Triple Crown Contenders?

Nearly a month into the season it looks as if two possible Triple Crown contenders have emerged in the National League. Derrek Lee and Chase Utley could be the ones to do it. Both players are off to a red hot start and have all of the tools to compete for the Crown.

Derrek Lee is back to his '05 form by reattaining his power stroke. He's also learned how to hit for average in the last couple of seasons. Put it all together and you got the makings for a Triple Crown. D-Lee is currently hitting .362 with 7 HR and 18 RBI. He's also leading the Cubs with 63 total bases. Right now he's 3rd in BA, 3rd in HR, and 5th in RBI in the NL. The Cubs are tearing the cover off the ball and it looks like it's not going to stop anytime soon. D-Lee is going to have plenty of RBI chances all season long and if he can keep up his HR pace, he'll be right near the top of the league leaders. I believe that he can hit .340 this year and lead the league if his teammate Kosuke Fukudome doesn't deprive him of it. Everyone blames his lack of power for the last year or so on his previously injured wrist. Lee's reasoning for it was that he was hitting too many ground balls and the numbers from last year support that. He was hitting 2 to 1 ground balls to fly balls. It's definitely going to be interesting to watch his output in the next month or so to see if he keep up his current pace.

Chase Utley is one of the best young hitters in the league and he'll be one of the best hitters in the league for a long time. Like Lee, Utley is shredding NL pitching at a torrid pace right now. Utley is hitting .367 with 10 HR and 21 RBI. His BA puts him in 3rd place in the league, he's 1st in HR and 2nd in RBI behind his teammate Pat Burrell. Like the Cubs, the Phillies are not going to stop hitting and Utley will be driving in runs in bunches. I'm thinking he ends up at about .335 at the end of the year which could be the best in the league. He also has a good chance of leading the league in RBI. There's no doubt that he should have at least 125. The question is if he can lead the league in homers. He just lost his 5 game HR streak but he's off to a real nice start so far. Utley has all the tools and resources to contend for the Crown. He's in a great offense and he can't be pitched around like Lee can. Whether he gets the Crown or just contends if watching Utley play doesn't excite you then not much will.

Lee and Utley may be the most serious threats to contend for the Crown in a long time. I'm not predicting anything, just talking about possibilities here.