| 24 April 2010
Fish Stripes takes a look at one of the most underrated hitters in baseball, Marlins third baseman Jorge Cantu.
Cantu has been one of the most intriguing players in baseball since his arrival to Florida. Whether it be the small market he plays in, or being overshadowed by the rise of Hanley Ramirez, Cantu has quietly put together some impressive numbers and is a threat to reach 25 home runs and over 100 RBIs in any given season. Having been given up on by the Devil Rays and Reds, Cantu has seemingly found a home in Florida where he and his fellow infield sluggers, Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla are a fun and exciting team to watch as they swing for the fences at every at bat.
The Good Phight dug up some interesting numbers following Cole Hamels, Roy Halladay, and Jamie Moyer's dominating performances in Atlanta.
What a sigh of relief if you're a Phillies fan. In 23 innings pitched, the three starters gave up zero earned runs and allowed only 13 hits, giving the much depleted Phillie bullpen a rest. Phili will need more impressive starts like this from their rotation, especially now that J.A. Happ will be unavailable for a few weeks. Former Met Nelson Figueroa will take Happs spot in the rotation as he makes his first start in a Phillie uniform Saturday in Arizona. If the Figueroa experiment fails manager Charlie Manuel can then possibly turn to reliever Jose Contreras, who has struggled mightily with his role in the bullpen but has plenty of experience as a starter.
Despite having a respectable 8-7 record with some impressive wins, Braves Blast is concerned with the sputtering part of the Braves lineup.
Troy Glaus, Yunel Escobar, Nate McLouth, and Melky Cabrera are all still trying to get into the "swing" of things, and if it weren't for the impressive play of Jason Heyward this issue would be more of a hot topic. In order for Atlanta to be competitive in the division they need this part of the lineup to produce. All of the struggling players have been around the league long enough to not allow their issues from becoming a major team distraction, and I am confident that with time they can turn it around. Bobby Cox will find a solution by tinkering with his lineup to find the most successful balance for a roster filled with legitimate professional hitters. I would be surprised if the Braves still find themselves not hitting by the time June rolls around.
Looks like Jerry Manuel is finally going to live up to his word by batting Jose Reyes third in their weekend series against the Braves.
I don't know which way to swing on this move; on the one hand you have to believe that dropping Reyes to third in the order will make things easier for Jason Bay, who has struggled all year striking out in 23 of his 58 total at bats, but Reyes is clearly the best leadoff hitter on the roster, so who do you pick to replace him? In the end, no matter how many questions we may have surrounding the move, the fact remains that the middle of the order in Wright, Bay, and Francouer haven't been clicking all season long, so it is hard to argue against experimenting with this idea when it is still April.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
