2009 AL Breakout Hitters

Russell Branyan—Seattle Mariners Made his major league debut in 1998 with the Indians but has never batted 400 times in a season. He came the closest to 400 at bats in 2002 when he batted 378 times for the Indians and Reds. He hit 24 homers that season and has hit 24 homers this season in only 310 at bats. His .274 batting average this season is the highest of any season in which he has batted more than 100 times. He is currently tied for the AL lead in homers with Carlos Pena and Justin Morneau who also have 24 homers.   Nelson Cruz—Texas Rangers Two years ago Cruz hit nine homers and drove in 34 runs in 307 at bats. He has also batted 307 times this season as of today and has hit 23 homers with 54 RBI. In 2007, he slugged .384 but is slugging .550 this season after slugging .609 last season. The only negative for Cruz is that he hit .330 last season but is only hitting .270 this season, a drop of 60 points.   Aaron Hill—Toronto Blue Jays: Hill onl...