What happened to Magglio?

Does anyone still remember what Magglio Ordonez did back in '07? If not, here's a quick refresher. Check out this statline: 117 R, 28 HR, 139 RBI, .363 BA., which was good enough for a Top-5 Yahoo! ranking at the end of the season. Fast forward a year and a half...here's his statline through 76 games: 33 R, 5 HR, 32 RBI, .257 BA, which is bad enough for a 631 Yahoo! ranking.

What's happened to Magglio? Well, let's take a closer look. Does he play for a bad team? No, the Detroit Tigers are leading the AL Central by 3 games over the Chicago White Sox. Does he not have any protection around him in the lineup? No, he's batted anywhere between 3 to 6 in the lineup with Curtis Granderson (56 R, 19 HR, 46 RBI, 17 SB) setting the table and Miguel Cabrera (56 R, 19 HR, 53 RBI, .328 BA) and Brandon Inge (53 R, 21 HR, 58 RBI, .258 BA) providing protection. Is he getting old? Maybe, he turned 35 before the season started so the argument could be made that a drop-off in production should be expected as he enteres the later stages of his career. Is he injured? Maybe, he's missed a total of 17 games so far, so it's likely that he's been battling some nagging injuries that have kept him from feeling comfortable at the plate.

All in all, there's really no good explanation for why he's doing so poorly so far in 2009. Maybe it's age, maybe it's the nagging injuries, or maybe he's just having an off year. Regardess of the reason, his production so far has been anything but a fantasy.

Fantasy Impact: Only in a situation where you can stash him on your bench and not have to count on any production from him would it make sense to own him right now. He's not playing everyday, but with his proven track record, there's always the possibility he gets hot near the end of the season and carries you into the playoffs, then suddenly you look like a genius for picking him up. Although what's more likely is that he will continue to platoon in the outfield and probably end up on the DL at least once in the second half of the season. Good luck if you're willing to take that chance.

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.