aj has more than half the doubles(13) he's had in each of the last 3 seasons(24, 24, 21). he also already has 10 walks. that might not seem like a lot, but consider the fact that his career high for walks in a season is 25 (2008). prior to that he had seasons of 22, 23, 19, 24, 13 and 16. that accounts for all of his full seasons in the majors.

i’ve heard mention of some different contacts aj has been wearing this season; and, i think he was the one that got hawk raving about the nintendo ds. could these factors really be contributing to what i’m at least temporarily calling the “new aj”? i don’t know if this trend of great offensive output can continue, but aj seems like a different hitter these days.

and you know what else? many of us were probably surprised to see aj in the 2-hole in the lineup, but his current output is pretty nearly ideal for that spot in the order. so kudos to ozzie for seizing what might be a great opportunity. now if we can just get him to put swish back in the leadoff spot and drop ocab towards the bottom of the lineup i could be convinced that ozzie is starting to get the knack of this filling out the lineup business. good times!