Brandon Inge - Inge has 3 home runs in his first 5 games, a carry over from spring in which Inge hit 5 homers in 25 games. Inge has always had power, however he has struggled the last 2 years. 2006 shows his upside. At 28 years old, Inge hit 27 homers with a .436 SLG. 2007 wasn’t nearly as good – 14 HR, .376 SLG – and 2008 was just horrible. But Inge is back as the every day third basemen and he’s showing that the power is back. No, he wont hit 97 home runs. But a repeat of 2006 has always been possible.
Emilio Bonifacio – This hot start was blown way out of proportion. Bonifacio is not and never will be a power hitter, and 1 home runs doesn’t change that. He’s got 4 steals, but that’s no surprise either. He’s fast, makes solid contact, and that’s about it. If he gets full playing time he’s a valuable SB asset.
Travis Hafner - Pronk is back! Or at least that’s what his hot start would have some think. Although I’m not going to fall into the 4 game sample size trap, Hafner is now hitting .313 with a couple of homers and 3 walks. I think we can safely dismiss last year as due to injuries, but his power hasn’t been the same in 3 years. Hanfer had a pretty bad spring with only 4 extra base hits in 50 at bats. That said, we can’t ignore this. Hafner was a force between 2004-2006, and his 2007 wasn’t all that bad. He’s worth a gamble in any format, and could end up being a massive bargain for AL only owners.
Jordan Schafer – Through 4 games, Schafer is hitting over .300 with 2 homers and 3 walks similar to Hafner. He’s also struck out 4 times, his undoing through most of his minor league career, but he has legit 20-20 upside right now. Schafer was a monster prospect before a suspension last year, but his talent is still there. He’s not a .300 hitter, but neither is Grady Sizemore. I think that’s the best comparison for him.
Adam Lind – A BA over .400 and 3 home runs in his first 5 games look very good. Lind’s best year to date was in 2006 when he hit 24 homers through 2 levels, but the power hasn’t really translated. In 363 AAA ABs, Lind has 12 homers the last couple of years, with 20 in 616 MLB at bats. His plate discipline didn’t really translate well either. In the minors he consistently posted OBPs close to .400, but in the big leagues his OBP has been hovering around .315. But minor league skills DO translate eventually in almost every player, and if this is Lind’s skills translating watch out. He’s capable of putting up monster HR numbers, and his BA will always be pretty good. I’m not going to say his hot start is necessarily for real. At least not yet.
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