Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Elvis has left the building


Man, if feels good to get that cliche in the books.

Texas Rangers SS Elvis Andrus hit his first career HR Wednesday night, tagging former Cleveland closer catastrophe Rafael Betancourt with a solo shot in the sixth inning.

How significant is this long ball (outside the nifty headline possibilities)?

Not very. Andrus won't approach double digits in dingers, even in Arlington, but it's important if you're an Elvis owner (and I'm not talking memorabilia), that the Michael Young Heir Apparent get off to a good start (and a .429 average easily qualifies) and not turn into the next "Hound Dog."

Not that the Rangers would change course if Andrus struggled, but a hot start validates the controversial move of Young to 3B, making that left side of the infield ... wait for it .... "All Shook Up."

Fantasy spin: While Andrus hasn't attempted a steal yet, it's just a matter of days as the defensive whiz has some major grease on those "Blue Suede Spikes, er, Shoes," swiping 53 bases in 482 Frisco at-bats. Andrus was caught 16 times, which probably translates to 35-40 bags in his rookie campaign to go along with a .280-ish average.

Combine that with a spot that's ahead of Ian Kinsler, Young and Josh Hamilton and there's an outside possibility a No. 9 hitter could break the 100-run barrier, which would be quite a rarity.

Don't have "Suspicious Minds," grab Elvis now, while he's still on your wire.

(I know, it's just awful)

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