MLB Week 3........Gone Streakin' (Apr 21-27)

Week 3 in Major League Baseball was filled with streaks.
Streaks that are beginning , ending and continuing. It was tough for me, to really come up with an opening picture. Honestly, it was the hardest thing I had to do this week.
The Marlins and Yankees had a tough week. While, the Cardinals and Red Sox had an awesome week.
With "Streak Week" finally coming to a close, we found out what teams and players are for real.

Batting averages preparing to come down to normal, slumpers bringing out their bats, farm system phone calls and managers losing their minds. The Real Baseball Season is finally here.

My Top 5 sluggers
1. Albert Pujols(2)(STL/1B)- There's no question that once A-Rod hits his 800 home runs that Albert will be right behind him. His reading ability against opposing pitchers is ridiculous....it's the only reason why he is getting a hit every 3 at bats. If he keeps batting like this consistently he will be on this list weekly. His great start to the season is one of the reasons why the NL Central leading Cardinals are making a break to a division title.

Pujols' year consists of a .333 BA , 7 home runs and 25 RBI's. His league leading 20 runs this year is about 1/6 of the Cardinals run production. Without Pujols, the Cardinals would not be leading the league in runs scored (118).

2. Ian Kinsler (2)(Tex/2B)- Ian is furiously, consistently hitting the ball well. Why isn't he number one on this list? Because Cardinals hitters... Ludwick and Pujols are hitting the ball better. Sooner or later he'll be better than Pujols. Not Really...
His numbers: 7 homers, 20 RBI's, and a .340 BA.


3. Carlos Pena(TB/1b)- It's very hard for me to do this. You can make a case about this all you want but if you look at his projected stats on ESPN.com it says that he's projected to hit 76 homers and bring in 203 RBI's. Yeah Right. He's definitely off to a great start by leading in the AL in home runs and runs batted in, 9HR, and 24 RBI. The only thing that scares me about this guy is his batting average. .257. It's not top 5 quality...Ya know

4. Kevin Youkilis(BOS/1B)- "Youk" in German means 'The Greek God of Walks'. "Youkii" must means God of Runs. This guy is all power. He's played his entire 5 year career at Boston and his biggest year was last year with 29 HR's and 115 RBI's.. There is no way he gets below those numbers this year. He's off to a great start with 5 home runs, 13 RBI's. Those numbers aren't eye-popping compared to everyone else's. What is-is his 29 hits, 20 runs and .414 batting average.

5. Brandon Inge (DET/3B)- I call him 'fearless'. The only time I've seen this guy smile is in this picture to my left. He plays the game so serious. I really think playing 3rd base (the hot corner) is stressful. But playing 3rd base and putting up unbelievable numbers is just as hard. He's played his entire 8 year career in Detroit and his biggest year was in 2006 when he hit 27/83(hr/rbi). He's on track to stomp those numbers in 2009. He's got 7 HR's, 17 RBI's, and a .328 BA.

Honorable Mention
Nick Markakis(RF) and Adam Jones(CF)-The Baltimore Orioles should be thankful they have two of the hottest outfielders in baseball. They both combine with 52 hits and 42 runs (21 a piece). Also they both have a batting average above .340 and batted in 17+ RBI's this season.


My Top 5 pitchers

1. Zack Grienke(3)(KC)- This kid's stuff is INSANE. His scoreless innings streak ended on an error. Typical Royals.... Or Not so Typical? Is this kid a fluke? With 4 wins, 29 innings and giving up 1 run....no earned runs. Is this kid the truth? I think so. He has a WHIP(walks+hits/inning) of .86, 39 strikeouts and an ERA of 0. If he keeps this up...he will be an All-Star game starter.

2. Johan Santana(2)(NYM)- Mr "Lights Out". 25 2/3 innings...37 strikeouts. He's only given up 4 runs in 4 games (2 earned). There's no question he's winning 20 games this year. 4-0 with a .70 ERA.



3. Chad Billingsley(2) (LAD)- With Clayton Kershaw acting up on the mound...giving up too many home runs and earned runs.....Chad has really stepped up and taking that roll as head man. He's 4-0 with a 2.05 ERA, 26 strikeouts in 26 innings. This stud is amazing with a baseball.


4. Roy Halladay(2) (TOR)- Roy doesn't deserve to be this high on the list, but he has 4 wins. The only reason why he's on this list is because his wins are due to his team bailing him out. If Zack Grienke trails out in the AL Cy Young Race.... Halladay will be your winner. But he has to find his spots. He can not be on 'Holiday'...it's that simple. Giving up 15 runs in 5 games scares me..only because his ERA is high through 36 innings(3.75)....mind you that he has 32 stirkeouts which helps his 4-1 record look appealing...or worth looking at.

5. Javier Vazquez(ATL)- Through 11 years of his career...the last 9 years he has had 10+ wins. There's no doubt that he is reliable...we just need some control. Through 24 innings he has given up 7 earned runs...that's the down-side. Javier has a 2-1 record...with a 2.60 ERA with 34 strikeouts.


Honorable Mention
Armando Galarraga(ATL) By the starts...He is becoming more and more impressive. Through 4 starts, 24 innings pitched, 24 strikeouts, 3-0 record with a 1.85 ERA. He has only given up 5 earned runs.

Who's Hot/Who's Not

Hot

Boston Red Sox- They're on a 11 game winning streak ....outscoring opponents 83-37. Playing in the toughest division in baseball. There's no way that they should be sweeping the Yankees at Fenway with their so called dominant pitching staff. But with great run production and staying aggressive on base...(i.e. stealing home base). They might be making a statement for a division crown.

St. Louis Cardinals- Like I said last week, the objective of the game is to score runs. Scoring the most runs in the league and having a run differential of +31... there's no doubt that they are the hottest team in the National League, but watch out for those Dodgers in the West.

Not

'The' New York Yankees- When you commit 441 million dollars to your team in the offseason you should be winning the division. Actually, you shouldn't lose a game. But for some reason, having the worst ERA in the league.....7+ runs a game from their starting pitching. Having a 9-10 record sounds normal to them, but there is no excuse for playing crappy baseball. Their offense is awesome, but C.C Sabathia and his 161 million dollars needs to step up.... having a 4.73 ERA is not going to win a divison title. He needs to act like an ACE.

Florida Marlins- Last week, I was all over this team. They were 11-1 heading into Pennsylvania, facing the Phillies and the Pirates.. and they got swept. They fell off the radar that fast. During their 7 game losing streak they have given up 51 runs. Also, during that stretch they have scored 16 runs. Pathetic. And that my friend is how you go from Hot-to-Not within a week.

My Surprises

Toronto Blue Jays: I'm surprised of this team because to maintain and to be composed to being atop the AL East division...through the Red Sox's 11 game win streak...is tough. Very tough. Once you hit rock bottom in that division, there is no coming back. Their Adversity and Integrity is intense and I hope it shows all year. Yeah Right... (lol)