2007 Spring Training Stars : NL

Spring training stats don’t mean a whole lot, but if a on the bubble player produces at a high rate, they can at least force a team into a decision. Today, three young NL players that are making their case.

Ryan Braun: Milwaukee Brewers

The Ryan Braun that everyone talks about (not the other Ryan Braun that plays for the Royals) has quickly come out of the gate and produced 3 HR and 8 RBI as of the 7th. Often-injured Corey Koskie is slated to start the year at third for the Brewers. I’ll assume he’ll be injured sooner or later though, and an impressive spring could give the Braun a shot sooner rather than later.

Brad Eldred: Pittsburgh Pirates

Brad Eldred has been the heir apparent at first base for the Pirates for years now. In the off-season the Pirates got tired of waiting and aquired first baseman Adam Laroche. I assume that this had to piss of Eldred, and it may have lit a fire under his ass, as he leads the MLB with 4 HR so far. Throw in a 1.385 OPS and Eldred may be playing himself into decent trade bait.

Hunter Pence: Houston Astros

Hunter Pence likes the drink. Probably nothing wrong with that, but he also likes to get his drive on at the same time. (Hunter Pence DUI Story Here). This error of discretion has tarnished some of Pence’s shine. Maybe he’s sober, I don’t know, but so far he’s tearing up spring training. Hitting a MLB leading .750, Pence has a 1.417 OPS and 17 total bases (2nd in NL). He proably doesn’t have a spot coming out of camp, but once Biggio gets his 3000th hit, we could see get his shot with Burke possibly getting moved to second (Loretta is also lurking). It’s also possible that he could beat out the platoon of Luke Scott and Jason Lane for the full time RF gig. Keep your eyes on your drink and Pence’s stats the rest of the spring.