July Update: Top Five First Basemen of 2010
Posted by homerunheyer on July 26th, 2010
First Base is the strongest offensive position by far in 2010. Three out of the five players that were on the list in early June have made it back this time around. The number one first basemen may also be MVP this season.
5. Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins: Morneau barely made it back on the list this time around falling from number two to number five. The Twins are in a tight race in their division with the Tigers and the White Sox. Currently the Twins are one game out of first behind the White Sox and one game ahead of the Tigers. The AL Central is the closest division in baseball right now.
Morneau has been the Twins biggest offensive threat this season, but no one else is stepping up to pull them ahead of the White Sox. Morneau can’t do it all by himself, Delmon Young is helping in a big way this season also, but it still isn’t enough. Morneau is leading his team in average- .345, home runs- 18 and is in second in RBI’s with 56 behind Young. Morneau always seems to have a solid season as long as he stays healthy. If Joe Mauer has a strong final two months in the season the Twins will probably win the division, but with the way Morneau is carrying the team with Young right now is not enough.
4. Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals: Pujols is still at number four on the list. If Pujols was at any other position he would probably be number one on the list, but since first base is so strong there are three people that are better than him so far this season. Pujols is hitting .300 with 23 home runs and 70 RBI’s. The Cardinals are currently a half a game ahead of the Reds for first place in the NL Central. Pujols and Matt Holliday are providing all the offense for the Cardinals and their pitching is doing the rest for them. Pujols should remain on this list until the end of the season and I would expect him to move up on the list actually to at least number three.
3. Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies: Ryan Howard had a hot June and July to move himself onto the top five list at number three. Howard is hitting .302 with 22 home runs and 78 RBI’s. I think the Phillies who are currently in second place in the NL East, will come back and take the division away from the Braves. The Phillies biggest problem has been injuries and lack of offense. Howard, after starting off real slow has turned things on and is now on fire. The rest of his team should follow his lead because with their talent they should easily take the division. Instead they will have to hope that they can make up for lost time and barely beat out the Braves in September.
2. Joey Votto, Cincinatti Reds: Votto went from not even being considered back in early June to now being the second best First basemen in baseball and first best in the National League. Votto is hitting .315 with 25 home runs and 67 RBI’s. The Reds are currently only a half a game out of first in their division thanks to Votto’s offense. Votto is leading his team in all the major offensive categories, home runs, average, and RBI’s. The Reds could still use more power in their lineup though, which is the case with most of the people on this list surprisingly. The Reds pitching along with Votto’s power makes them a good second place team. If the Reds want to take first back from the Cardinals they will have to trade for a bat in the next few days.
1. Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers: Cabrera remains at the top of the first basemen list. Cabrera is actually number one in my book over every player in baseball this season. Cabrera is hitting .350 with 24 home runs and 88 RBI’s. Going into June Robinson Cano was the odds on favorite to win the Al MVP but now Cabrera is the man. The Tigers are currently in third place in their division but are only two games out of first place. I think the Tigers have the best chance to win the division with the power they have in their lineup. Along with Cabrera they have Austin Jackson and Brennan Boesch who are both having terrific rookie seasons and are both up for rookie of the year. Magglio Ordonez is having a comeback year this season also. The problem with the Tigers is their pitching. Guys like Justin Verlander and Jeremy Bonderman aren’t pitching like expected. Then guys like Armando Gallagra, Rick Porcello, and Max Scherzer have shown glimmers of hope but haven’t maintained it. If the Tigers pitching turns around they will have no problem beating out the Twins and White Sox for their division. (mlb.com)
By Eric Heyer of Sports Fan Blog Network
