It’s hard to believe that we already have two months in the record books this season. The month of May was chock full of brilliant performances, and not so brilliant performances. And unfortunately, lots of injuries. Lets take a closer look by position, at who rose to the occasion, and who fell short, in May edition of AL & NL Studs and Duds!
Catcher
AL Stud: Joe Mauer- While the other members of the Twins are struggling, Joe Mauer is continually getting better. In the month of May, Mauer had 3 home runs, 10 RBI, a .388 batting average, and a .479 OBP. Mauer’s average is actually 83 points higher than the team average!
NL Stud: Brian McCann- Many analyst thought that when McCann returned from the DL that he would struggle. Well, he didn’t. In fact he came roaring back! When McCann returned from the DL he went 21/76, with 7 home runs, 17 RBI, a .276 batting average, and a .364 OBP. If he can continue to produce like this we could be looking at the NL Comeback Player of the Year!
AL Dud: Tyler Flowers-The White Sox are just not playing very well this season. And with guys like Tyler Flowers, it’s no wonder. Last month he was 13/65 with 0 home runs, 3 RBI, a .200 batting average, and a .268 OBP. I’ll be honest that’s just bad.
NL Dud: John Buck- Buck actually started off with a bang in April, but then he encountered a slump, and has not recovered yet. In May, Buck was just 15/87, with 1 home run, 6 RBI, a .172 batting average, and a .258 OBP. I don’t know if a slump-buster can help pull him out of this mess!
First Base
AL Stud: Chris Davis- Oh yeah, you may have thought Chris Davis being here in April was just going to be a fluke like me, but we were all sadly mistaken! He’s baaaaaack! And look what he did in May: 10 home runs, 22 RBI, a .384 batting average, and a .450 OBP. MVP candidate!
NL Stud: Paul Goldschmidt- He is gradually showing me each and every game that he has the potential to be an elite first baseman. He is on pace for a monster year, and we have only played two months of baseball! For the month of May, Goldschmidt hit 7 home runs, drove in 23 runs, and had a .435 OBP. Looks like he may be an all-star after all, he’s got my vote anyway!
AL Dud: Mark Reynolds- The Indians have been a pleasant surprise so far this season, and Reynolds has been a big part of that. However, in the month of May Reynolds has been slumping. How bad you ask? Last month Reynolds was 18/98 with 3 home runs, 14 RBI, a .184 batting average, and a .273 OBP. Despite the slump, he has the potential to come out of it, but lets hope he can before the All-Star break at least.
NL Dud: Ryan Howard- It’s hard for me to rank on a guy that had such a great guest appearance on The Office, but Ryan Howard played more like The Office version of Ryan Howard in May. He was just 19/87, with 2 HR, 9 RBI, a .218 batting average, and a .274 OBP. Hopefully in June he can straighten up. That’s what she said.
Second Base
AL Stud: Robinson Cano- I will always give credit where credit is due, and the Yankees deserve it. They have really impressed me with how well they have played without their big name stars. However, the biggest star on their team is still Robinson Cano. In the month of May, Cano hit 6 home runs, drove in 18 runs, and posted a .319 OBP. The .319 OBP is not that great, but I don’t expect that to continue, because as the rest of the Yankees get healthier, it will only make Cano more productive.
NL Stud: Brandon Phillips- Phillips has been having a career year so far this season, and he does not seem to be showing any signs of slowing down. In the month of May Phillips had 4 home runs, 19 RBI, a .316 batting average, and a .366 OBP. And as long as Phillips is in the middle of the Red’s high-powered offense, he will continue to put up big numbers.
AL Dud: Ben Zobrist- A great value that Ben Zobrist possesses is his versatility at different positions. He can play 2B. SS, 3B, and OF. Unfortunately in May, this was his only real value. Zobrist was just 21/93, with 0 home runs, 12 RBI, a .226 batting average, and a .345 OBP. That being said, I don’t see any reason why Zobrist can’t bounce back. Until he does you can always stick him in another position that I forgot to mention he is eligible for, the bench.
NL Dud: Michael Young- He’s certainly not getting any younger, but for you and your roster he may be growing old quickly. In May Young was just 13/76, with 1 home run, 5 RBI, a .171 batting average, and a .292 OBP. Maybe the change of scenery from Texas to Philly wasn’t so good after all.
Third Base
AL Stud: Miguel Cabrera- I bet you wish you had the number 1 overall pick back don’t you? That’s right, because if you did you definitely would not have hesitated to pull the trigger on Miguel Cabrera. Here are Cabrera’s numbers for the month of May: 12 home runs, 34 RBI, a .349 batting average, and a .423 OBP. It’s okay, go ahead and kick yourself, I did.
NL Stud: Ryan Zimmerman- This one was debatable, but after that multi-home run game, he was at the top of my list (and it’s certainly no because I left him on the bench that night when he went 3/4, with 3 HR’s, and 4 RBI!). Since Zimmerman has come back from the DL, he has been mashing. Last month Zimmerman had 5 home runs (3 in one game), 17 RBI, a .313 batting average, and a .376 OBP. Try and forget about his April numbers, and look at this as his real starting point.
AL Dud: Will Middlebrooks-The Red Sox highly touted youngster has only underachieved this season. He has had moments, like the 3 home run game in April against the Blue Jays, that we all thought would be the norm. He is just not consistent, but he has proven that he is possibly injury prone. Last month Middlebrooks was just 13/61, with 2 home runs, 9 RBI, a .213 batting average, and a .234 OBP. That just won’t cut it in the show. Keep an eye on him to see how he plays when he is back form the DL.
NL Dud: Chase Headley- There is just not a whole lot of talent on the Padres roster these days. I mean sure they’ve got Evereth Cabrera who is leading MLB in steals, but other than that? Oh right, there’s also Chase Headley. Headley came out of nowhere last season and crushed 31 home runs, and drove in 115 runs! This season he is on pace for about half of that. In May, Headley was just 21/101, with 3 home runs, 11 RBI, a .208 batting average, and a .316 OBP. Perhaps 2012 was a fluke? Maybe, but it’s still a little to soon to tell.
Short Stop
AL Stud: J.J. Hardy-Hardy’s slow start in April was eclipsed by his performance during the month of May. Hardy smashed 8 home runs, hit 18 RBI, maintained a .300 batting average and a .346 OBP in May. The Orioles are continuing to show that last years playoff run was no joke, and J.J. Hardy’s performance this year can help them reach the post season again.
NL Stud: Troy Tulowitski- Tulowitski is still showing game after game that he is the premier short stop in the National League. Last month Tulowitski had 6 home runs, 16 RBI, a .324 batting average, and a .358 OBP. He is the real deal people, go ahead and jump on the bandwagon.
AL Dud: Alcides Escobar-The Royals were off to a hot start in April, but now they are in the AL Central seller. Escobar is not helping the cause very much either. In May, Escobar was just 25/118, with 7 runs, 0 home runs, 7 RBI, a .212 bating average, and a .225 OBP. Unfortunately, Escobar is not the only Royal who is struggling at the plate. I’ll get to him in a second.
NL Dud: Adeiny Hechavarria-Wow, his name is a mouthful. And it’s too bad that don’t have anything good to say about him at the moment. Lets just call a spade a spade shall we? The Marlins suck. Right now they are right on track to being the worst team in MLB with the Houston Astros. And when your SS Hechavarria goes just 17/95, with 1 home run, 11 RBI, a .179, and a .233 OBP in May? You are just helping me prove my point.
Outfield
AL Stud: Nick Markakis-That’s right folks, another Oriole (they must be playing really well or something…)! Not one of the bigger names on the Orioles, but a very solid contributor none the less. Markakis had 4 home runs, 18 RBI, a .340 batting average, and a .398 OBP for the month of May. Yet another reason why the Orioles are such a great team.
NL Stud: Dominic Brown- Holy Schnickes! 10 home runs in 12 games! Dominic Brown is going off right now. In the month of May, Brown had 12 home runs, 28 RBI, 4 stolen bases, a .318 batting average, and a .330 OBP. If you were lucky enough to snatch him up off waivers during his hot streak, you are still reaping the rewards, because he has not stopped yet!
AL Dud: Jeff Francoeur-Told you I would get right back to the Royals. Francoeur was just 10/66, with 1 home run, 2 RBI, a .152 batting average, and a .164 OBP. Oh yeah, I forgot to add that he struck out 17 times as well. Just another reason why the Royals are struggling this season. Not good Frenchy, not good.
NL Dud: B.J.Upton-B. J. is still the Upton brothers who is a disappointment so far this season. He was just 11/70, with 2 home runs, and 5 RBI, a .157 batting average, and a .253 OBP in May. And last but certainly not least he struck out a gargantuan 31 times last month. Wow. If you are in a points league, lets hope you dropped him before now. Hopefully there is an upside, but right now it’s not looking very likely.
Starting Pitchers
AL Stud: Justin Masterson-“The Masterpiece” Justin Masterson was dealing in the month of May. Masterson was 4-1, with 4 quality starts, 44 strike outs, and a 3.o7 ERA for the month of may. Masterful (pun intended).
NL Stud: Cliff Lee- The Phillies may not be doing so hot theses days, but Cliff Lee is doing just fine. Returning to his 2011 form, Lee was 4-1, with 5 quality starts, 33 strike outs, and a 1.80 ERA in the month of May. While Cliff Lee is pitching this way he is very tough to hit. Yet another Cy Young contender?
AL Dud: Kevin Gausman-I know he just got called up, and I know fellow AGSH member Veair Green won’t appreciate it, but Gausman got lit up in May! Gausman pitched just 9 innings, gave up 11 earned runs, struck out 5, went 0-2, and posted a stellar 11.00 ERA. I’m not trying to be a hater, but that is brutal.
NL Dud: Kyle Loshe- It took forever for Loshe to get picked up in free agency, and as soon as the Brewers got him, he went on the DL. When he finally got healthy, he did not fare much better. In the month of May, Loshe was 0-4, with 13 strike outs, 0 quality starts, and a 6.67 ERA. And I’m guessing that is probably not what the Brewers were expecting when they acquired him.
Follow Matt on Twitter: @SprayBall
