Enough of Bonds: It's time to focus on rising stars
By: James Mason
Issue date: 6/2/06 Section: Sports
Originally published: 6/2/06 at 10:34 AM EST
Last update: 6/7/06 at 12:09 AM EST
Originally published: 6/2/06 at 10:34 AM EST
Last update: 6/7/06 at 12:09 AM EST
Another young player in the NL East who's becoming one of the best clutch hitters in baseball is David Wright. He's hitting .322 with eight home runs and 35 RBIs. Wright has had some big clutch hits already this season, and he's giving the Mets Gold Glove defense. He's only 23 years old, but in my opinion he's one of the early MVP candidates this season.
The Marlins have a 23-year-old stud on their team as well. Miguel Cabrera is among the league leaders in batting average and OPS. Too bad he plays on one of the worst teams in baseball. But with the Marlins history of trading all of their good players and their poor financial situation, I wouldn't be surprised if he was playing on a contender in September.
The Brewers have a couple of great young players on their team. Prince Fielder, the son of famed slugger Cecil, is living up to the hype. He's batting .320 with nine homers and 33 RBIs. Rickie Weeks is hitting .314 and has 10 stolen bases. They have helped make the Brewers a competitive team this year.
On the pitching side, the Diamondbacks' Brandon Webb has started the season 8-0. His ERA is 2.01 and he has the D'Backs in the hunt. The Phillies' Brett Myers is also among the league leaders in ERA and is the anchor of the Phillies rotation. There are also a lot of young relief pitchers playing critical roles on many of the teams poised to make a postseason run.
While all of these young stars are having great seasons, there's one guy in the National League who is about to take over, much like Barry Bonds did from 2001-2004. That guy is Albert Pujols. Pujols is only 26 years old and he is the best player in either league. He won his first MVP award last year, and is the early favorite to win this year. Oh, by the way, he is on pace for about 80 home runs.
Pujols leads all of baseball in home runs, RBIs, runs scored and OPS. What's best about his chase is the fact that there is drug testing in baseball. While some people will still be skeptical, there is no BALCO scandal around Pujols, no cream and no clear. He's just on pace to have one of the greatest seasons of all time.
The Marlins have a 23-year-old stud on their team as well. Miguel Cabrera is among the league leaders in batting average and OPS. Too bad he plays on one of the worst teams in baseball. But with the Marlins history of trading all of their good players and their poor financial situation, I wouldn't be surprised if he was playing on a contender in September.
The Brewers have a couple of great young players on their team. Prince Fielder, the son of famed slugger Cecil, is living up to the hype. He's batting .320 with nine homers and 33 RBIs. Rickie Weeks is hitting .314 and has 10 stolen bases. They have helped make the Brewers a competitive team this year.
On the pitching side, the Diamondbacks' Brandon Webb has started the season 8-0. His ERA is 2.01 and he has the D'Backs in the hunt. The Phillies' Brett Myers is also among the league leaders in ERA and is the anchor of the Phillies rotation. There are also a lot of young relief pitchers playing critical roles on many of the teams poised to make a postseason run.
While all of these young stars are having great seasons, there's one guy in the National League who is about to take over, much like Barry Bonds did from 2001-2004. That guy is Albert Pujols. Pujols is only 26 years old and he is the best player in either league. He won his first MVP award last year, and is the early favorite to win this year. Oh, by the way, he is on pace for about 80 home runs.
Pujols leads all of baseball in home runs, RBIs, runs scored and OPS. What's best about his chase is the fact that there is drug testing in baseball. While some people will still be skeptical, there is no BALCO scandal around Pujols, no cream and no clear. He's just on pace to have one of the greatest seasons of all time.
