Who Is The MLB's Best Leadoff Hitter?

1. Alfonso Soriano, Cubs
This guy gives you everything you need in a leadoff hitter, plus more. The attributes required include speed and baserunning acumen, patience and a discerning eye, some pop, a swagger, the dexterity to lay down a bunt and the tenacity to keep diving back into the first-base bag to beat those always annoying pickoff throws. Not only does Soriano have incredible speed, he's also a power hitter! Leadoff hitters are traditionally not supposed to be power hitters; they're only job is to get on base. Soriano is less a leadoff hitter than a freakishly talented power-speed hybrid who happens to feel most comfortable batting leadoff. He upgraded his plate discipline last season on the way to hitting 46 homers, stealing 41 bases and securing a $136 million contract with Chicago. But that .325 career OBP is nothing special.

Soriano's penchant for swinging away makes him particularly effective leading off an inning, when pitchers are inclined to dispense with caution and attack the strike zone. He's a career .303 hitter with a .912 OPS leading off an inning.

2. Jose Reyes, Mets
"He's the best player in baseball," a National League front-office man said of Reyes. "Every tool is [rated] plus, and he can change a game in so many ways."

Based on his performance in 2006, quick start in April and the people hitting around him, a healthy Reyes appears to be a lock for 20 homers, 15 triples, 120 runs, 80 RBIs and 60 stolen bases. His on-base percentage, which spiked from .300 to .354 last season, continues to trend upward as his discipline and pitch recognition also improve.

Remember when people mocked Reyes for his lack of patience? In 2005, Reyes struck out 18 times and failed to draw a walk in the entire month of April. So far this season, he has 13 walks and nine whiffs.

Reyes will still chase a two-strike pitch outside the zone, but he hardly ever swings at the first pitch unless it's a strike. A little maturity and some guidance from teammates Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado and Jose Valentin have turned him into a man with a plan.

Even when Reyes gets a tad reckless on the bases, he has the speed to outrun his mistakes. He's been successful on 81 percent of his career stolen base attempts, and he's off to a 12-for-14 start in 2007. He's the fastest player in baseball, possibly the fastest person in all of humanity.

3. Grady Sizemore, Indians
If Sizemore is behind Reyes, it's not by much. One executive, citing Sizemore's speed, on-base ability, impressive power and prudent judgment on the bases, called him "the closest there is to the total package right now." Since Sizemore is 24 years old, a wonderful athlete and driven player, he's only going to improve.

There are only two areas in which Sizemore is lacking: 1) He's a career .223 hitter against lefties; and 2) he strikes out a ton. The Indians also worked with him extensively on bunting in spring training, but he's yet to incorporate that weapon into his game.

4. Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners
Sure, you'd like to see him walk more. But when a guy amasses 200 or more hits for six consecutive seasons and his on-base percentage averages out to .376, he's not spending a whole lot of time in the dugout.

Ichiro also wins points for knowing what to do upon arrival. He's a smart, attentive (not to mention extremely fast) baserunner, and he'll turn those singles into doubles in a hurry. Last season he stole 45 bases in 47 attempts, for a success rate of 95.7 percent. According to Baseball Prospectus, that's the all-time high for a player with 40 steal attempts.

5. Jimmy Rollins, Phillies
Someone forgot to tell Rollins that 5-foot-8-inch middle infielders are supposed to be spray hitters. Last season he hit 25 homers and amassed 79 extra-base hits -- more than Miguel Cabrera, Vernon Wells and teammate Chase Utley.

He's also a very efficient base stealer, as evidenced by 36-for-40 performance a year ago. "He's turning into a great offensive catalyst," said a National League talent evaluator.

So why isn't Rollins higher on the list? Try that .330 career on-base percentage, for starters. Rollins' aggressive mind-set serves him well when he's in a groove, but it can be a liability when his swing gets big and he's in such a blissful state letting it rip that he's immune to the concept of patience.

Here's Rollins in a nutshell: He walked eight times in the Phillies' first seven games this season, and didn't draw another walk in the next 12 games. Maybe he's just bored taking those four pitches outside the zone and jogging down to first.

6. Hanley Ramirez, Marlins
With another year similar to his rookie season in Florida, Ramirez might leapfrog about four people on this list.

Ramirez put up monster numbers as a rookie (119 runs, 51 steals, 74 extra-base hits) for a middle-of-the-road offensive club in a tough park for hitters. And he appears to be taking a more disciplined approach this season in an effort to reduce those 128 strikeouts.

"He should develop some more power, which would make him a viable option further down in the order, but he's fine where he is right now," write the analysts at Baseball Prospectus.

7. Johnny Damon, Yankees
Damon is starting to show some wear and tear after playing a minimum of 145 games a year in center field for 11 straight seasons. He's fighting a bad back and sore hamstring, and nagging injuries will continue to be a concern now that he's 33.

But we're still talking about the pro's pro -- a guy who'll foul off good pitches, take his walks and consistently set the tone for an offense. And if you judge a man by the company he keeps, Damon is going to have an awfully strong Hall of Fame case by the time he's finished. In 2006 he joined Lou Gehrig and Stan Musial as the only players to surpass 30 doubles and 100 runs scored in nine consecutive seasons.

The List of Names In The George Mitchell Report

Here is the long awaited blacklist of the names provided by George Mitchell of those who have used steroids both past and present and both dead and alive. Please note that this isn't a final list. There may be other players not caught or unrevealed yet.

First, it is interesting to note that many of these players are either overweight or unusually large (Jason Giambi, Troy Glaus)
Second, it is interesting to note that many of these players have emotional issues (John Rocker, Kyle Farnsworth, Milton Bradley).


Aaron Boone, Rafael Bettancourt, Bret Boone, Milton Bradley, David Bell, Dante Bichette, Albert Belle, Paul Byrd, Wil Cordero, Ken Caminiti, Mike Cameron, Ramon Castro, Jose Canseco, Ozzie Canseco, Roger Clemens, Paxton Crawford, Wilson Delgado, Lenny Dykstra, Johnny Damon, Carl Everett, Kyle Farnsworth, Ryan Franklin, Troy Glaus, Rich Garces, Jason Grimsley, Juan Gonzalez, Eric Gagne, Nomar Garciaparra, Jason Giambi, Jeremy Giambi, Jose Guillen, Jay Gibbons, Juan Gonzalez, Clay Hensley, Jerry Hairston, Felix Heredia, Jr., Darren Holmes, Wally Joyner, Darryl Kile, Matt Lawton, Raul Mondesi, Mark McGwire, Guillermo Mota, Robert Machado, Damian Moss, Abraham Nunez, Trot Nixon, Jose Offerman, Andy Pettitte, Mark Prior, Neifi Perez, Rafael Palmiero, Albert Pujols, Brian Roberts, Juan Rincon, John Rocker, Pudge Rodriguez, Sammy Sosa, Scott Schoenweiis, David Segui, Alex Sanchez, Gary Sheffield, Miguel Tejada, Julian Tavarez, Fernando Tatis, Maurice Vaughn, Jason Varitek, Ismael Valdez, Matt Williams, Kerry Wood, Brady Anderson, Manny Alexander, Rick Ankiel, Jeff Bagwell, Barry Bonds

Some Comments on Certain Players:

1. No wonder Aaron Boone, a man of little power, was able to hit that clinch home run to win the series against Boston years ago.

2. The rage Milton Bradley showed against that umpire stems down to the steroids toying with his mind.

3. Mike Cameron is another man of little power so I can see why he would take steroids.

4. We all know Jose Canseco was the tattle-tale of this whole mess.

5. Only a man of steroids could pitch at the age Roger Clemens was pitching at and make it look good.

6. Johnny Damon? Talk about random. I guess pure contact and speed wasn't enough for this little guy.

7. When I watched Kyle Farnsworth pitch on the Braves, he was scary. He would throw the ball in a wild rage. Now I know why.

8. No! Not Troy Glaus! He's my favorite player. Anyway, now I know why his contact in baseball games was rated 60 while his power was rated 95.

9. Eric Gagne is another prime example of a player who needed surgery and recovery time and figured steroids is the best way to aid himself in recovering faster.

10. Nomar Garciaparra was a guy who became a nobody once he left Boston so I'm guessing through steroids he could put home runs on the board and become a well-known player again.

11. Jason Giambi's enormous size and baby-face attitude speaks for himself. Also, he wanted his brother Jeremy to get in on the action.

12. I have no explanation as to why Jay Gibbons used steroids. That's just random.

13. Of course, we all know Mark McGwire's and Rafael Palmiero's story.

14. I feel bad for Mark Prior and Kerry Wood. Here are more examples of amazing pitchers plagued by injuries who thought steroids was the answer to recovery.

15. Andy Pettitte is one of the most controversial names on the list in my opinion. I think the Yankees may want to think twice before resigning in. I have no explanation as to why Andy Pettitte would take steroids, but I know many people who are Pettitte fans, especially one fan in particular. Let's see how loyal she is to him once she finds out he's a fake.

16. Oh wow. Albert Pujols is here. I gasp in disbelief. He was the best player in baseball. If he took steroids, no one can be trusted.

17. John Rocker's hate and racial speech stems from steroids.

18. I bet the Home Run Race between Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire was really a race about who can consume the most steroids in one year.

19. Now I know where all of Gary Sheffield's enormous power and violent swing comes from.

20. Jeff Bagwell seems more like a fossil. He's been playing for years belting out home runs and loved by many. Too bad he was a fake all these years.

21. And of course, the grand daddy of them all, Barry Bonds. At least Barry Bonds doesn't have to feel alone anymore or feel like the whole world was out to get him.

It seems like every player in this generation of baseball who has done something noteworthy or good deserves to be under the cloud of suspicion. I have a great feeling that this will be the first of many lists. I also get the feeling (and I know this should raise a big debate) that steroids in baseball have existed for years and years, but the MLB didn't want to blow it open because kids love the long ball and the prices of attendance have continued to rise. In other words, I smell a conspiracy and until Jose Canseco tattled because of his jealousy, the MLB wanted to keep this a secret. Think about it. The number of all-stars, CY young winners, and MVPs included in this list is tremendous. You mean to tell me since the early 90s the MLB was not aware of what these players were doing? I highly doubt that. I also believe this is connected to the infamous baseball strike that occurred in the 90s. The MLB needed to gain fans back so they allowed players to artifically increase their strength in order to provide a better show. I don't think its a coincidence that right after the strike McGwire and Sosa were slamming home runs left and right. I believe the MLB and the union knew about the steroid issue, but wanted to keep a lid on it. Also, yes steroids are bad for kids, but none of the kids would have known that their favorite players were using steroids. Steroids actually saved baseball and this entire witch hunt has destroyed baseball. However, once the government got involved, they couldn't keep it a secret any longer because steroids are illegal and MLB can't change that law.