Friday, May 16, 2008

Bourn's identity? Berkman Superman?

Houston, we don't have any problems.

The Astros are 11-2 in the month of may and everything seems to be clicking.

Well, everything except leadoff man Michael Bourn.

Houston's center fielder, whose speed rivals that of Hollywood's Jason Bourne in one of his back-alley uber-sophisticated street fights, could use a few of Matt Damon's tricks at the plate.

Currently mired in a 0-for-22 slump, Bourn is hitting .148 in May and .181 for the season. Unless manager Cecil Cooper has 3D glasses and is something the rest of us aren't, look for Bourn to hit the bottom of the lineup soon with the possibility of getting platooned or benched.

What does this mean, if you're a Bourn owner and you badly need his speed (17 for 17 SB), but your average is getting hammered?

If only Jason were here to answer this. There is no good answer.

Every time Bourn's on base, he steals. The last three games he delivered a hit, he also stole a base. But hitting in front of Tejada, Berkman and Lee, it's almost mathematically impossible that Bourn only has 16 runs this year.

That's what a .252 on-base-percentage will do for ya.

Bourn hit .312 against righties last year in 93 at-bats, but is only hitting .177 this season. Nobody will ever confuse him with Ichiro, but the funk he's in right now is of epic proportions.

Unfortunately, his stock is so low, you probably can get something better off a waiver wire, if it's a medium-shallow mixed league. In deeper leagues, you have to hold onto Bourn and hope he snaps out of it. But keep a close eye on his playing time and spot in the batting order.

If Bourn loses his starting gig, it's time to pull the parachute. There may not be a Hollywood ending.

Berkman superman? While one B is scuffling, another B is playing at levels rarely seen. Lance Berkman hit his 15th HR Thursday night.

In 13 May games (are you sitting down?), Berkman is hitting .580 with a .644 obp., smacking 7 HR and 18 RBI.

He's the No. 1 player in Yahoo! right now, hitting .391 with 15 HR, 43 RBI, 45 runs and 7 SB to boot. Not bad for a player most grabbed in the third round.

The amazing part is teams continue to pitch to this Babe Ruth clone, and hitting between Tejada and Lee is about as good as it gets. But soon, teams will start giving Big B the Bonds treatment and the walks will just continue to rise.

If you can sell high, now might be the perfect time.

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