by merely comparing the current equivalent player in Adam Dunn. Yes, I am aware that this is a different era and ballparks are smaller but you will get my point by the end of this post.

Adam Dunn has had 8 seasons of hitting at least 35 Home Runs thru 12 seasons.

Reggie Jackson had 2 seasons of hitting at least 35 Home Runs thru 12 seasons.

Adam Dunn has had 5 seasons of hitting over 40 bombs and on pace this season to reach that number again making it 6. 

Reggie Jackson only to reach the 40 Home Run mark 2 times in 21 career seasons. 

 

REGINALD MARTINEZ JACKSON. 

Nickname  Mr. October 
6'0 195 lbs. 
Bats Left  Throws Left
Drafted in the 1st Round (2nd pick overall) 
First 12 Seasons  
Games      1650
AB            5884 
HITS        1582
AVE          .268
HR             340 
RUNS         973 
2B               299 
BB              786
SO             1499
Average 162 game career totals (whole career)
Average .262/ 32 HR/98 RBI/79 BB/SO 149/SLG.490  

ADAM TROY DUNN.
Nickame  Big Donkey 
6'6" 285 lbs. 
Bats Left  Throws Right
Drafted in the 2nd Round
Seasons    12 
Games     1651 
AB           5682
HITS       1382
AVE         .242  
RUNS        948 
HR             390
2B              293 
BB           1131
SO           1937 
Average 162 game career totals
Average .242/ 38 HR/96 RBI/111 BB/SO 190/SLG.503 

BREAKING DOWN AN AVERAGE SEASON. 

Reggie's 162 career game average
Average .262/ 32 HR/98 RBI/89 Runs/79 BB/SO 149/SLG.490/OPS. .846

Dunn's 162 career game average
Average .242/ 38 HR/96 RBI/93 Runs/111 BB/SO 190/SLG.503/OPS. .876

 It's pretty clear that they are very similar players with Reggie hitting for a slightly higher average while Dunn is hitting about a half dozen more bombs a year while walking more then 30 times more than Reggie a year. That is huge. Remember batting average especially with sluggers is the least useful stat in all of baseball. 

 Reggie Jackson was an 8 time All Star in his first 12 seasons. He received MVP votes 9 times in that span. Adam Dunn in the same amount of seasons? 2 All Star appearances and only 3 seasons were he received MVP votes. It's clear that playing for the A's and Yankees certainly helped Jackson's cause. Meaningful games and deep Playoff runs gave the cocky Reggie a platform to run his mouth and yeah he ran into a few in big moments.

  Adam Dunn is almost the exact opposite. Always has been on crappy teams and he is a soft spoken guy. He certainly isn't looking for the camera the way Reggie did still does.  I also think we have so many guys now that can hit 35 home runs a year that it devalues our opinion on Dunn because of that. Reggie allegedly played before the "juice" so a guy that could hit 35 plus bombs would get baseball fans wet pretty easily.   

MLB Current Drug Testing Policy

MLB DRUG TEST LOOPHOLE

FAILING MEANS YOU ARE AN IDIOT

The testing done by Major League Baseball could be considered a waste of time except for the fact players are still getting caught. MLB uses the standard  T/E Ratio Test. When given to the player the test measures the testosterone in your body to the epitestosterone produced in your body. Using the standard scale of 1 to 1, MLB allows players to have elevated testosterone levels in the body to be as high as 4 to 1. This means a player can have 4 times the level of testosterone in their body then the average human being and still not fail the test. This testing procedure which only costs $150 can not distinguish between natural and synthetic testosterone. 

So what does this mean? This means players have many ways around passing these urine tests. The most common practice which is widely known about in the athletic community is known as micro dosing. Players can take low amounts of a synthetic testosterone because it clears the body's system fast enough to not go detected it's simple since you can only get tested while at the ball park according to the Union's agreement. 

Former BALCO steroid guru Victor Conte broke it down like this "You finish a game, your ratio is 1 to 1, you rub the (synthetic testosterone) cream on your arm and your ratio can go up to 10 to 1, or 15 to 1. Six hours later, your T/E ratio is below 4 to 1. You've had the benefit of tissue repair, healing and recovery, and it promotes muscle growth. It makes muscles bigger, fresher, faster." - 
http://www.sfgate.com/giants/ostler/article/Victor-Conte-sees-MLB-drug-test-loophole-3799949.php 

It is clear that baseball doesn't mind players "juicing" because if they really wanted to stop players from using PED's then they would get rid of this amateur hour form of testing and switch over to a test called Carbon Isotope Ratio. This test costs a little more but it allows the lab to distinguish between natural and synthetic testosterone and can spot synthetic test in your body for up to 2 weeks after usage making it much harder to pass the urine tests that are being given on a regular basis. 

To me it appears MLB wants to give the appearance that they are cracking down on players using Performance Enhancing Drugs by catching the occasional player dumb enough to not using the micro dosing method. If they nail a player here and there it gives the appearance that current system "is working" If  MLB were to switch over to the Carbon Isotope method to many players would get busted resulting in a diminished product on the field ultimately it would be bad for the game. 

The Player's Union does not allow blood to be drawn at all during season. So from the start of Opening Day to the last day of the season which includes Playoff's for the teams that make it, HGH can be taken without any consequences. As long as the growth hormone is out of your system come October then you escape being caught.  So the idea that the steroid era is over is far from true. With the current testing implemented it is rather easy to avoid being caught. 

MLB's BEST ROOKIE EVER?

MIKE TROUT

BEST ROOKIE EVER?

In an announcement that came down earlier this afternoon the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim's Mike Trout was named Rookie of the Month for the 4th consecutive month. While no player has ever won the award 4 consecutive times, let alone 3 times, Ichiro Suzuki back in 2001 won the award 4 times that season. Barring some crazy Mike Trout should walk away with the award yet again in September making him the first rookie to ever take home the honor 5 times in their rookie campaign.

The Angels played 28 games in August and Trout hit .284 with 7 Home Runs, 19 RBI and 11 Stolen Bases. While not his best month it certainly is a month that most veterans would love to have.

2012 League Ranks:
• 1st in AL in Batting Average (.332)
• 1st in AL in Runs (108)
• 1st in AL in SB (43)
• 4th in AL in SLG (.570)
• 2nd in AL in OPS (.966)

Here are some other outstanding MLB Rookie seasons courtesy of http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/26935/best-rookie-seasons-of-all-time

Ichiro Suzuki, 2001 Mariners: 7.5 WAR
Stats: .350/.381/.457, 8 HR, 69 RBI, 242 H, 127 R, 56 SB, 126 OPS+, Gold Glove, MVP

Albert Pujols, 2001 Cardinals: 6.3 WAR
Stats: .329/.403/.610, 37 HR, 130 RBI, 47 2B, 112 R, 157 OPS+, 4th in MVP

Nomar Garciaparra, 1997 Red Sox: 6.5 WAR
Stats: .306/.342/.534, 30 HR, 98 RBI, 44 2B, 209 H, 122 R, 22 SB, 123 OPS+, 8th in MVP

Mike Piazza, 1993 Dodgers: 6.8 WAR
Stats: .318/.370/.561, 35 HR, 112 RBI, 81 R, 153 OPS+, 9th in MVP

Fred Lynn, 1975 Red Sox: 7.1 WAR
Stats: .331/.401/.566, 21 HR, 105 RBI, 47 2B, 103 R, 162 OPS+, Gold Glove, MVP

Ted Williams, 1939 Red Sox: 6.6 WAR
Stats: .327/.436/.609, 31 HR, 145 RBI, 44 2B, 11 3B, 131 R, 160 OPS+, 4th in MVP

Shoeless Joe Jackson, 1911 Naps: 9.0 WAR
Stats: .408/.468/.590, 7 HR, 83 RBI, 45 2B, 19 3B, 233 H, 126 R, 193 OPS+, 4th in MVP

MLB TOP HITTERS of 2012

2012 MLB SEASON. 

TOP 15 BEST HITTERS  

On Sunday, Matt Kemp finally reached 81 games played in 2012. If his season were truly half-over, he'd be on pace for 200 hits, 36 homers and 18 steals. -- Jon Weisman: Dodger Thoughts

In a season that saw many of baseball's best players go down to injury and lose much of the season ( Matt Kemp, Joey Votto, Jacoby Ellsbury,Troy Tulowitski, Jose Bautista, Giancarlo Stanton, Evan Longoria) there was still plenty of players having outstanding years.  I give to you this seasons most productive hitters.  

These guys must of watched their instructional videos over and over because they can crush soft toss. 

15. David Wright. NY Mets. Thanks largely to an outstanding first half of the season Wright manages to sneak into my rankings. Should be interesting to see what the Mets do with their 3B this off-season with both ace knuckleballer R.A. Dickey and Wright hit the market. 

.311 Average/.402 OBP/.501 SLG/.903 OPS. 

151 Hits 37 Doubles 17 HR  79 RBI 

14. Aramis Ramirez. Milwaukee Brewers. One of the most underrated players in baseball Aramis has been putting up numbers for 15 years now. Flying under the radar for 2 reasons, one he is in Milwaukee and two he has Ryan Braun on his team. 

.294 Average/.357 OBP/.525 SLG/.882 OPS 

140 Hits 43 Doubles 21 HR 89 RBI

13. Albert Pujols. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.  After a horrible start in Anaheim after signing the mega deal Pujols obviously turned it around. Still a top 5 hitter in my eyes his start to the season was so bad it is a small miracle that his numbers are this good. It is looking like he could have a monster September and slide right into my top 10. People that doubted Pujols should be ashamed of themselves. 

.287 Average/.346 OBP/.536 SLG/.882 OPS.  

144 Hits 38 Doubles 29 HR 92 RBI 

12. Matt Holliday. St. Louis Cardinals. One of my favorite players Holliday is having another outstanding season swinging the bat, hard to believe he is always overlooked when talking about the great right handed hitters of this era. With Holliday leading the charge the Cardinals have the NL's scariest line up 1-8.  

.307  Average/.380 OBP/.525 SLG/.905 OPS.  

157 Hits 33 Doubles 25 HR 92 RBI

11. Adrian Beltre. Texas Rangers. With so much fire power in the Rangers line up Beltre has emerged as the Rangers most valuable player in my eyes. A defensive wizard at the hot corner he is baseballs best 3B in my eyes. Looking like a strong AL MVP candidate after another outstanding all around season. 

.318 Average/.353 OBP/.546 SLG./.900 OPS. 

 161 Hits 30 Doubles 28 HR  85 RBI

10. Carlos Gonzalez. Colorado Rockies. At one point in the season I had Gonzalez ranked in my top 5 hitters in the game. He has since cooled off as the Rockies struggle through another season. While Cargo is having a great season it seems that recently he has missed his buddy and fellow great Tulowitski being in the lineup. 

.311 Average/.381 OBP/.523 SLG/.904 OPS. 

146 Hits 27 Doubles 21 HR 82 RBI

9. Robinson Cano. NY Yankees. Is this guy ever going to win the batting title that Yankees fans jabber about all the time? The answer is no he won't but that doesn't mean he isn't the most productive 2B in the game right now. The Yankees best player is having another great season. The real question at this point is will he get to do some damage in October or are the Yankees going to pull a Red Sox - Braves of last season? 

.303 Average/.366 OBP/.544 SLG/.910 OPS. 

156 Hits  38 Doubles 28 HR 71 RBI

8. Prince Fielder. Detroit Tigers. A hot September could get his home run total up as that seems to be the only fault you can find in Prince's numbers this season. While not driving the ball out of the park he is still managing to drive a ton of runs across the plate. Of all the great 1-2 combo's in baseball Detroit has the highest 2 hitters in my rankings as Prince joins Miguel in the top 10 - shocker I know. 

.313 Average/.411 OBP/.518 SLG/.929 OPS. 

 151 Hits 28 Doubles 23 HR  93 RBI.

7. Buster Posey. SF Giants. While it is my opinion that the Cardinals have the best all around catcher in the game in Yadier Molina, Posey is pushing Molina this season with a MVP like season. To me its looking more and more like Posey should be the NL MVP if the Giants hold off the Dodgers and win the West. All this production at the catching position is b-a-n-a-n-a-s. 

.330 Average/.405 OBP/.533 SLG/.938 OPS.

 144 Hits  32 Doubles 19 HR  85 RBI. 

6. Edwin Encarnacion. Toronto Blue Jays. If i was to tell you at the beginning of the year that Edwin would be a top 10 hitter in all of baseball come September you would probably lose all respect for me. With an .OPS of nearly 200 points higher than last season the red flags are up for me on this one. Time MLB pushes for HGH testing in season ! 

.286 Average/.383 OBP/.570 SLG/ .953 OPS. 

135 Hits 23 Doubles 37 HR 95 RBI.

5. Josh Hamilton. Texas Rangers. The roller coaster season of Hamilton continues.  Currently sitting with borderline MVP stats if he catches fire these final few weeks he may just walk away with another AL MVP to go a long with his 2010 trophy. This is most likely his last season in Texas and I would like nothing more than a early exit this post season for the Rangers. Does anyone want to witness the Rangers lose 3 World Series in a row? I can't take those shots of Nolan Ryan fuming in his seat as Ron Washington lets another chance slip away.  

.290 Average/.355 OBP/.585 SLG/.941 OPS. 

139 Hits 24 Doubles 38 HR  114 RBI.

4. Andrew McCutchen. Pittsburgh Pirates. We are to the point now were it is needless to say that everyone is a MVP candidate putting up numbers like they are. McCutchen just might be the best overall player in the NL this season. The Pirates franchise player has stepped up and become a legit top 10 player in baseball. 

.341 Average/.405 OBP/.559 SLG/.964 OPS. 

168 Hits 25 Doubles 24 HR 80 RBI

3. Mike Trout.  Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The number one prospect in baseball Bryce Harper who? Stepped out of his prospect label and has become the best player in baseball since being called up back in May. Imagine what a whole season would of produced? While it is uncertain if this is going to be a standard season or the best season of his career one thing is certain, his potential greatness is limitless. The fact you can say he has a chance to be the best player of all time is something that should wow you - Remember he just turned 21. 

.332 Average/.396 OBP/.570 SLG/.966 OPS. 

152 Hits 22 Doubles 25 HR 74 RBI

2. Ryan Braun. Milwaukee Brewers. Last seasons tainted NL MVP in many ways is having an even better season this year while the SLG and HR are up. Ryan Braun has established himself  along with Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera as the 3 great right handed hitters of this era. To go down as an all time great it certainly helps play in the playoffs. The question remains will Ryan Braun ever make back into October as a Brewer again to show off his bat on a national stage? With the emergence of the Reds and the Cardinals always being strong it's not looking good for the near future. 

.311 Average/.388 OBP/ .605 SLG/..994 OPS. 

152 Hits 27 Doubles 37 HR  96 RBI. 

1. Miguel Cabrera.  Detroit Tigers. On his way to his 7th season hitting over .320. He already has is 30 HR which now gives him 8 seasons of doing that. While  his career stats aren't quite Albert Pujols numbers he has been the closest thing to "The Machine" MLB has seen in the Pujols era. Surpassing all his career averages in major stat categories with several weeks remaining its certain Cabrera is having another monster year with the bat. Baseball's most dangerous - best hitter for the entire 2012 season. 

.331 Average/.398 OBP/.588 SLG/.986 OPS. 

171 Hits 34 Doubles 33 HR 111 RBI

NO THESE GUYS DON'T.