Return Of Berkman

A return to the National League has helped
Berkman reclaim his form.

The St. Louis Cardinals made headlines all offseason with the contract situation of their superstar slugger Albert Pujols and the injury to ace Adam Wainwright.

It's the move that didn't catch the attention of many that's paying the biggest dividends.

St. Louis signed first baseman Lance Berkman to a one-year $8 million contract this winter, hoping that possibly a return to the National League Central could re-energize the former first-rounder's career.

Berkman has done just that, having one of the best seasons of his thirteen-year career.

The now-thirty-five-year-old veteran currently leads the National League in home runs with 28 with his 75 RBIs ranking fifth. And while some minor injuries have hindered those numbers from being even better, Berkman managed to be selected to his sixth career All-Star Game in Arizona this season and his first since 2008.

Berkman had been coming off the worst statitical year of his career, posting career lows in almost every major offensive category since becoming an everyday player in the big leagues. It got so bad that the switch-hitter, who is a Texas native and played his college ball at Rice University, was traded from his hometown Houston Astros to the New York Yankees midseason, thinking a change in scenery could do the trick.

An ankle injury hampered Berkman his first month with the team and he was unable to get acclimated with the American League as quickly as he'd hoped. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

New York hitting coach Kevin Long worked with Berkman during his time on the disabled list and he came back with a bang, surging into the postseason. He hit .312 with a home run and 4 RBIs in the five playoff games he appeared in for the Yankees and looks to have carried over into 2011.

As for the field Berkman, who had minor knee surgery back in March 2010, was asked to play the outfield on a regular basis for the first time since 2007 with first base occupied by Pujols. Berkman has made 5 errors thus far with 3 coming while playing his everyday right field. The other two have come at first when he has needed a spell from the outfield or Pujols has been needed at the hot corner.

It was a low risk, high reward deal for the Cards and when nobody else was willing to take a chance on the Big Puma, they were. Now they find themselves in the thick of a pennant race with not only the front-runner for the NL Comeback Player of the Year, but possibly the NL MVP.