Were about two days from the greatest day of the year, Opening Day. Are you as excited as I am? Great!
The players are excited too. For some, this is going to be their first April in the pros and for others this may be their last. Either way, anticipation is high as everyone tries to have a career year in 2011. Here’s a look at 4 guys poised to actually do it:
Andre Ethier, OF, LAD: Ethier started the season red hot last year. After the Dodgers’ game on May 14, Ethier was hitting a robust .392. He hurt his wrist shortly thereafter and finished the season batting only .292. Though his spring hasn’t been great, I’m confident he’ll turn it on when the season starts. He’s hitting in the middle of the Dodgers lineup and, along with Matt Kemp, is expected to carry a lot of the offensive load. He will. I like Ethier and expect big things if he stays healthy.
Cole Hamels, LHP, PHI: Hamels is arguably the best No. 4 starter in the Major Leagues. He’s always had great stuff and has been the Phillies ace in the past. He’s coming off a great year in which he had 3.06 ERA. He was only 12-11 but he got virtually zero run support, especially during the Phillies offensive lull in the middle of the season. Yes, he has an ERA of 6.75 this spring but that’s really unimportant. He’s thrown only 24 innings and had an ERA of 6 last spring. He’s about to have a huge year, better, I think, than Cliff Lee or Roy Oswalt.
Daniel Bard, RHP, BOS: Bard is the closer in waiting in Boston but I don’t think he’ll end up waiting very long. The fan base wants him to close now and with Jon Papelbon in the last year of his contract and coming off the worst year of his career, Bard is banging on the door. He had an ERA of 1.93 and a WHIP of 1.00 last year in 74.2 innings and throws gas. Keep an eye on Daniel Bard.
Chris Johnson, 3B, HOU: Johnson is heading into his first full season in the pros but has already put up some impressive stats. He hit .308 in 341 ABs last year. His batting average in balls in play (BABIP) was pretty high so I’m not expecting a .300 AVG this year but Johnson’s got some pop and he’ll hit his fare share of doubles and homers. He needs to be a bit more selective at the plate but his second half was stellar last year, he slugged .510 after the All-Star break. Johnson was overshadowed by the uniquely good crop of rookies last year but he’ll add his name to the conversation this year.
-Max Frankel
