Overachievers & Underachievers

As is the case with every baseball season, there have been some guys who've been pleasant surprises and there have been others who've really disappointed. In this blog, I've come up with two teams - The Surprise-Stars (guys who have had unexpectedly good seasons) and The Let-Downs (guys who haven't lived up to expectations). Now for the lineups!

The Let-Downs:

1B: Jason Giambi, Oakland Athletics - So much for changing the culture in the Oakland locker room! Giambi was released last week.

2B: Kelly Johnson, Atlanta Braves - With multiple trips to the DL and a trip to the minor leagues, Kelly Johnson belongs on the bench, which is where he is.

3B: Garrett Atkins, Colorado Rockies - Last season, Atkins hit 21 home runs with a .286 batting average. This year, how about 7 home runs and a .222 average?

SS: J.J. Hardy, Milwaukee Brewers - He was recently sent down to the minors because of his lack of production - enough said.

C: Geovany Soto, Chicago Cubs: He's been injured most of the year so he probably deserves a pass, but it's still disappointing since he was so great last year.

LF: Alfonso Soriano, Chicago Cubs: If he's not going to learn how to play the outfield, he at least needs to make up for it offensively. A .245 average

and 8 stolen bases doesn't cut it.

CF: Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers: An alcohol relapse, trips to the DL, a .260 average, and only 8 home runs = rough year!

RF: Magglio Ordonez, Detroit Tigers: He has 6 home runs and 36 RBI's this season. How's that for a guy who's making $19 million per year?

SP: Aaron Harang, Cincinnati Reds: Many thought Harang would have a strong year after struggling last season. Instead, he continues to struggle with a 6-13 record and 4.4 ERA.

RP: Brad Lidge, Philadelphia Phillies: When you're perfect in converting save chances the previous season, leading the league in blown saves the next season has to be a disappointment.

The Surprise-Stars:

1B: Kendry Morales, Los Angeles Angels: In his previous three seasons, he'd hit 12 home runs for his career. This year, he's hit 25 home runs and he's showing no signs of slowing down.

2B: Ben Zobrist, Tampa Bay Rays: He's filled in wherever the Rays have needed him and he continues to produce. He's projected to finish the season with 28 home runs, 20 stolen bases, and an average near .300.

3B: Mark Reynolds, Arizona Diamondbacks: Although he has a lot of strikeouts, Reynolds has 36 home runs and 80 RBI's. If he played for a good team, he'd be in the conversation for runner up NL MVP (behind Albert Pujols).

SS: Asdrubal Cabrera, Cleveland Indians: He's been one of the few bright spots for the Indians

this season. Cabrera has provided solid defensive help, hit for average, and stolen bases.

*Honorable Mention: Jason Bartlett: Bartlett has been a monster at the plate this season. He's currently hitting .341 and he has 11 home runs (more than the last four seasons combined).

C: Mike Napoli, Los Angeles Angels: Napoli earns this spot by default because there haven't been any big surprises at catcher this season. While he's struggled defensively, Napoli is batting around .300 and he's already hit 16 home runs.

LF: Raul Ibanez, Philadelphia Phillies: He seemed like a nice offseason pickup for the Phillies, but no one expected what he's done. Ibanez is projected to finish the year with a .297 average, 43 home runs, 123 RBI's, and he will probably end up in the top 3 for NL MVP voting.

CF: Michael Bourn, Houston Astros: Last season, Bourn struggled for the Astros with an average of .229 and 41 stolen bases. This season, Bourn already has 42 stolen bases and he's raised his average to .289.

RF: Bobby Abreu, Los Angeles Angels: When Abreu left New York, it seemed like he was on the downside to his career. Instead, his batting average is the highest it's been since 2000 and he's projected to steal 35 bases. Not bad for an old man.

SP: Edwin Jackson, Detroit Tigers: The Tigers probably thought Jackson would be a good addition to the back-end of their rotation, but he's turned in to a star. He has a 2.79 ERA and his BAA is only .226.

*Honorable Mention: Javier Vazquez, Atlanta Braves: Vazquez has an ERA of 2.90 and he

already has 171 strikeouts. It's a shame his record is only 10-7.

*Honorable Mention: Josh Johnson, Florida Marlins: His ERA is 2.92 and he has an 11-2 record. Now that he's finally healthy, his pitching is absolutely filthy.

RP: Ryan Franklin, St. Louis Cardinals: At the beginning of the season, the closer spot was a big question mark for the Cardinals and Franklin has really stepped up with a 1.20 ERA and 28 saves.

*Honorable Mention: David Aardsma, Seattle Mariners: The journeyman reliever seems to have found his niche in Seattle. 27 saves and a 2.02 ERA has been huge for the Mariners as they've been able to use Aardsma as their closer and not call up any of their prospects.