Updates Around the American League

As the season starts to wind down, lets take a look at some of the different players across the American League that have really been making great contributions to their team.

Blue Jays:

• Aaron Hill has had an amazing 2009 season. In 136 games, he is hitting .286 with 31 homeruns and 94 RBI. He leads the American League in total bases and tied for 5th in hits (168) with Michael Young.
  
• Adam Lind has also had a tremendous season for the Jays. In 131 games, he is hitting .304 with 28 homeruns and 94 RBI. His 45 doubles are second best in the American Leagues, only behind Brian Roberts of the Baltimore Orioles.
  

New York Yankees:

• Mark Teixiera has been a huge acquisition for the Yankees this year. Along with the defensive upgrade he has been for the team, Teixiera has also performed well with his bat. He is hitting .279 with 146 hits, 34 homeruns, 103 RBI, and 36 doubles.
  
• Derek Jeter is having himself another spectacular year, hitting .332, has 17 HR's, and is second in the AL with 183 hits.
  
• Robinson Cano has looked decent also this year. He is hitting .316 and has hit a career-high 23 HR's.
• CC Sabathia has proved once against he is a durable pitcher, in which he is leading the A.L in innings pitched (206.1). He has 16 wins this season which ties him with Justin Verlander of the Tigers. With an ERA of 3.40 and 177 strikeouts, CC has put together a nice season for himself.
  

Boston Red Sox:

• Jacoby Ellsbury has some amazing speed, in which he has hit 9 triples and stole 60 bases so far this season. His .300 batting average and 16 hits are just as impressive.
  
• Jason Bay is leading the Red Sox with 31 HR's and 98 RBI's. While he is only hitting .261 on the season, his 84 walks are the highest on the team and have helped lead him to a .383 OBP.
• Kevin Youkilis is also having a great year in which he is leading the team in batting average (.311) and slugging percentage (.558).
  
• Jon Lester is also having a treendous year, with his 180.2 innings and 204 strikeouts. While his 12-7 record isnt nearly as impressive as some other players, he has an ERA of 3.44 which is impressive considering he plays on an American League team.
  

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim:

• Kendry Morales has emerged out of the blue and become a great replacement for the Angels at first base after they lose Mark Teixiera this past off-season to free agency. He has more AB's this season (483) than his previous three seasons combined (377; 197 in 2006, 119 in 2007, and 61 in 2008). He has hit an impressive 30 HR's and his 5 RBI's away from reaching 100. This is a guy to look out for in the postseason.
• Chone Figgins is one of my favorite player to watch on TV (when he isn't playing against the Yankees or Jays, of course). Along with the versatility he carries in being able to play at nearly every position (though he has been used mostly at 3B this year), Figgins has provided he can be a consistent hitter for the Angels; one that does not need to rely on hitting for power, but more for average and speed. His 87 walks are a career high and he has an impressive .305 batting average so far this season.
  

Minnesota Twins:

• Joe Mauer is the League leader for MVP with his .369 batting average. His 26 HR's are a career high (most since 2006 when he hit 13) and with 82 RBI, he should be able to surpass the 84 that he hit back in 2006. These statistics are remarkable for a catcher and his accomplishments I would think will be rewarded in the form of a certain award.

Detriot Tigers:

• Miguel Cabrera's 28 HR's this season put him on pace to hit the 30 HR plateau; an accomplishment he has reached in 4 of his 6 previous major league season. His .336 batting average is just as impressive along with his .402 OBP.
• Justin Verlander has pitched extremely well this season, going 16-7 with an ERA of 3.29. So far this season he has pitched 197 innings and has struck out 222 batters (1st in the A.L and second in the Major Leagues, only to Tim Lincecum). This guy has got to be up there for CY Young considerations.
  

Seattle Mariners:

• Ichiro is having himself another great year. While he doesn't necessarily hit for power, his .362 average (2nd in the AL) and 195 hits (1st in the AL) which would be 9 straight season in which he has hit over .300 with over 200 hits. What a remarkably consistent ballplayer Ichiro is.
  

Kansas City Royals:

• Zack Greinke has been one of the few reasons of hope for many Royals fans. On a terrible Royals team, he has managed to compile 13 wins while having an ERA of 2.22 (the lowest for a starter with a minimum of 10 starts in the A.L). His 1.08 WHIP and 3 shutouts are the most for a starter in the A.L. and his 210 strikeouts this year are second, only behind Detroit's Justin Verlander. His w/l ratio is unfair to look at as he has been provided with very little run supported by the Royals offense this season. Hopefully the writers will look beyond ones record.

Cleveland Indians:

• Shin-Soo Choo has compiled some decent stats for the 2009 season. He has a .301 batting average with 150 hits so far this season which are a career high. His 14 HR's are the second highest on the team, only behind the 18 that have been hit by Grady Sizemore. Surprisingly he is leading the team with 66 walks, with the downfall to his game being his team leading 127 strikeouts (17 more than Jhonny Peralta).
  

Texas Rangers:

• Neftali Feliz has appeared in 12 games so far this season for the Rangers. In 22 innings he has struck out 28 batters while walking only one. He has two saves of the season and is someone to look out for in the 2010 season.
• Michael Young has had a great season also, but is out for 2-3 weeks with a strained hamstring. He is hitting .322 with 22 HR's, 168 hits, and 35 doubles.

Other notables: Nick Markakis, Michael Young, Johnny Damon, Brian Roberts, Bobby Abreu, and Victor Martinez.

Any other players that I missed? There are so many guys out there that could have been mentioned, but with Grad school and work, my time to really write about each and every one is limited. I hope I at least mentioned close to the most important, though I am sure I have missed a handful.