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Fantasy Baseball: Five Hottest May Hitters in AL Central
May 20, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Minnesota Twins second baseman Brian Dozier (2) in the on-deck circle against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning of an inter-league game at PNC Park. The Twins won 4-3 in thirteen innings. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Can someone pinch me please because it feels like Opening Day was yesterday, but the baseball season is already passed the quarter mark and heading into June. By the end of the weekend, a lot of everyday players will have 200 at-bats for the season.
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With larger small sizes comes more fantasy baseball conclusions, and we have plenty of them at MCB.
Obvsiouly, fantasy owners do not want to make roster changes based on just one hot streak, but hot months are hard to ignore. There has been some great hitting in the AL Central this season, but who would have thought three of the five hottest hitters in the division during May would come from the Minnesota Twins?
Here are the five hottest May hitters in the AL Central:
May 28, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Cleveland Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis (22) hits an RBI-fielders choice against the Seattle Mariners during the sixth inning at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
2B Jason Kipnis, Cleveland Indians
Kipnis is hitting out of this world in May. Not only does he lead the division, but he leads all of baseball with a .449 batting average in May. He also has a .738 slugging percentage and 1.270 OPS.
In 107 at-bats this month, he has 48 hits, which 20 have gone for extra bases. Kipnis has four home runs, 16 RBI and three stolen bases. Oh, and his 28 runs is five more than any other player in the league.
With the incredible May, Kipnis has raised his season totals to .345/.416/.536, five home runs, 24 RBI and 35 runs in 194 at-bats.
May 26, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Twins right fielder Torii Hunter (48) hits a single in the eighth inning against Boston Red Sox at Target Field. The Twins won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
RF Torii Hunter, Minnesota Twins
As the Tigers offense continues to struggle, it probably isn’t the best time to bring up the fact Hunter is having another stellar season.
In May, Hunter is hitting .341/.402/.571 with six home runs and 22 RBI. The 22 runs batted in are behind just Price Fielder for the AL lead in the month.
The 39-year-old is slashing .280/.333/.457 with seven home runs and 29 RBI in 164 at-bats this season.
May 19, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Minnesota Twins second baseman Brian Dozier (2) reacts after being called out on strikes against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the seventh inning of an inter-league game at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
2B Brian Dozier, Minnesota Twins
Yep, it’s all smiles for the Twins who are 18-6 in May behind a 5.25 runs per game average in the month. The hot streak has Minnesota at 28-18 and in a first-place tie with Kansas City for the AL Central lead.
Dozier is batting just .271 in May, but he has seven doubles, two triples, seven home runs and 14 RBI. That has helped him slug .604 and post a .953 OPS this month.
The Twins second baseman is hitting .247/.328/.494 with nine home runs and 24 RBI in 178 at-bats this season.
May 24, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera (24) hits a double in the first inning against the Houston Astros at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
1B Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
Center fielder Anthony Gose had an argument to be the Tigers representative on this list in front of Miggy, but Gose just didn’t provide enough power to make the cut.
Power, however, is what landed Cabrera on this list. He has six home runs and 16 RBI in May.
Cabrera is only batting .289 during the month, but a few hits this weekend will get the batting average to .300 in May. The first baseman is batting .329/.435/.584 with 11 home runs and 33 RBI in 173 at-bats this season.
May 20, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Minnesota Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe (24) doubles against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the thirteenth inning of an inter-league game at PNC Park. The Twins won 4-3 in thirteen innings. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
3B Trevor Plouffe, Minnesota Twins
Plouffe gets the nod for the fifth spot on this list just over Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer. Plouffe and Hosmer have similar numbers in May, but Plouffe has more RBI and a higher slugging percentage.
The Twins third baseman is hitting .296 with four home runs, 18 RBI and 12 runs in May. His OPS in the month is .920.
For the season, Plouffe is batting .269/.348/.469 with seven home runs, 26 RBI in 160 at-bats.
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