Ryan Theriot
Theriot has now established himself as the Cubs' everyday shortstop for two reasons: Lou Piniella seems to like him, and he's the only shortstop to provide any semblance of offensive ability since the days of Shawon Dunston. Theriot also is occupying a prime spot in the lineup, the second hole between Alfonso Soriano and Derrek Lee. He's bound to see a lot of good pitches between those two. Theriot though also has the plate discipline to wait for his pitch, as evidenced by his 0-for-1 with three walks day on Saturday. For the year, Theriot is batting .320/.397/.387 with a 0.90 EYE and five stolen bases. He's looking like a late bloomer at age 27. Taking a peek at his minor league numbers, Theriot won't provide any power (just five homers in over 2,000 minor league at-bats), but his 0.98 EYE and 30 stolen base potential will render him useful. We'll see how he adjust once pitchers have more film on him, but it's clear that he'll get a chance to play.
Ryan Zimmerman
There's certainly no denying Zimmerman's Gold Glove ability at third, and after a .288-20-110 season at the plate last year, many predicted big things for Zimmerman again this year. It's been slow going for Zimmerman however, who entered Saturday's action hitting just .233 with one home run. The Nationals are hoping Saturday's 3-for-5 with a double effort is a precursor to a great May. Zimmerman even stole his first base on Saturday, so that will help frustrated fantasy owners. He's now hitting .248 with a 0.55 EYE that's a few ticks above last year's pace. Zimmerman is going to be fine this year, but playing in RFK is probably going to suppress his power numbers somewhat, but then again, we said that about Alfonso Soriano last year. Look for that 0.38 FPI to be right around 0.65 by the time all is said and done.
Kip Wells
At 11-17 and in last place in the AL Central, the World Champion Cardinals certainly have issues beyond Saturday's bad news on Chris Carpenter. Albert Pujols is off to a slow start, Rolen and Edmonds are batting .211 and .200 respectively, Jason Marquis is pitching great for the rival Cubs, and now, the clock has struck midnight for Kip Wells. After opening the year with a 2.25 ERA in his first three starts, pundits were singing the praises of St. Louis GM Walt Jocketty for signing Wells and the coronation of pitching coach Dave Duncan was set. Now, after another beating (4 1/3 innings, seven runs) on Saturday, Wells sits at 1-6 with a 6.59 ERA. He pitches at Petco Park next week, so that could be a springboard for a turnaround, but it's looking like his best days are behind him. Duncan can certainly help him turn things around a little, but how can one man "fix"a guy with a career 1.6 K/BB?
Morgan Ensberg
It was a little strange to look at the Houston boxscore and see Morgan Ensberg as the leadoff hitter. With Craig Biggio getting the day off however, manager Phil Garner went the unconventional route here and it's hard to argue with the results as the Astros beat St. Louis 13-0. Biggio has a .311 OBP and hasn't been a viable leadoff hitter since 2001, but Houston won't disrespect him and move him out of the spot this year as he makes his run at 3,000 hits. Ensberg though may actually be better for the spot as he went 2-for-5 with a walk and three runs scored on Saturday. Ensberg is still hitting just .259, but his .373 OBP is the product of a 0.94 EYE. The power hasn't been there quite yet (two homers), but at least Ensberg is playing regularly now.
Josh Hamilton
So much (perhaps) for Josh Hamilton fading into oblivion after his first slump of the year. Entering Saturday, Hamilton was 3-for-17 in his last five games and 6-for-29 in his last eight. Saturday though, Hamilton was 4-for-5 with a double, triple, stolen base, and four runs scored. The game raised his line to .296/.394/.605. Hamilton continues to show an impressive batting eye for a kid with his lack of experience (0.67 EYE). He's hitting home runs at a rate of once every 13.5 at-bats, has an ISO in excess of .300, and he's walking about 13% of the time. It's an incredible story that could get national attention (even more than it already is) this summer should Hamilton keep up the pace, as it's hard to think of a more deserving Reds' All-Star. Roberto Clemente, Johan Santana, and Dan Uggla rank as the three most notable Rule 5 steals, but Hamilton could be right up there when all is said and done.
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