I don't know if you remember, but Joey Votto won an MVP award in 2010. You may not, however, because he's as under the radar as a superstar can be. He's been a beast since his arrival in the bigs in 2007, posting a shiny .313 career batting average, and is the centerpiece of a Reds organization that needs to get him more help.
12) Roy Halladay, P, Philadelphia Phillies
Still among the top pitchers in the game, Halladay is beginning to enter the stage of his career where he relies on finesse a bit more than in the past. He still can crank up a 93-MPH cutter when he needs to, but he did surrender 208 hits last year. Nonetheless he strands guys on the bases; his ERA of 2.35 was only bested by Clayton Kershaw. ERA-wise, the next best pitcher to surrender 200 hits was CC Sabathia, whose ERA was 65 points higher.
13) Troy Tulowitzki, SS, Colorado Rockies
This five-tooler delivers a rare power surge from the shortstop position. He's cashed in with Colorado for the next decade, and hasn't yet reached his full potential. He committed only six errors a season ago, an impressive feat for a middle infielder. It's still extremely early, but if he keeps it up, a spot in Cooperstown could be waiting.
14) Cliff Lee, P, Philadelphia Phillies
This guy is capable of jaw-dropping stretches of dominance, like in June of this past year, when he threw three straight shutouts and allowed just one earned run in his five starts. His spiked curve is simply filthy. Hitters leave the plate thinking they've seen a ghost.
15) Tim Lincecum, P, San Francisco Giants
Timmy explains his unorthodox, yet mechanically sound delivery by saying his dad told him to think he was reaching low for a dollar bill in front of the mound. Well, he's earned himself a lot more than a dollar: he just settled with the Giants for two years, 40.5 million in cash, avoiding arbitration. Now the question is whether the front office can pick up an offense that will help he and fellow star Matt Cain get some Ws.
Will be continued tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment