NL Batting Champion 2014

[stringer bell]

In 2013, there was a tight race for the batting championship and the surprise winner was ex-Twin Michael Cuddyer.  Cuddy has been injured much of this season and won't be a factor in this year's race.  However, two ex-Twins have been at or near the top of the NL hitting leaderboard for the last month.  Justin Morneau has enjoyed the NL and playing at Coors Field.  He has spent most of the last month as the batting average leader and currently is running second.  Morneau came out of last night's game with an intercostal injury.  Significantly, he has just enough at-bats to qualify for the batting championship, even if he doesn't take another swing the rest of the year.

 

Josh Harrison, a man without a position to start 2014, is currently leading the pack in the National League.  With a three-hit game last night, he currently is at .318, three points ahead of Morneau.  Harrison didn't play every day early and has played second, some shortstop, and third base as well as the outfield for the Bucs.  He needs 20 plate appearances to qualify for the batting championship. 

 

Ben Revere had a couple of days as the hitting leader.  He's currently in a 3-26 spin that might take him out of the batting race.  He stands at .307.   One candidate to win the batting championship is probably off almost everyone's radar.  Corey Dickerson of the Rockies started the season as a platoon guy, but is hitting a Coors Field-aided .309.  Dickerson needs to average more than four plate appearances per game to qualify, but has been playing every day since the All-Star break.

 

None of these four guys would have gotten much mention to win a batting championship at the start of the season.  Two guys who would get some consideration are also in contention, running third and fourth--Andrew McCutchen (.311) and Buster Posey (.310) are also right there in the race. 

 

There are some other factors in this race.  The Rockies and Phils are out of the race, so Morneau, Dickerson, and Revere can play to enhance their batting averages and the managers can, as well.  So Morneau and Revere probably won't face the Kershaws of the world, and if any of them gets a lead in the race in the last couple weeks, they could be shut down.  Harrison, Posey, and McCutchen are in pennant races.  Their teams have to win at all costs and individual awards aren't even on the same page.  In addition, Harrison needs 20 plate appearances to qualify and if it matters, Dickerson needs 64 (in 15 games), so if he's in the race until the last day, he'll need to be in the lineup every day.  Finally, Dickerson and Morneau have the advantage of playing home games at Coors Field, easily the best hitting park in baseball.  I expect a couple of four-hit home games for one or both of those guys. 

[biggentleben]

If Revere wins, he will sport the lowest OBP by any NL batting title winner in the 143 year history of the National League!

[stringer bell]

Three games to go and it looks like it will be Morneau or Harrison.  Morneau leads by less than one point, both have reached the PA threshhold and everyone else is quite a distance back.  My under-the-radar guy (Dickerson) won't have enough plate appearances. 

[twinsnorth49]

Congrats to Morneau.......and crap!

[Paul Pleiss]

Apparently moving to Colorado is good for your bat.

[Squirrel]

Good for him.  

[drjim]

Colorado bump aside, I thought he was cooked after last season.

[Kirby_waved_at_me]

Sweet. Good comeback for Morneau this year. Too bad for he and Cuddyer that they left the Twins and found all their stuff just got moved to a different cellar.

[biggentleben]

Sweet. Good comeback for Morneau this year. Too bad for he and Cuddyer that they left the Twins and found all their stuff just got moved to a different cellar.

 

Cuddyer will have a chance this offseason to cash in and go to a competitive team if he chooses.

[amjgt]

Two other former Twins at 5 and 6 on the list

[h2oface]

Ted Williams would not have sat out the last game to insure the championship.  Congrats, of course, but I think it is a real disappointment that he didn't win it competing on the final day of the season.  Moving Mauer to first was sure costly, and in more ways than money.

[Paul Pleiss]

Ted Williams would not have sat out the last game to insure the championship.  Congrats, of course, but I think it is a real disappointment that he didn't win it competing on the final day of the season.  Moving Mauer to first was sure costly, and in more ways than money.

 

I'm not sure that the Twins would have brough Morneau back even if Joe hadn't been moved from out behind the plate. He looked to be DONE after last season, on a steep slide towards replacement level, and the Twins had/have plenty of DH/1B types.

 

And I have no qualms with him sitting out the last day. You don't win the batting title in one game, you win it over six months. Guys miss days here and there. His manager said he kept him out of the lineup, not Morny's choice. Read into that what you will, but you can't play if your manager doesn't put your name in the line-up.

[Monkeypaws]

I wonder if Colorado would be interested in trading for Mauer and perhaps having their 3rd ex-Twin in a row going for a batting title next season. Mountain air might be just the tonic Joe needs.

 

 

 

Congrats to Justin.

[Kirby_waved_at_me]

Or, could Target Field be elevated about 5,000 feet? It'd be cold in April, but maybe worth it?

[biggentleben]

Morneau had been day-to-day through the whole month of September due to an intercostal injury.  He did not start the entire last weekend, but he did actually hit on Sunday, which is something people don't mention.  Heck, he only played one Sunday the entire month of September.