John Olerud had quite a memorable season in 1993.
He nearly hit .400, finishing his campaign with a .363 mark. The sweet-swinging first baseman led the league in batting, on-base percentage, OPS, OPS+ and doubles. He went on to bat .348 in the American League Championship Series and won a World Series ring.
He retired with a .295 batting average, .398 on-base percentage, 255 home runs and a career .801 OPS in the postseason.
It was a career any player could be proud of.
But that 1993 season was the pinnacle.
It was during that season that Olerud joined some exclusive company his three Hall of Fame teammates – Roberto Alomar, Paul Molitor and Rickey Henderson – never got into.
He collected 200 hits and 100 walks in one season.
In the history of baseball, only 12 other players belong to this club. Eight of those players are enshrined immortalized in Cooperstown.
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The season began with a lot of excitement behind faces in new places, from the Angel’s acquisition of (homerless) Albert Pujols, to Detroit’s offensive face lift.

But after an April that brought us not only perfect weather, but a perfect game, here’s why I believe the best has yet to come.

The Boston Red Sox are currently .500. The team’s playing sub-par baseball, and has managed to win half of its first 22 games. From the standpoint of this Fenway fanatic,  it’s an astonishing accomplishment. But what’s more impressive are the four teams above the last place Bosox.

Tampa Bay is playing fantastic baseball and don’t look now, but David Price seems to have finally found his footing in Florida giving up only one home run in five games and going 4-1 with wins against Texas, Los Angeles, Toronto and the Yankees.

The Orioles are pitching well with a lineup built for the playoffs.

The Yankees are, well, the Yankees, and even Toronto is playing above .500 ball behind its 3-0 ace Ricky Romero.

The AL East is by far the most intriguing division in baseball, and though one or two teams will undoubtedly sift to the top, who’s to say its not Baltimore’s year?

Will the outstanding O’s falter after the All-Star break as usual?

Can Toronto keep up?

Are the Rays ready to run the East?

Or will the two AL East powerhouses duke it out for the division in September?

I don’t know.

And that’s why I’m excited.

Will Chase Utley ever be domoinant again?

Someone who makes watching the game fun because of their grit, determination and skill. At his best Utley was a player who could steal a hit on defense, take two extra bases on the base paths, and crack a home run late in the game.

He actually seemed to will the Philadelphia Phillies to victory.

I always thought his most comparable player was Derek Jeter.

I was very wrong; he’s the modern form of a very different Yankee captain.

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The talent the Tigers have on the mound and at the plate is enough to take them to the World Series.

Prince Fielder possesses a Mo Vaughn-like power and presence on the left side of the plate. However, his career is unlikely to fizzle like the great #42's did.

Though no path to the postseason is ever easy, the Tigers, behind Justin Verlander, have all the pieces of a championship squad. All five starters are young and have live, powerful arms.

Detroit’s lineup, in my opinion, is the best in the majors. From top to bottom, the Tigers have a solid mix of speed, average, and power. Assuming Prince Fielder fits in and picks up where he left off last year, there is no reason they shouldn’t score the most runs this year, and finish with the best record.

Fantasy fanatics, look for Jhonny Peralta and up-and-comer Austin Jackson to see good pitches and benefit from the Tiger’s wealth of power hitting.