MLB 1st Month Stat Leaders, Blink Twice If You’ve Heard Of Edinson Volquez
By Erie's Scribe on Apr 30, 2008 with Comments 6
Did you know I lead the NL in ERA? Hey, the Rangers Josh Hamilton and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim’s (LAAsOA?) Casey Kotchman are 3 and 4 in AL batting average! Hamilton, who’s hitting .333, is the uber-talented centerfielder who was featured on Sportscenter (or Baseball Tonight? or Outside the Lines?) last year because he overcame a big drug problem. Kotchman has only played in more than 50 games a year once in his career, and is hitting .259 in April for his career including this year’s .326.
Don’t White Sox fans hate Joe Crede? Wasn’t he on the trading block for awhile? After one month, he’s tied with teammate Carlos Quentin for the AL lead in home runs. Who? Exactly, I vaguely remember that Quentin was a hot prospect with the Diamondbacks. He’s already two home runs away from tying his single season best. How soon is too soon for Berman to do some “San Quentin” jokes?
The venerable Emil Brown, who escaped to Oakland from Kansas City (that doesn’t sound like much of an escape), is second in the AL in RBIs with 25 to Hamilton’s 32. Joe Crede lurks 3 back tied with Justin Morneau. In the NL Xavier Nady sits atop the RBI leaderboard with 26. Yes, Cecilio’s Scribe and your Mets fan brethren, that Xavier Nady. The D-backs Conor Jackson and the Bucos Nate McLouth are tied for fourth. Not exactly household names.
The pitching stat leaders are even more surprising than the hitters. Do you know the Angels Joe Saunders? Me neither but his 5 wins are good enough for a first place tie in the AL, one win ahead of Tampa Bay’s Andy Sonnanstein, another gentleman I’ve never heard of. And speaking of guys I’ve never heard of, the Giants Brian Wilson (resisting bad Beach Boys joke….resistance is futile) is tied for the NL lead in saves with 9, and Oakland’s Dana Eveland is fifth in the AL with a 2.43 ERA.
In case you were wondering, the Indians Cliff Lee is leading the majors with a 0.96 ERA. Lee’s 2007 numbers? He was 5-8 with a 6.29 ERA. Edinson Volquez leads the NL with a 1.23 ERA. On the chance that you didn’t know, Volquez toils for the Cincinnati Reds.
If even 3 of these guys are still in the Top 5 in their respective categories come June 1st, I’ll be shocked. If any of them are there on July 1st I’ll be suspicious. By August I’ll start demanding an investigation.
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Never sleep on the X-Man. He is dangerous. Very dangerous.
All 12 of us Rangers fans know Edinson Volquez well. Although a big surprising, seeing him succeed should not be the biggest shock since his stuff is just sickening.
At least we got Josh Hamilton in return.
Chip, I think I remember hearing Gammons say something about his stuff in preseason. Every time I see his first name I think that his parents tried to name him after Thomas Edison and there was a misprint on the birth certificate.
Scribe: Prediction for the Mets in ARZ this week? More wins, or trips to the Bourbon St. Circus?
didnt look who made the post…sorry
Taco King, no prob, I like to rap with Mets fans. As a much more unbiased observer than Cecilio’s Scribe, I think there will be more trips to The Bourbon St. Circus than Mets victories. But really, where are the losers in that scenario?