The National League West is a surprise this year. Going into this season, no one predicted the San Diego Padres would be competing for the division lead. Well they are, and in fact, they are dominating with a six-game lead over the San Francisco Giants.
While the Padres are doing it with pitching, other teams contain hitters that have drastically improved upon their stats from last season. Here are the top three improved hitters:
Aubrey Huff – 1B – San Francisco
The Giants are attempting to keep up with the Padres for the division and Huff is the main reason this is possible. After splitting time in 2009 with the Baltimore Orioles and the Detroit Tigers, Huff signed with San Fran in the offseason. The Giants knew he had a decent bat (15 homers, 85 RBI) but they couldn’t have expected what Aubrey would deliver. Huff leads the team with a .295 batting average, 21 homers and 70 RBI. He has also drastically lifted his slugging percentage from .384 in ’09 to .523 this season.
Kelly Johnson – 2B – Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamond Backs are really bad. They are in last place in the division but do have two of the most improved hitters. Kelly Johnson spent last season with the Atlanta Braves and posted some mediocre numbers. His .224 average, 8 home runs and 29 RBI were all his lowest numbers since his rookie year in 2005. He signed with the Diamondbacks in the offseason and has had a comeback year. With 19 homers, 56 RBI and .278 average, Johnson is an above average option at 2B on your fantasy team.
Chris Young – OF – Arizona Diamondbacks
Young is another Diamondback that is having a great offensive season despite the team’s awful record. His 22 home runs, 74 RBI and .271 average are all much improved on his ’09 stats of 15, 42 and .213. He has even picked his running game up swiping 25 bases this year compared to only 11 last season. He is an excellent candidate for a late-round keeper for next year. Not many owners had Young on their lists of players to select so more than likely, Young went undrafted in your league. Pick him up while you can.
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