Top Surprise Players in the American League© Bryan Walker
Aug 18, 2000
There have been several surprise teams in the American League this year. Did anyone pick the White Sox to run away with the Central in spring training? How about the competitiveness of the AL West? But there have also been several surprise players in the American League. This group of guys are making a huge impact on their team and making contributions that were not expeced. (These are in no particular order.)
1. Carlos Delgado, Toronto Blue Jays. He has always been a decent power hitter, but this year he has exploded beyond last year's breakout year. Although Delgado has never hit over .300 in a season, this year he is batting at a .360 clip. He is easily the top MVP candidate at this point in the season.
2. Terrence Long, Oakland Athletics. He's not the best player on the team, but since being called up this year, he has been a nightly highlight film. If you saw him go long off Pedro Martinez, that's just a sample. During the three game series against the Indians, Long made play after play robbing hits and making good things happen.
3. Frank Thomas, Chicago White Sox. Its difficult to include a player of Thomas' caliber on a "surprise" list, but he had off seasons for the past two years by his standards . But if you want to know who is giving life to the White Sox, the team looks to the leadership of Thomas. He's back on track this season with a .340 average, 37 dingers, and 111 RBI.
4. Albie Lopez, Tampa Bay Devil Rays. This is a career year for Lopez. He is currently second in ERA for the American League. After a slow start, he has been shutting down offenses. He may never pitch as well again, but right now he's one of the best.
5. Jason Giambi, Oakland Athletics. He is the leader of a solid group of young players. Long is already on this list, and teammate Tim Hudson could be on it, but Giambi is the best player the A's have. He is batting over .320 and has already reached the 100 RBI mark.
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