LB P-T: Pop Guzman Rules the World!

[jcrmoon42]

Yes, it is true. Alberto "Pop" Guzman is King of the Planet. The #1 overall pick of the 2002 draft is now a 28-year old Superman. It is hard to believe that at one point the Surfers were afraid he would be a bust. He signed for a monstrous $1.49M contract which included a 4-year major league contract worth $600K per season. As a 21-year old, he looked like it wouldn't take long to be ready for the big leagues, although he didn't exactly destroy the Rookie Leagues. Prior to his second season, he took an ability lump, and the club feared the worst. He followed that with a below average season in A-ball even though he was an All Star that season. By Year 3, he turned it all around, tearing up pitching in both AA and AAA ball. The presence of Ted Sale in the big leagues kept the club from needing to rush him, and that has turned out well.

His first two big league seasons were good, but not great. He put up OPS+ of 116 and 117 and was among the league leaders in strikeouts while putting up decent power numbers. Nothing prepared the league for 2007 in which Guzman was among the leaders in most offensive categories and won the Sawyer Silk Award. He worried management yet again last year by taking a step back toward mortality, but their worries were for naught. This year, he looks even better than he did in 2007 and should easily be on his way to another Silk Award. He leads the FL in virtually everything, and, in most cases, by a lot.

He's still arbitration eligible after this season, but the club may look to lock him up for a long time.

[agrudez]

Why do I get the sinking feeling that Carolina is rooting for a CEI?