Gimme Five! By Nick R

Here are the top five players I would pick to start a baseball team.


1. Albert Pujols, First Baseman, St. Louis Cardinals- Albert Pujols is one of those players you will tell your kids and grandkids stories about. Every generation has these kind of players. The 1940’s had Joe Dimaggio. The 1960’s had Mickey Mantle. Pujols is the best player this decade and he is not even 30 years old yet. What sets Pujols apart in my opinion is his patience. He struck out 93 times as a 21 year old rookie in 2001 and has not had a season of over 70 strikeouts since. In a day and age where a 160 strikeout season is not uncommon for a power hitter, Pujols knowledge of the strike zone is a major weapon. About halfway done with his career, Pujols is on pace for career numbers of 700 home runs, 2200 runs batted in, over 3,000 hits and a batting average around .330. These are Sega Genesis numbers. If the Cardinals resign Matt Holliday to hit behind Pujols and protect him in the order it’s possible Pujols has some of his best years coming up.

2. Joe Mauer, Catcher, Minnesota Twins- A great athlete, Joe Mauer turned down a football scholarship from Bobby Bowden to play Quarterback at Florida State. The number one overall pick in the 2001 baseball draft made the right call. I’m not sure what Mauer needs to do to win an MVP award. Prior to 2006 no American League catcher had ever won a batting title. Mauer won one in 2006 and in 2008 hitting .347 and .328. The only knock on Mauer coming into 2009 was he didn’t have a lot of power. Through 390 at bats in 2009 Mauer has belted 25 home runs. With all due respect to Justin Morneau (Mauer’s teammate) and Dustin Pedrioa who won the American League MVP award in 2006 and 2008 respectively they are nowhere near as valuable to their teams as Mauer. Playing the most physically demanding postion in baseball, Mauer is among the best hitters in the game. Much like Pujols, what makes Mauer such a great hitter is his patience. As a 22 year old rookie in 2005 Mauer walked 61 times and struck out 64. Those are great numbers for a rookie, but Mauer was not impressed. He has not struck out more than he has walked in any season since, and in 2008 he walked 84 times while only striking out 50. Mauer is also great at handling a pitching staff. The development of young Minnesota pitchers like Scott Baker, Kevin Slowey, and Nick Blackburn can be attributed to Mauer. A Saint Paul native, Mauer can be as big in Minnesota as Prince or ice fishing if he plays his whole career with the Twins. As a small market team the Twins will have a hard time resigning Mauer. Due to be a free agent in a couple years, if Mauer hits the free agent market teams like the Yankees, Red Sox, and Dodgers will give Mauer a blank check.

3. Hanley Ramiez, Shortstop, Florida Marlins- Few times over the course of history does a trade in baseball work out for both teams. In November 2005, the Boston Red Sox traded three prospects to the Florida Marlins for Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell. Beckett and Lowell helped Boston win the World Series in 2007. Acquired from the Red Sox for Beckett and Lowell, Hanley Ramirez has become one of the best players in baseball with the Marlins. In his first three full seasons in the majors, Ramirez has seen his on base percentage and home run totals increase every year. So far in his fourth full season in 2009, Ramirez is enjoying his best season to date in what looks to be a promising career. After 117 games played Ramirez is hitting .361 with an on base percentage of .422. That will do. Moved to the three hole this season in the Marlins lineup, Ramirez has responded with 85 runs batted in so far. Ramirez, who doesn’t turn 26 until December 2009, looks to have some great years ahead of him. The question shouldn’t be will Ramirez hit 40 homers and steal 40 bases in the same season but how many times will he do it. Ramirez has also become a gold glove caliber short stop.

4. David Wright, Third baseman, New York Mets- David Wright made his major league debut on July 21, 2004. Since then, Wright has been the Mets starting third baseman. As a 22 year old in his first full season in 2005, Wright played in 160 games and batted .306 with 27 home runs, 99 runs, 102 runs batted in, 42 doubles, and 17 stolen bases, leading the team in average, runs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, runs batted in, and doubles. However, Wright made 24 errors tied for the most by a third baseman in the majors. Known for his work ethic, Wright became significantly better in the field in 2006 while making his first all star game. On August 6, 2006 the New York Mets signed Wright to a 6 year contract extension worth $55 million. After signing a huge deal like this some players get complacent. Not David Wright. He finished up his 2006 season with 116 runs batted in, and in 2007 Wright had an MVP caliber season. Wright became a gold glove winner at third base in 2007 and hit 30 home runs, stole 34 bases, hit for a .325 average, and had an on base percentage of .416. Decimated by injuries in 2009, the Mets have had a sub-par year in 2009. The power numbers are down for Wright this season with only eight home runs in 426 at bats. A lot of this has to do with the Mets new ballpark where the ball doesn’t carry. Only 26 years old, Wright is still hitting .324 with 31 doubles so far in what critics are calling a “down year”.

5. Carl Crawford, Outfielder, Tampa Bay Rays- As the old adage goes, speed kills. Carl Crawford is the best athlete in major league baseball in my humble opinion. Crawford was offered a basketball scholarship to UCLA and football scholarships to play Quarterback by Nebraska, Oklahoma, USC, and Florida. Crawford chose to sign a letter of intent to play for Nebraska, but he turned down the offer when he was drafted in the second round of the 1999 baseball draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (yes yes, I know they are the Rays now but they were still the Devil Rays when they drafted Crawford, count to ten, you will be ok). As a 21 year old in his first full season in 2003, Crawford stole 55 bases. Well, when I was 21 I could make a grilled cheese sandwich. Crawford followed his 2003 season by stealing 59 bases and making his first all star team in 2004. Despite his early success, critics began to wonder in 2005 if Crawford would be able to hit as well as he could run. He didn’t disappoint. Crawford had 63 extra bases hits in 2005, hit for a .301 average, and stole 46 bases. Known for one of the most exciting things in baseball, the triple, Crawford hit 69 triples from 2004 to 2008 and was a key member of the Rays making their historic World Series run in 2008. So far in 2009, Crawford is enjoying his best season yet and is an MVP candidate. Through 124 games, Crawford already has 54 steals, 44 extra base hits, and is hitting .315. Once a weakness, Crawford has added patience to his game in 2009 with an on base percentage so far of .371. At 28 years old, Crawford is entering his prime and the Rays need to do everything they can to hold onto him.


Boom

nick@wecoversports.com