2. Matt Carpenter – .346 BA, 5 HR, 20 RBI, 1.056 OPS
Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
An absolute beast in April, Matt Carpenter came firing out of the gates after a down year in 2014. He finished second in the NL for total bases that month, second in OPS and hit an impressive .372 that included 17 multi-hit games.
At 29, Carpenter appears to be finding his power stroke now as well. Never having hit more than the 11 home runs he hit in 2013, his five right now easily pace him for more than 20. Add to that the fact he has been a doubles and run scoring machine throughout his career and the Galveston, TX, native is a large reason why the Cardinals do so well, year-in-year-out.
In 2013 when Carpenter broke out, he finished fourth in MVP voting while simultaneously leading the NL in runs scored, hits and doubles. His 55 doubles tied for ninth most in MLB history at the time. Through 26 games played in 2013 — the same as Carpenter has this season — he had 10 doubles, so his pace is already on track to best that mark.
Carpenter’s base running skills are well above average and the Cardinals are the fourth best in the NL at scoring runs in 2015. It’s a large reason why they boast baseball’s best record right now at 20-6. There are obviously other players shining for the Cardinals as well, but right now none are brighter than the guy manning the hot corner for them.
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