Seven Swingin' Septembers

I wanted to look at a few players who had great Septembers in 2007. While having a great September doesn't guarantee a great following season, it is something to consider with young players in particular who may have found their stride after a slow season.

Alfonso Soriano: For the life of me, I can't figure out why some experts are down on this guy. Granted, forty steals isn't likely to happen ever again, but a healthy season at Wrigley has got to do some good. He should be going very early in the second-round, though I would probably take him toward the end of the first since he and Holliday are a tier of their own.

• .320 AVG, 14 HR, 27 RBI, 1 SB

Ryan Braun: I wasn't hot on this guy when he was going at the very beginning of the second round, but if he's there any later, bite. While third base is deep this year, Braun will gain OF elibility and one could make a case that he's better than Sizemore, Beltran, or Guerrero.

• .308 AVG, 9 HR, 29 RBI, 2 SB

Curtis Granderson: This guy needs a bit more respect. Leading off the Tigers lineup, Granderson is looking for another 120+ run season. He stole 26 of 27 attempts, and with 23 HR and at age 26 he has some pop to his swing. I like him more than Rios.

• .348 AVG, 5 HR, 9 SB

Garrett Atkins: Atkins has made good use of his prime years, putting up great numbers but paling in comparison to the Wright's and A-Rod's out there. Last September he was a big part of the Rockies surge, and the following statline is impressive.

• .390 AVG, 5 HR, OPS of 1.010

Matt Kemp: Look at Kemp's profile picture on Yahoo! and you'll want him on your team. He looks like he'd take you to a bar and help bring back the ladies (that, if you weren't preoccupied with fantasy baseball, would be no challenge I'm sure). Despite the hype, he's still underrated come draft day and is a great 3rd OF.

• .383 AVG, OPS of .930, the power and speed will come this year

James Loney: Loney enters his second full season without concern of losing his spot to anyone. While a lot of experts think his power last season was a fluke, I'm not advertising a 30 HR threat. But what I do think is a mid-20's HR guy with a great average and good run and RBI contributions.

• .382 AVG, 9 HR, 32 RBI

Hank Blalock: Blalock has struggled with injuries for the past couple years but finally appeared healthy at the end of last season. He is going late in a lot of drafts, lasting seemingly forever in the Sports Blogger League. And he sported a mean September.

• .313 AVG, 5 HR, OPS of 1.063

This is by no means an all-inclusive list. It does show you some guys who seemed to perform either above their limits or at a limit we just hadn't seen before. All of the later guys are going a bit later though in my opinion.