Surprise, Surprise

Miguel Cabrera remains under the radar while Tommy Hanson and Kendry Morales have shined as 2009 breakout performers


It’s that time of the year...

...Where baseball seems as though it is on the back burner. The season has reached a lull, and the start of college and NFL seasons don’t help. With almost all of the division winners locked into place, this September has even lacked the excitement of a true pennant race. The Sports Bar feels the need to show some much needed love to Americas Pasttime. Without getting into MVP or Cy Young debates, lets take a look at some of the more surprising, breakout and under the radar players from this season.

Miguel Cabrera, 1b, DET, (.333 avg-30 HR-91 RBI)- I promise this will be the most notable name on this list but anyone outside of the baseball enthusiast community probably has no idea who “Miggy” is. Sure, there are probably 5-10 other young budding superstars I could mention here, but I really feel the need to single out Cabrera. The kid is Pujols-lite. An exaggeration? Possibly. But Cabrera provides a comparable combination of power and average that is matched by few in the game. At 26 –years old, Miggy has quietly pieced together another stellar season on a team that has disintegrated around him offensively. From 2006-08 the Tigers boasted one of the more potent lineups in all of baseball, however, this season Cabrera has had to shoulder much more of the load while doing his work without the protection or RBI opportunities of seasons past. Currently his 2009 campaign has him on a pace that falls just short of his career numbers, but with another year of adjustment to the American League and few more pieces around him Cabrera could post mind-boggling numbers in seasons to come.

Kendry Morales, 1b, ANA, (.304 avg-30 HR-98 RBI)- Holy Cuban sandwich! What a season this guy has put together. An offensive spark that the usually power stricken Angels were sorely lacking. The Cuban defector signed with the Angels in 2004 and has received full time major league at-bats for the first time this season. The switch hitter helped fill a huge void for the Angels after Mark Texiera left the team via free agency after last season. Morales has put together his first career 30 home run season and is on pace to knock in well over 100 runs, probably far exceeding the projections that the Angel brass had for him. Regardless, look for Morales to really take the next step in 2010 after having played a full season at a very high level.

Mark Reynolds, 3b/1b, ARI,(42 HR-97 RBI-24 steals)- The breakout player of the year and I don’t think its really that close. In what seems to be one of the most inexplicable seasons of recent memory, his numbers are simply insane. Before this season, no one questioned Reynolds’ raw ability to hit for power. He smacked 28 out of the park just last year. However, it was an average (.239) that was hindered by a record setting 204 strikeouts in 2008 that had many wondering if he would ever be able to take the next step. Ironically enough, Reynolds finds himself on pace to strike out even MORE in 2009 yet he remains amongst the league leaders in most offensive categories. If he can re-discover his early season swing to push himself through the end of the year, Reynolds could become the most unlikely 50-homerun player in MLB history.

Tommy Hanson, SP, ATL,(10-3, 2.65 ERA 1.18 WHIP, 93K’s, 108.2 innings)- This rookie pitcher has been nearly untouchable since his call up in early June. Since getting roughed up for 6 earned runs in his first major league start he has gone on to allow 3 earned runs or fewer in 15 of his last 17 starts. Pretty impressive for a 23-year old. Hanson has settled in nicely after advancing very quickly through the Braves minor league system. He just reached 10-wins in 18 starts, a remarkable feat for such a young pitcher. Hanson posted 22 consecutive scoreless innings earlier this season and is now currently working on a 15 inning streak after blanking the Met’s for seven strong innings on Sept. 15. Atlanta has helped Hanson reach his comfort zone by surrounding him with a solid veteran staff that should help keep the pressure off for the foreseeable future. The sky is the limit for Hanson who has shown calm and poise that is almost unforeseen in rookie arms fresh out of the minor leagues. He has adjusted to big league pitching almost seamlessly and it makes one wonder how good this kid can actually be.

Rajai Davis, OF, OAK (.314 AVG-56 RBI-38 SB-315 At-bats)- What a difference a little opportunity can make. Davis did not start off the season receiving full time at-bats but has worked his way up the ranks of the Oakland A’s depth chart very quickly. Since the all-star break Davis has been on fire batting .347 anchored by a blistering .407 in July and .411 so far in September. Really eye popping numbers. Davis is fast, really fast with almost all of his value coming via the stolen base. His 38 steals in 315 at bats is a fantastic ratio shows how little opportunity this guy needs to make a substantial impact on the base paths. The average has been a pleasant surprise considering he has never received enough at bats to gauge exactly how he would react to such opportunity. Regardless, it seems as though Davis has at the very least worked himself into consideration for the everyday starting center field spot for the A’s come 2010.

-MJK