Is Matt Holliday the best trade deadline acquisition of 2009?

With two weeks left in the regular season and the playoffs yet to be decided, it's still a little premature to start making proclamations, but it's sure hard to argue against what Matt Holliday's done since being acquired by St. Louis Cardinals. All you have to do is look at his stats since the trade to know he's made an impact. In just 49 Games, here his statline: 35 R, 12 HR, 48 RBI, .363 BA. Pretty darn impressive considering he'd been floundering for most of the season with the Oakland A's.

But, believe it or not, his impact goes even beyond the stats. Perhaps his most significant contribution to the Cardinals has been his presence behind Albert Pujols. For most of the season, Pujols has had to carry the St. Louis offense on his more than capable shoulders, but now he's finally got some protection in the lineup. Not only that but having Holliday bat fourth in the order allows guys like Ryan Ludwick and Mark DeRosa to slide back into their more natural spots in the order. To put it simply, having Holliday in the middle of that lineup makes everyone else better around him.

The final chapter of this season has yet to be written, and the Cardinals owe a lot of their success to their dynamic pitching duo of Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter, but if they do manage to win the World Series, I'm going to proclaim that they wouldn't have done it without the acquisition of Holliday. And when deciding who was the best trade deadline pick-up is there any other criteria?

Fantasy Impact: There are some very happy fantasy owners out there who persevered through 3+ months of lackluster production and who are now reaping the rewards. His production since the trade reminds many of his days with the Colorado Rockies when he was one of the top fantasy producers in the league. And for those who had the mental fortitude to stay the course in the middle of a dismal season, I salute you!

Jason Marquis has been brilliant so far this season

With a record of 12-6 and an ERA of 3.49, I think it's safe to say that Jason Marquis is turning in a career year. Having never had more than 15 wins in any season, it's a bit surprising he's found such a nice groove up at Coors Field. But none the less his home ERA is respectable (3.80) and it's not like he's had to rely solely on run support to win. He's a major reason why the Colorado Rockies are leading the Wild Card race after passing the San Francisco Giants earlier this week.

A remarkably consistent pitcher the last 6 years, he's averaged 12 wins without finishing a season with an ERA under 4.00. When I watch him pitch, I see the "intangibles" of a good pitcher. He's smart on the mound. He gets ahead of hitters early, forces them to hit his pitch, and keeps the ball off the sweet spot of the bat. Being a lifelong Giants fan, I see many similarities to the former Giant pitcher Kirk Rueter, who averaged 13 Wins over 7 straight seasons from '97-'03 while posting an ERA under 4.00 just twice during that span.

While most pitchers rely on a mid-90's fastball and a "strike every hitter out" mentality, few pitchers truly master the art of pitching. At this point it would be ridiculous to start comparing Marquis to a guy like Greg Maddux, who's probably the greatest pure "pitcher" of all time, but it's definitely time we give him some props.

Fantasy Impact: He's the classic guy you'd love to have on your favorite team, just not on your fantasy team. His win total is impressive, but the peripheral stats just aren't up to par. Although probably not a free agent in deeper leagues, he's most likely available for the right price regardless.

Biggest surprises so far in 2009?

With the All-Star Break just around the corner, let's take a look back at some of the biggest offensive and pitching surprises of 2009:

National League:

Offense:
Raul Ibanez (PHI) 51 R, 22 HR, 59 RBI, .312 BA
Even having missed 2+ weeks of the season while on the DL, Ibanez's numbers still so impressive that he earned his first trip to the All-Star game. Easily the best signing of the offseason, Ibanez has been a huge contributor in the Philadelphia Phillies lineup. If he can get healthy, this should be a career year for the 37-year-old outfielder.

Brad Hawpe (COL) 48 R, 13 HR, 56 RBI, .325 BA
Midway through the season and Hawpe has done his best to help fill the void left by Matt Holliday's departure from the Colorado Rockies in the offseason. Like Ibanez, Hawpe has also earned his first trip to the All-Star game, but I'm sure he's hoping it's not his last. Although not a pure power hitter, Hawpe's ability to spray the ball all over the field and hit for extra-base power make him an extremely tough out. He'll still need a strong 2nd half to prove that he's finally arrived.

Pitching:
Josh Johnson (FLA) 7-1, 2.76 ERA, 97 K
After a breakout season in 2006 where he finished 12-7 with a 3.10 ERA and 133 K's, the sky was the limit for this top prospect. Unfortunately, injuries have sidelined him for most of the last two seasons, but now he's back healthy and has regained his old form. Having made his first career All-Star team, he'll be the guy the Florida Marlins lean on to get them into the playoffs.

Matt Cain (SFO) 10-2, 2.42 ERA, 93 K
Another 25-year-old budding star, Cain is starting to put it all together. Having been snakebitten the last couple seasons by horrible run support, this year he's not only gotten the runs but also he's developed the type of pinpoint control and mental toughness that all great pitchers posess. The San Francisco Giants will rely heavily on Cain and Tim Lincecum if they hope to return to the playoffs after a 5-year absence.

American League:

Offense:
Aaron Hill (TOR) 51 R, 20 HR, 59 RBI, .295 BA
Although not a household name yet, Hill was named as an alternate to the All-Star team this year after a tremendous 1st half. Batting in the middle of a potent Toronto Blue Jays offense has helped vault him into the top tier of middle infielders in the league. A strong 2nd half could let everyone know that he's for real and here to stay.

Shin-Soo Choo (CLE) 49 R, 12 HR, 53 RBI, .301 BA
Having made the most of an opportunity to play next to Grady Sizemore in the Cleveland Indians outfield, Choo has far exceeded any expectations to this point in the season. Having never played a full season in the big leagues, it'll be interesting to see if he can keep it going.


Pitching:
Zack Greinke (KC) 10-4, 2.00 ERA, 120 K
There's really no doubt about this one. Greinke has been the best pitcher in the league thus far. Once upon a time Greinke was a hard-throwing 1st-round draft pick who showed flashes of greatness as a rookie in 2004. Now, 5 years and a social anxiety disorder later, he's finally living up to his potential. He's the one bright spot on another dismal Kansas City Royals team.

Edwin Jackson (DET) 6-4, 2.59 ERA, 93 K
Although the record doesn't bare out how great Jackson has pitched, the 13 quality starts begin to illustrate how good he's been so far. Another victim of poor run support and bullpen meltdowns by the Detroit Tigers, Jackson continues to shutdown potent offenses with a combination of power and control, having only walked 33 batters in 114 innings.