List of top 100 performers in the game - MLB 2012 Update - Part 12
20. Curtis Granderson
When Curtis Granderson hit 20 home runs and made it to his first All Star team in 2010, it looked as if he has reached a state of stability in his career. The left hander, who has a phenomenal ability to hit lefties, was then traded to the Yankees in a much
talked about three team deal.
However, he failed to live up to the expectations and his first season in New York did not turn out to be a great one. Batting with a poor .247 average with 24 home runs and .792 OPS, he fell short of his targets. The lefty striker continued to concentrate
on his game play and now, with the season 2011 already in the books, it seems that Yankees had made the right choice bringing Granderson into their side.
Unable to solve southpaws for years, Granderson eviscerated lefties to the tune of 16 home runs and an impressive .597 SLG in 191 AB. Granderson went on to register the best season of his career as he hit 41 home runs with 119 RBI’s, .916 OPS and 146 wRC+.
While some analysts believe that he was a below average centre field, there are those who oppose the view as well. It will be fair to say that Granderson still has a lot of baseball left in him and he is not on the wrong side of his career. If he can produce
good performances consistently, he might win one or two MVP awards before retiring for good.
He said, “Whenever I get a chance, I’m trying to take the extra base and make them make a play on me. I’m not going to stop looking for the extra base unless the scoreboard tells me.”
Curtis further added, “When you’re losing, you see what your team is made of. Hopefully, we can cut those eight- and nine-game losing streaks down to two or three games. Hopefully we can figure it out and cut the losses. That’s what good teams do. Even
on home runs that I hit in the past, guys were like, ‘Man, you need to slow down. You’ve got that one.”
21. Dustin Pedroia
We all know that there are some players who take years before getting into the Majors League. However, there are also some who hit the ground running right from the word ‘go’ and Boston’s Dustin Pedroia is one of them.
Pedroia displayed some high quality baseball skills right from his first game in MLB and he accomplished more in his first two seasons with the Red Sox than any other player from the team. In fact, not many can achieve that kind of results in their entire
careers.
The guy looked in supreme form in 2007 as he hit .317 with the bat at an impressive .823 OPS and led the Sox to the World Series victory. It was an astonishing achievement by Pedroia considering the fact that he was very new to the MLB arena. Pedroia improved
with every game he played in the league and he hit 17 home runs with 83 RBI’s in the 2008 season.
He was also as sensational in the fielding department of the game with 9.9 Fld at second base and a 6.9 WAR. Following his superb performances, he was awarded the AL MVP award.
After missing the 2010 season due to various injuries, he came back stronger than ever before in 2011 and enjoyed another successful season with 21 homers and 91 RBI’s. The player is sure to get better with more experience.
Continued in part 13
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