Laugh all you want, but Milton Bradley has proven to be one of the most feared hitters in the American League this season. While Josh Hamilton is getting most of the attention in Arlington these days, Bradley has been just as key to the Rangers success this past month. In fact, one could argue that Bradley has been the best free agent signing this offseason (considering the price he was signed for). Entering May, the Rangers were a pitiful 10-18 and there was already talk of 2nd year manager Ron Washington being fired by team president Nolan Ryan.However, the strong play of Bradley coupled with the power of Josh Hamilton in the middle of that lineup and the teams improved starting pitching has helped the Rangers gain respectability. At 29-28, the Rangers were 19-10 in the month of May so far and are only 3 games back of the division leading Angels. In the month of May alone, Milton Bradley has hit .341 with five home runs and 19 RBI. On the season, Bradley is hitting .327/.435/.561 with 8 home runs, 31 RBI, 33 walks and 16 doubles. He leads the American League with a .996 OPS and is top 3 in the AL in slugging, on base percentage, batting average and doubles.
Now, the question we must ask ourselves is if this performance by Bradley is a fluke, or if we can expect it to continue throughout the season. Personally, I think he might be able to keep it up. If you recall, Bradley performed just as well in his time with the San Diego Padres last season and was the sole reason for their second half run. I think Milton Bradley is finally entering the prime of his career and is playing the type of baseball we expected from him when he first emerged as a star with the Indians back in 2002.
However, there are several limiting factors with Bradley. First, Bradley hasn't had the greatest track record in the clubhouse and one may wonder when will be the next time he blows up. In regards to this though, I think he's finally matured as a player. He hasn't had any problems since he left the Dodgers in 2006. The other--and most important--limiting factor for Bradley has been his injury history. In his 8 seasons in the big leagues, Bradley has only played more than 140 games in a season only once and only more than 100 games only twice. Right now, Bradley is on pace to set career highs in just about every stat category, but an injury could prevent him from doing so. However, if Bradley can remain healthy all season long, the Rangers could become a darkhorse to win the American League West this season.
I know this might be difficult for some people to grasp, but the Angels just haven't been playing that good of baseball and the Athletics are more committed towards the future now that they are once again on pace to shatter their record of using the disabled list. Because of the play of Bradley and teammate Josh Hamilton, the Rangers now have the number one offense in the American League. If the pitching staff stays on par, don't sleep on the Rangers.....
A solid start to the week was once again disrupted by the team losing 2 of 3 to the 
After going 20-8 in the month of April, the Diamondbacks have started out just 3-6 in the month of May. The pitching just hasn't been their the last week as the Diamondbacks gave up a total of 32 runs in six games against the 
It wasn't a great week for the Cardinals as they only split a four game set at Colorado and lost 2 of 3 on the road to Milwaukee. I find it amazing that 
The biggest surprise in Boston has to be the play of 
We've been ignoring the team in south beach for too long now and it's time we paid them some respect. The Marlins are scoring runs with the best of them and are second in the majors with 53 home runs. Meanwhile, the bullpen has been outstanding as well. Marlins fans can also be happy as the team locked up 
The Mets wouldn't be anywhere right now if it weren't for the strong play of outfielder 
The Angels go as 
The Phillies couldn't find any consistency last week as they split with Arizona and lost two of three to the 
It was an impressive week for the Rays as they took of three from the 
The Yankees looked to 
Well look what a week will do.....The Astros are one of the hottest teams in baseball right now as they have won 8 of their last 9 games, including sweeps against the 
If you want further proof that the Braves are losing series to teams they should beat, just look at this past weekend as the team dropped it's first two games against the 
Just when we thought the Dodgers were starting to turn it around, the team drops four in a row at home. However, because the Diamondbacks have struggled this month, it's not hurting the team at all. The Dodgers top 3 starters have not been performing as well as many expected. However, 
The Twins are yet another small market team leading their division. Part of the reason is that the team is 9-4 in one run ballgames, which is the best in the majors. The Twins offense is much like Oakland's where they haven't had a lot of home runs, but have succeeded at hitting with runners in scoring position. The pitching has been average thus far, though the bullpen did take a hit with the loss of 
Who would have thought that 
Slowly, the Indians have crept back up in the standings and are now only a game and a half behind the division leading Twins. If the team has a solid series against Oakland, who they are 2-4 against so far this year, I wouldn't be surprised if they were leading the division next week. However, it still remains to be seen as 
Why did it take 
After getting swept by Oakland to start the week, the Orioles were able to salvage their record by taking 3 of 4 in Kansas City. The team will get some much needed rest this week as they have off days on both Monday and Thursday meaning that all relievers should be available in the two game set against Boston. The Orioles may have no shot at the division this season, but it's obvious that progress is being made. 
First J.P. Ricciardi gets rid of 
The Pirates were undefeated this past week after sweeping the Giants and taking the first two from the Braves. 
The Rangers continued to stay hot this past week against Seattle and Oakland and the improved play has given them a significant raise in the rankings. The Rangers are probably regretting the decision to not trade 
This Tigers team just continues to struggle as they've won just two of their last seven games. The Tigers can't even look for a quick fix right now as they have no more trading chips (after trading the majority of the farm in the offseason) and there isn't anyone worth a look at on the market. The team just has to start playing better and it all starts with 
