Baseball's Hottest Hitters

Cano, Delgado Among Best MLB Sluggers in July 2008

Jul 30, 2008 James Lincoln Ray

Some baseball players take a while to heat up. For these five players, the hot days of July have been a blessing for their respective swings.

1. Robinson Cano, New York Yankees.

Cano is a classic second half hitter. In his brief career, the Yankee second baseman has averaged just .280 before the All-Star break, and .338 after the Midsummer Classic. This year is no exception. Prior to the break, Cabno was hitting a mere .246, with 6 home runs and 38 RBI in 348 at bats. Since the break, however, he has been on fire, batting .417 with 3 dingers and 12 RBI (in just 48 at bats).

If he keeps this up (which is par for the course with Cano), the Yankees might have a realistic shot at the Wild Card.

2. Carlos Delgado, New York Mets.

Coming into July, Delgado was batting a miserably low .228. Through 77 games, he had 14 home runs and 45 RBI; decent power numbers, but not what we have come to expect from Delgado. Well, something special must have happened when the calendar turned the page, because Carlos has looked like Babe Ruth this month.

He's batting .374 with 9 home runs, 24 RBI and an OPS of 1.206. Oh, and his hot streak has lifted the Mets, who are a remarkable 18-7 during the month.

3. Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers.

Lest anyone still question the legitimacy of the Hebrew Hammer, take a look at his July statistics: a .376 batting average with 9 homers, 23 RBI and a 1.208 OPS. Not only does he have the greatest nickname in baseball, he's also proving that last year was no fluke. Ryan Braun is for real. He is going to do some special things at the plate.

4. Grady Sizemore, Cleveland Indians.

The Indians' centerfielder has been on a tear since the first day of July, 2008. In 22 games, the young star is batting .337 with 6 home runs and 11 RBI. Those are pretty nice stats for a leadoff hitter. Add to that his on base percentage of .441 and 7 stolen bases, and you've got one of baseball's hottest hitters.

5. Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies.

Over the first three months of the season, Howard was barely cracking the Mendoza Line. But just as his infield mates (Utley and Rollins) started going south, the Big Man took off. He's hit .309 with 10 home runs and 26 RBI this month, and has taken the lead in those last two categories as a result of his prolonged hot play. At this pace, don't be surprised to see Howard top 50 home runs and 140 RBI for the second time in three years.

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