Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Stats of the Day: Jackson Cleaning Up

On the injury front, Alfonso Soriano left yesterday's with a calf strain. If he misses any significant time Matt Murton will be called up and could be productive out of the gate. Last year in the second half over 116 ABs Murton hit .310/.375/.543 with 7 homers. Definitely a situation to keep an eye on.

ArizonaABRHRBIBBSOLOBAVG
Jackson, 1B4123101.333

Conor Jackson continues to develop as a hitter and has gotten off to a good start this season. Although he has topped out at 15 home runs in both his prior seasons, he did so in only 415 ABs last year. This year Jackson is thriving in the cleanup spot and looks to get over 500 ABs. As a full time player expect him to put up career numbers. Up to 20 homers and a near .300 average are within reach.

San DiegoIPHRERBBSOHRERA
Wolf (W, 1-0)7.01004901.42

Randy Wolf has shown the skills to succeed in the past, but injuries and inconsistency have managed to catch up with him in recent years. With both elbow and shoulder surgeries over the past two years he certainly isn't without risk. However, a pitcher with the ability to strike people out (94 Ks in 102 innings last year) in the best home park in the majors is someone worth hanging onto.

I would expect Wolf to deal with some injuries as the year goes on, but now is the time to jump on the bandwagon until something goes wrong. Every start Wolf can give you is money in the bank at this point because he was so undervalued early this season.

No comments: