Streaking in the Park: Rafael Furcal, Carlos Pena & More
By Brian Phair
SS Rafael Furcal, LAD
Shortstop Rafael Furcal has spent the last 5 years with the Los Angeles Dodgers playing solid bsaeball. He has never stuck out as an elite player, but has been a consistent .286 hitter throughout his career and has used his speed to his advantage on the basepaths and on defense. He does not have a big power bat, but has a tendency to hit homeruns in bunches, which is the case this season. Through all of April and an injury-shortened May, Furcal ammased 0 home runs, but since June 6th, has hit 5 dingers, including 3 this past week.
On top of his 3 home runs this week, Furcal hit a tidy .481 with 7 rbis and hit in all 6 games this week, including 4 multi-hit games. Furcal has been hitting the ball hard, as he had 5 extra base hits (of his 13 hits) these past 6 games and continues to score runs with his league leading 9 this week. Seemingly the only blemish on Furcal’s stat line this week was his 1 caught stealing and 4 strike outs, but hitting in the upper .400’s outweighs the small negative.
The Dodgers are struggling to stay close with the San Diego Padres in the NL West and are currently 4 games back in 2nd place. When their lineup gets big slugger Manny Ramirez back, everyone will only get better and Furcal will likely get even better pitches to hit. The Dodgers are poised to make a run at the playoffs and will need Furcal’s bat if they are to finish strong.
1B Joey Votto, CIN
If you didn’t know Joey Votto’s name before this past week, you should now. Votto was the biggest snub of the 2010 All-Star selections and is now currently in the lead in the NL Final vote category on MLB.com. Thanks to Votto, the Cincinnati Reds have been soaring in 1st place in the NL Central, 2 games ahead of the perennial power St. Louis Cardinals. Votto is makign his push to be added to the NL All-Star team by hitting 5 home runs in 7 games this week and had an even 1.000 slugging percentage. Votto now has hit an astounding 21 homeruns and is hitting .318 so far in 2010.
OF Torii Hunter, LAA
For the last 3 seasons, Torii Hunter has wowed the crowd in Los Angeles with his impressive glove in the outfield and his explosive bat. Hunter has hit 20 home runs in 8 of the last 9 seasons and already has 14 so far in 2010, setting himself up for another big home run season. This past week, Hunter hit .429 with 2 home runs and 7 rbis, while racking up an unbelievable 10 walks in 7 games. Hunter’s strong slugging percentage of .714 this week and his ridiculous .613 on0base percentage make him a force to be reconed with on the west coast.
Team
Cincinnati Reds
It has been an interesting last 10 days in the MLB, because not team has more than 7 wins. One of those 7 win teams was the Cincinnati Reds, who were strong in the batter’s box and on the pitcher’s mound. This past week, the Reds hit .303 which tied the Chicago White Sox for the best average and hit 14 home runs, which is 4 higher than the next highest total. In terms of pitching, the team era this week was 3rd best in the NL at 2.95 and accumulated 49 strike outs. As mentioned above, the Reds currently are 2 games up on the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central and are looking like a playoff berth may be a serious possibility.
Weekly Player Spotlight
1B Carlos Pena, TB
Since Carlos Pena found a home in Tampa Bay back in 2007, he has done nothing but wow fans with his power. In 2007, his first season with the Rays, Pena shocked everyone by hitting 46 home runs, 19 above his previous season high. Since 2007 however, Pena’s numbers have declined, proving that the 2007 season was in fact a special season and not a sign of things to come. Pena’s batting average has seen the biggest drop from .282 in 2007 to a terrible .198 so far in 2010.
Pena has also seen a decline in walks and an increase in strikeouts, leading to a near .100 drop in on-base percentage since joining the Rays. This past week, Pena had just 4 hits in 24 at-bats and had no home runs and just a single rbi in all 7 games. Pena drew just 3 walks and struck out 5 times this past week, while collecting a .208 slugging percentage and a poor .259 on-base percentage. His .167 batting average was near the bottom of the league and pulled his season mark under .200.
With the Rays sitting in 2nd place in the AL East and arguably one of the top 5 teams in the game right now, Pena needs to produce in a big way. No one expects his average to eclipse .300 or even .275, but if he can continue his power surge and finish the year with 25+ home runs, the Rays are a legit contender. For his own peace of mind, Pena needs to raise his average above the .200 mark and begin to climb the average ladder.
SP Mike Pelfrey, NYM
One of the biggest surprises this season has been the New York Mets’ starter, Mike Pelfrey. He sits at 10 wins on the year and has an era of 3.39 for the 2nd place Mets. This past week however, has not been Pelfrey’s most productive stretch this year. Pelfrey started 2 games and finished with a 10.61 era in 9.1 innings of work. Pelfrey allowed 11 earned runs, struck out just 4 and walked 5 batters, earning a loss in 1 of the 2 starts. Pelfrey will be key for the success of the Mets this season and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him re-find his mojo after the all-star break.
3B Alex Rodriguez, NYY
So far in 2010, Alex Rodriguez has not been performing up to his usual high standards. He is currently hitting .032 below his career numbers and is nearly .100 below his career on-base percentage. He has hit 12 bombs, but is not on pace to hit 30+ for his 13th straight season. This past week, A-Rod hit a poor .148 with just 4 hits in 27 at-bats. The only positive for the slugger was that he hit 1 home run this week, but it didn’t make up for his poor hitting. No one would be shocked to see A-Rod return to his usual .300 average and 30+ home runs, but as of now, he is not near that point.
Team
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a team that seems to get overlooked in Streaking in the Park. The reason the Giants are slightly overlooked is because they have a decent starting rotation with one superstar pitcher and a poor offense. This past week, the Giants went 2-8 and are flirting with falling below the .500 mark at 42-40. The Giants had the 20th ranked era this past week at 4.21 and were ranked 24th in batting average at .230. The Giants currently sit in 4th place in the NL West and should already be thinking about 2011 as they sit 7 games back.
Disclaimer: All stats used are prior to games on Tuesday, July 6th.
Brian Phair – BoSox Injection – Streaking in the Park
You can stay current on all the Call to the Pen content and news by following us onTwitter,Facebook, or by way of our RSS feed