If Giambi would just be more consistent, he would rank higher on this list.
|
With the snow falling rapidly, thoughts are turning to baseball because, well, the snow should be shoveled out of the driveway by then. So this week we have another baseball-oriented top ten list, this time looking at next year’s top ten American League First Basemen, and we will be back next week to look at the National League’s best at first.
Surprisingly, despite the AL being the more offensive oriented league, first base is not that exciting on the junior circuit. That is not to say that there are not names here to like…
1. Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins
2007 was a down year for Morneau, and he still hit .271 with 31 home runs, 111 RBI, 84 runs scored. That sure does not sound like a down year to most players. Look for Morneau to do at least that this year and a higher batting average would not be a shock.
2. Carlos Pena, Tampa Bay Rays
For those that believe that Pena came out of nowhere-- not exactly. He did hit 27 home runs in his last full season before 2007 and he was a stud prospect when he was in the minors. What he did was show that sometimes prospects take a little while, and all that Pena needed was time and a team with faith in him. The Rays did both, and he was a monster in 2007.
3. Paul Konerko, White Sox
Maybe he should be higher than Pena, but his homer totals have dropped three straight seasons and he posted his worst batting average in 2007 since the 2003 season. Konerko could still rebound and even if he does not he will still be solid.
p class="MsoNormal">
4. Kevin Youkilis, Boston Red SoxAfter the top three, there is a dramatic drop-off in power production. Youkilis will never be a big-time masher, but a 20 home run season is possible. In terms of getting on base, though, Youkilis is consistently on of the best at his position. That will not
be any different this year either.
5. Carlos Guillen, Tigers
The acquisition of Edgar
Renteria allows the Tigers to move Guillen to a less physically
demanding position, one where the Tigers hope that they can keep him in the lineup on a more consistent basis. Guillen should enjoy the move and post another 20-homer, 100 RBI season again this year.
6. Daric Barton, Athletics
Kevin Youkilis, the Bay Area edition. He really is like a clone of Youkilis, having drawn more walks than strikeouts at every level in the minors. That level of discipline will stick with him now that he is a major league regular, and it should help him in the power department at he continues to develop.
7. Jason Giambi, Yankees
We would rank Giambi higher if we had any idea on any given season which Giambi we would be getting. Will this one be healthy? When healthy, will he be productive? The inconsistency here is simply too great to go too high on Giambi.
8. Ryan Garko, Indians
Garko became an everyday player in 2007, and he showed why he had been one of the top prospects in the Indians’ system. His catching days long past him now, Garko showed that he could develop into a solid, power-hitting first baseman.
9. Lyle Overbay, Blue Jays
After two solid seasons, Overbay went back to being mediocre in 2007. Note that he was never great to begin with, just respectable. We are not counting on those days returning, and we are just not that impressed by Mr. Overbay. Really, all that one can hope for here is an average around .270 and teens for homers – neither is that special, and both would be significant improvements from last year.
10. Richie Sexson, Mariners
The good with Sexson is that there is still some pop here, but there are so many more negatives. His homers plummeted last year, his batting average was horrific, and there are no signs of either of those turning around this year. The decline might not worsen, but one cannot get much worse than what Sexson did last year.
