Fantasy/roto owners looking for cheap power before their drafts should look at hitters who hit alot of doubles the previous season. Many believe that true power hitters will turn those doubles into homers the next season.
Here's a look at the top doubles hitters in the NL since the All-Star break:
Player | AB | R | H | 2B | HR | RBI | BB | KO | BA | OBP | SLG |
Murphy, Daniel LF NYM | 240 | 28 | 69 | 26 | 6 | 35 | 11 | 35 | 0.288 | 0.316 | 0.496 |
Ethier, Andre RF LA | 243 | 40 | 79 | 24 | 13 | 45 | 24 | 41 | 0.325 | 0.402 | 0.601 |
Pujols, Albert 1B STL | 227 | 48 | 72 | 21 | 15 | 43 | 38 | 25 | 0.317 | 0.425 | 0.608 |
Lee, Derrek 1B CHC | 231 | 48 | 78 | 20 | 17 | 51 | 38 | 47 | 0.338 | 0.432 | 0.662 |
Headley, Chase LF SD | 224 | 31 | 69 | 19 | 4 | 29 | 28 | 45 | 0.308 | 0.382 | 0.455 |
Sandoval, Pablo 1B SF | 227 | 28 | 70 | 19 | 7 | 25 | 20 | 33 | 0.308 | 0.364 | 0.485 |
Rollins, Jimmy SS PHI | 274 | 40 | 74 | 19 | 12 | 37 | 13 | 24 | 0.27 | 0.301 | 0.493 |
Holliday, Matt LF STL | 237 | 50 | 86 | 19 | 16 | 61 | 22 | 39 | 0.363 | 0.416 | 0.662 |
Francoeur, Jeff RF NYM | 244 | 31 | 75 | 18 | 7 | 32 | 10 | 39 | 0.307 | 0.336 | 0.484 |
Montero, Miguel C ARI | 203 | 31 | 64 | 18 | 9 | 35 | 16 | 39 | 0.315 | 0.364 | 0.537 |
I have already written about a couple guys on this list-Pablo Sandoval and Miguel Montero. But the leader in doubles Daniel Murphy is intriguing. Murphy hit 11 HRs in 2008 in 450+ ABs, and was drafted in many leagues thi season with the thought that he could go 20-80-.300 in that Mets lineup, but he has disappointed many owners this season. Murphy has had a very good second half of the season, and I wonder if he can turn some of those doubles into HRs in 2010.
The other guy on this list that stands out is the Padres Chase Headley. He has had a very fine second half as well, with 19 doubles to go with his 4 HRs and .308 average. He could be a cheap source of power heading into 2010 drafts. He has 12 HRs this season after hitting 9 HRs in 2008, so his power is trending up. Headley's 45/28 K/BB ratio and .382 OBP says he has a good eye at the plate, and could lead to 20+ HRs in 2010.
The Diamondbacks Miguel Montero probably won't be a hidden source of power, but his .537 slugging percentage tells me that his power may be here to stay, especially playing in Bank One Ballpark.