Spotlight on Jorge Cantu; looks to continue record streak against Roy Halladay

It is definitely time to give Florida Marlins first baseman Jorge Cantu the credit he deserves. He has arguably been the best player in the majors this season as he takes a 10 game hit and RBI streak to open the season into the Marlins game tonight against the Philadelphia Phillies and Roy Halladay. Cantu has been a major reason the Marlins have opened the season 6-4, good enough for second in the NL East behind the Phillies.

I acknowledge that by writing this, I am potentially jinxing a major league record to open the season. But I am wiping myself clean of any bad mojo based on the fact he will be up against arguably this year's best pitcher in Halladay tonight. The former Cy Young winner has already posted a 2-0 record with a 0.56 ERA through two starts. A big game from Cantu, and a Marlins victory tonight, would go a long way in determining just how good this team could be this year.

But back to Cantu. He is actually riding a 14 game RBI streak dating back to the end of last season. That puts him three games behind the record held by Ray Grimes way back in 1922. Mike Piazza drove in a run in 15 straight games in 2000 for the Mets. Cantu, now a first baseman, was dogged in years past for his ineptitude at second base and sometimes alarmingly low on-base percentage, but if you look at the power stats, Cantu has had three impressive seasons since becoming a full time player for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2005.

In 2005, Cantu hit .286 with 28 homers and 117 RBIs, but only drew 19 walks for a .311 OBP. In 2008 he hit .277 with 29 homers and 95 RBIs and last year hit .289 with 16 homers and 100 RBIs. He even had a .345 OBP last year, the highest in his career.

So why has Cantu been so overlooked as part of this young, dynamic Marlins offense. He's still only 28 and if the first two weeks are any indication, this might be his best season yet. Remember, most baseball players are in their prime from age 27 to 32, so we could expect huge things for Cantu over the next few years. He's hitting .308 with three home runs and a major league leading 15 RBI's, tied with Albert Pujols, through 10 games. Anytime you are tied with Albert Pujols in any offensive category at any point in the season, it's a good season for that player. His OBP is at a career high .378 this year. He is slugging .692, nearly 200 points higher than his best year. He's also 10th in the NL in Runs Created, at 9.6.

Cantu won't give you much more than his offensive production as he lacks speed and defensive ability. But at first base, not much is asked of him, and with speedsters Hanley Ramirez and Cameron Maybin on the team, the Marlins don't need Cantu to steal bases. (He only has 11 steals for his career). He's only struck out more than 100 times once in a season and had 87 strikeouts last year. He's had back-to-back 40+ double seasons and provides a consistent bat in a young lineup.

On a team with just one true offensive star, Hanley Ramirez, Cantu is quickly becoming the second most reliable player on the team. Cantu seemed an afterthought when he followed a strong 2005 season with a clunker in '06 and a nearly non-existent 52 games in '07 between the Rays and Reds. But Cantu has really re-invented himself in Florida and will be a major reason why the Marlins will contend for the National League Wild Card this year.