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Surprise, Surprise, Surprise

as Gomer Pyle so nicely put it. Here are some dudes who, 20% into the season, appear to have made a deal with Lew Siffer to enhance their previously modest skill set, or are playing beyond the physics of the HBD age code.

CF Ernie Dorsey, El Paso Diablos: 365/425/600
-Dorsey hasn't hit 300 since winning ROTY in S4, and holds a career line of 291/350/520. With 63/41 splits, Dorsey cannot maintain such a lofty average and will soon come back down to earth.

CF Harvey O'Leary, Chicago Vipers: 357/417/468
-Leary's contact is 30 and his power 18. How jeclapton has milked a career line of 282/354/348 from this Corey Patterson wannabe is anybody's guess.

2B Don Torres, San Juan Express: 286/381/827
-There's something in the water in Puerto Rico. The Express keep turning the kind of career-minor chumps we've all got buried in our system into veritable all-stars. Just look at Torres' horrible contact and splits and explain how this guy has not only left the yard 30 times in half-a-season of MLB at bats, but also how he is posting respectable BA and OBP #s. The mind boggles.

1B Cole Durham, Rochester Rough Riders: 320/428/410
-Durham offers a couple respectable skill sets: 92 speed, a 96 eye, and excellent defense for first base. What Durham should not be doing, considering his contact/power(53/63) and splits(39/45) is hitting 320. Shit, I've got guys with 150% of those numbers who can't hit. Where the hell does Cole Durham get off?

2B Marvin Bryant, Little Rock Travellers: 366/414/634
-Bryant's a respectable .300 hitter for the Travs, but he's got no business slugging .150 over his career average at the ancient HBD age of 34, especially considering his declining power ratings after leaving the yard only 14 times a season ago.

SP Diego Ozuna, Fargo Woodchippers: 5-2, 2.15 era
-Brett Tracy's partner in crime in Fargo, Ozuna has deservedly gotten the invite to 8 All-Star games and has never won less then 16 games or sported an era higher than 4.67. But like Bryant, he's at an age(38) when most of us have to retire our former studs because HBD doesn't believe in the Jesse Oroscos of the world. Yet there's Ozuna leading the league in era at 2.15. That's simply not right.

SP Eugene Wilkins, Minnesota North Stars: 2-2, 2.25 era
-Wilkins is right behind Ozuna in the era race, despite a modest .500 record, that can be contributed to the fact he's averaging barely 6 innings per start. While Wilkins has potential to become a solid rotation contributor down the line, his current ratings are mediocre at best; the control and splits are average, the pitches are below average, and nothing indicates he can sustain his early season success. Enjoy the ride, Eugene.

SP Alexander Frye, Fargo Woodchippers: 5-0, 2.45 era
-Another overperforming Fargo clown. I suppose this isn't really news. See Ozuna comments.

SP Wes Henderson, Minnesota North Stars: 5-0, 2.51 era
-The league's pitching luck, so far, seems to be centered in the NL North. Let's all enjoy the correction when it comes.

RP Phillip Wilson, El Paso Diablos: 7-for-8 in save, 2.53 era
-Most of us have relievers like Wilson and use them to wildly inconsistent results in middle relief. Which is the exact fate awaiting Wilson. Look at the poor 6/5 BB/K rate. Or the 1.69 whip. Sporting only two pitches at 77 and 48, the wheels are already starting to wobble a little.

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