List Leaders

It’s one month into the baseball season. Much to my chagrin, the Yankees have a 13-13 record and do not lead their division. There have been a few surprises emerging early in the division races. The Bluejays, Royals and Mariners stand on top in the American League. Philadelphia, St. Louis and Los Angeles hold first place in the National League. Oakland and Washington are trying to get to double digit wins and the Rockies, Orioles and Dbacks wonder how they are already 8 games back.
Last year’s reigning AL CY Young, Cliff Lee, has not been in step with his 2008 performances. The Mets’ David Wright is struggling to find his swing and has been haunted by the strikeout. The Dodgers do not know how to lose at home and the Yankees have already dropped five straight games to Boston. October is far away but certain players are performing at their peak, while others are not seeing desirable stats yet. Over the course of the year, the leaders will change. Different teams will dip into first place and dangle in the middle. Some won’t break out until after the all-star break and others will be setback by injured stars.

These are the individual leaders topping several lists:
Batting Average:
.393 Kevin Youkilis (BOS)- Boston’s prized first baseman was selected in 2001 as an 8th round draft pick. He’s had four two-hit games in his past ten, including seven for extra bases. I love reading situational stats and see Kevin has six homeruns, half coming on solo shots. But he also has 17 of his 20 RBIs from at-bats with runners on base. Youkilis hits for a high average because he gets on base often. Kevin’s .505 on-base percentage is great for 89 at-bats. He has more strikeouts than walks this year (18 K’s to 16 BB) which is uncharacteristic of the patient slugger. But the Red Sox star is smart at swinging at good pitches, as his batting average indicates. Youkilis is .417 with runners-in-scoring position this year and .545 with two outs. This is the highest his average has ever been. Since 2001, Kevin’s average has gone up every year. He finished 2008 with a lofty .312, and should top that by the completion of this year barring any injury.

.400 Carlos Beltran (NYM)- One of the best centerfielders in the league, Beltran blasted two homeruns Monday night in Atlanta. His bat has been on fire since day one of the 2009 season. Knock his base sliding skills all you want, but Carlos produces and quietly leads the league in batting average by far. The closest to him is Cincinnati’s, Joey Votto, at .365. A former Astro and Royal, who bats right-handed, Beltran is the Mets MVP right now. He crossed the plate ten times in the past ten games for a New York team fraught with scoring runs. Beltran is no burden for Flushing, extending his hitting streak to 16 straight games last night. The fifth man in the order, Beltran hit .367 with runners-in-scoring position. In the past three seasons with the Mets Carlos clocked 64 over the fence. He has 18 RBIs in 90 at bats for the Amazins and is on his way to another all-star year. I don’t think his stay at the top will be terse if he continues to plug away at the plate.

Home Runs:
11 Carlos Pena (TB)- The Rays have a legitimate left-handed all-star in first baseman, Pena. The well-rounded hitter has 27 hits with a scattering of doubles, triples and singles. His eleven homeruns accompany 28 RBIs. Pena had a four RBI day, including two long balls, in late April against Oakland. He came to the plate five times that day. Pena’s homerun total dropped off slightly last year. He socked 31 in 2008 after detonating 46 dingers a season before for Tampa. Pena has 174 homeruns in his 10 year career, playing for five different clubs. Only since he started playing for the Rays has Carlos been a 100 plus RBI man and he should put up similar numbers this year.

9 Albert Pujols (STL)- Pujols persists on putting up unreal stats. The NL leader in jacks and RBIs, Albert is the main reason St. Louis is a first place team. The righty went without a hit against Philadelphia Monday but has hit five out of the park in his past ten games. In that span, he’s also had a pair of three hit games. His .344 batting average is remarkable enough but Albert rarely strikes out. He only has 9 whiffs on the year. Although some are intentional, Pujols has enjoyed 19 base-on-balls too. He has 30 RBIs, including 16 with a runner on third base. Clutch hitting is something Albert embraces. The team’s third hitter also has a .705 slugging percentage and 4 stolen bases.

9 Adrian Gonzalez (SD)- It seems like first baseman lead most of these categories, and Gonzalez is another one to top the NL homerun list. The Padre plays for the city he was born in and bats lefty. His eager approach is appealing but his bat is what makes him standout on the diamond. He gave fans something to finally cheer about last week with a two homerun performance against the Rockies. Gonzalez has been a perennial 30 homerun hitter after a slow start as a Texas rookie. With more playing time, Adrian has vastly improved at the plate since donning the Padres uniform. The free swinger strikes out a lot, but his power bat proved why he was a first round Florida draft pick in 2001. His 20 RBIs in 27 games are pretty efficient numbers and he is batting .313. Adrian seems to favor Mets, Phillies and Pirates pitching in 2009. He’s had multiple homeruns against all three pitching staffs this year. He doesn’t fare too well against leftys, however. Only one of his 9 homers has come against a left-hander on the mound. Still, Pena is a knockout threat making his presence felt for an anemic offense in San Diego.

RBIs:
31 Evan Longoria (TB)- Tampa’s best kept secret is no more. Longoria broke out last season and really dominated down the stretch. He was very much a part of the potent lineup when the Rays played for the world title. The 23 year old third baseman is already one of the best at his position in the AL. The all-pro tallied 31 RBIs, including back-to-back games to end April where he totaled four. Longoria’s .721 slugging percentage and 15 hits with runners-in-scoring position add up to success. Tampa will score runs whenever Evan is batting in the three hole for them. Evan keeps his cool on the field and with the bat. His abrupt swing is enough to muster the ball like a watermelon into the stands. I enjoy watching him hit because his enthusiasm ignites the young team. The California native lived up to his hype and instantly accomplished more than most rookies last year. He can bash AL East foes and is valuable to the defending league champs.

29 Albert Pujols (STL)- see above

Wins:
6 Zack Greinke (KC)- Zack’s diminutive ERA is amazing and grand. He was the first major leaguer to hit the six win mark on the mound. When Greinke takes the hill, the Royals win. It’s that simple. He should be anointed the face of the franchise. The righty was Kansas City’s first round pick in 2002 but never panned out until this season. He is a great comeback story for the Royals, and for baseball. The pitcher of the month for April, 25 year old Greinke greets batters with a beautiful artsy curveball and tight, torrid fastball. So far, Zack has pitched three complete games and allowed 3 runs (2 earned). Greinke industriously induces ground balls and appears flawless as he flaunts and flashes his fastballs. He struck out 44 batters in 36 innings during April. Monday, during his latest masterpiece, Zack shutout the Whitesox 3-0 on six hits. As you can see, he leads the league in all three pitching categories and is on his way as the early CY Young favorite and all-star starter.

5 Chad Billingsley (LAD)- Right-handed Billingsley is 5-0 for the Dodgers in 478 innings of work. Coming off a 16-10 season, LA fans have reason to believe Chad can top that total in 2009. He’s endured seven or more innings in four of his six starts and has established himself as a hard thrower. He allowed his first homerun May 1st in a win over the Padres but was perfect in April in that department. Billingsley walked only 16 batters and struck out a sizeable 42. Chad’s wins are impressive because they have come in relatively close balls games. Except for the 11-1 dominant drubbing of the Giants, Billingsley has held his own on the hill in two, three and four run lead situations. Odds are he is going to be a money pitcher for the remainder of the Dodgers season. If he can win five games and log fifty innings every month, a 20 win year is not out of the realm.

ERA:
.40 Zack Greinke (KC)- see above

1.10 Johan Santana (NYM)- I can’t recall a more astounding and bigger than life pitcher than the stately Santana. Johan is a magician on the mound and if not for some Mets miscues, would not have a loss. Just when you think Santana has done it all, he still does more to impress you. Santana’s career ERA is 3.07 and has not been higher than 3.33 since 2001. In a span of ten seasons, Johan has pitched 1575 innings, allowing 580 runs. He has over 1600 strikeouts, including the 44 under his belt this year. Opponents are having trouble with his offerings, hitting only .185 against the gifted lefty. He wins without glitz or glamour. The Mets should let Johan complete his own games instead of handing the job to the shaky bullpen. Johan tossed nine complete games in his career and is capable of finishing and retiring the final batters. Oddly, he only has one twenty win season but boasts a 112-52 career record. Those are definitely favorable for any pitcher and I would be stuffing the ballot box with votes for CY Young if it were my choice.

Strikeouts:
54 Zack Greinke (KC)- see above

50 Javier Vasquez (ATL)- An Atlanta Brave leads the league in strikeouts. I was surprised to see that after a month’s worth of play. Vasquez’s 50 K’s go along with only 11 walks issued. Javy was so promising as a young pitcher in Montreal. I really liked when he signed with the Yankees but was happy to see him leave town after a mediocre 14-10 year. Vasquez has gradually shown signs of a re-emergence. He struck out 200 or more in his final two years as a Chicago Whitesox. His ERA remains constant, lingering and ranging between 3-4 since 2000. Javy’s longest outing was a nine hit game when he pitched eight innings in a loss to St. Louis. His best strikeout game was a six inning loss to Florida where he fanned 12 Marlins. The Marlins lead the league in strikeouts so that may not be the best indicator of Vasquez’s talent in 2009. Although he struck out 8 Mets on Monday, he did allow three homeruns. His hits and runs allowed keep increasing as the weather warms, so I do hesitate to admire what he’s done thus far. That’s not to say he won’t still lead the NL in K’s. He has the ability, and always has had a knack for puzzling sluggers. His strikeout-to-walk ration is great. Without him the Whitesox probably do not get into the playoffs last year. Javy also has a tendency to leave floaters out and over the plate. But I can’t see Vasquez outperforming some of the league’s best down the stretch.

Parting points: My play “list” for today:
Blur- “Song Two”
Duran Duran- “Hungry Like the Wolf”
Shinedown-”Second Chance”
Stone Temple Pilots- “Tripin’ on a Hole in a Paper Bag”
Boyz II Men- “On Bended Knee”
Better Than Ezra- “Good”