Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

It had been an awfully long time since Justin Morneau had hit a homerun for the Minnesota Twins this season; but on Wednesday night, all of that changed. Morneau went 2-5 with a homerun—his first since April 28 of this year—and two RBI to lead the Twins to a 7-4 victory over the visiting Chicago White Sox. The victory seals a series victory over the White Sox for the Twins and brings their overall record up to 32-36 with the series finale waiting in the wings for Thursday afternoon.

Much has been made about Morneau’s lack of power over the last few weeks and some fans and analysts have pointed to the decreased amount of homeruns as evidence for the deteriorating value of Morneau to the Twins and other organizations. That isn’t to say that Morneau isn’t a valuable player to the Twins or cannot produce anymore; instead it is saying that Morneau isn’t the type of player that hits 30 HR in a season anymore and thus, the Twins will not receive that type of compensation for him should they trade him.

I don’t believe the Twins actually thought heading into this season that they could get a king’s ransom for Morneau, should they decide to trade him, but they knew that a big year from Morneau would certainly help his trade value and could net them a more valuable and talented prospect in return. Morneau isn’t getting any younger and his power is beginning to deteriorate, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing for the Twins.

I believe that Morneau belongs in a Twins’ uniform for his entire career and he deserves to be resigned to a contract extension, albeit at a reasonable price. The Twins do not have a suitable replacement for Morneau at first base since Chris Parmelee has not shown consistently that he can produce at the majors. Couple that with Morneau’s decreasing value on the open market and his close ties to the fan base and organization in Minnesota and you have a recipe for a cheaper contract for an aging veteran. This would be a great situation for the Twins, despite Morneau’s decreased power numbers. Morneau can still be a valuable contributor to the Twins and can still drive in 100 runs a year. The only difference is that you won’t see 25-30 HR a season anymore and instead will have to accept 15-20 HR with more doubles and singles. Depending on what price you pay, that is still a very reasonable and valuable player to have.

I believe the Twins could resign Morneau for 6-9 million dollars a season over three years and would get great value in their investment. In addition, it would be great to see one of the greatest Twins’ players of all-time finish his career where he started it. As the Twins continue to inch their way back into perennial contenders, Morneau deserves to be a part of it. Should he continue to hit homeruns on a more regular basis, however, he just might price himself out of the Twins’ current and future plans.

Brian Wille is a Minnesota Twins writer for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @BeeWill15 or “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google

Charles LeClaire – USA TODAY SPORTS

A couple weeks ago, I posed the question, who is Pittsburgh Pirate left-hander Jeff Locke? I ended the piece with, “Only time will tell”; a fairly obvious, though truthful answer.

Well, time has told.

Right now, time says Jeff Locke is simply the Pirates’ best starting pitcher. The ace of the staff. If tomorrow was April 1, Jeff Locke would a lock to be the Pirates’ opening day starter. With the NL’s second best ERA at just 2.01 (only Clayton Kershaw’s 1.84 is better), it’s a practically a lock he’ll be the Pirates’ All-Star representative come this July 16 at Citi Field in New York if he keeps it up for few more weeks.

He did nothing to diminish that prediction in another stellar performance against the Cincinnati Reds in Game 3 of 4 in the battle for NL Wild Card supremacy, and was all set to win his seventh straight game of the season when Jason Grilli blew his first save opportunity of the year. The Reds tied the game in the ninth off Grilli on Jay Bruce‘s 14th homer of the season, erasing a win that looked to be a lock for Locke. Grilli had been a perfect 25 for 25 in save opportunities and was all set to break Joel Hanrahans’ Pirate record for consecutive saves when Bruce’s blast rewrote the script. Tossing 7 scoreless innings of four-hit baseball, Locke’s A-plus effort was all for not as the Pirates wound end up losing the game 2-1 in 13 innings on Brandon Phillips’ bases-loader high-hopper up the middle. Relief pitcher Vin Mazzaro took the loss for the Bucs.

It’s still a bit early, but Jeff Locke is arguably putting up numbers that would put him in consideration for a Cy Young award. Only the aforementioned Kershaw and Boston Red Sox Clay Buchholz (1.84) have better ERA’s in all of baseball. Add that to the fact that Locke has started half of the Pirates’ 12 MLB-leading team shutouts this year and you have a candidate for just about any pitching awards that may come up this season.

Of course, winning a Cy Young is no lock even if Locke keeps pitching like he has for the remainder of the year. But then again, neither is it a long-shot.

Stacey Kengal is a writer for RantSports.com covering the Pittsburgh Pirates. Follow him on Twitter @StaceyKengal, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

Debby Wong – USA Today Sports Images

Coming into this season, Boston Red Sox infielder Jose Iglesias hadn’t had much success in the MLB with the bat. In 2011 and 2012 combined, he had played in just 35 games with 74 at-bats. Over that span, he had just 10 total hits, good for only a .135 batting average coming into this year.

Iglesias has long been heralded as his prospect for his defensive work and his ability to play third and second base, as well as shortstop. However, it was his ineffective bat that had kept the 23-year-old from being considered an everyday starter in the majors.

Out of nowhere this season, though, Iglesias has been getting on base at a phenomenal rate. Through 28 games and 92 at-bats, Iglesias is hitting .435 with a .480 OBP and a 1.034 OPS. He also has eight doubles, a homer, seven RBIs and 15 runs scored over that time.

Coming into Wednesday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Iglesias was riding an 18-game hitting streak dating back to May 27. In the 6-2 loss to the Rays, Iglesias finished the night 0-2 with a walk, thus ending his hitting streak.

One of the things that scouts have always talked about with Iglesias is how he has the quickness with his hands to be an effective hitter that gets on base, but it just hadn’t come to fruition yet. It apparently appears to being doing that this season, though.

It’s pretty far-fetched to believe that Iglesias will hit over .400 for the rest of the season, especially considering his age and tract-record. However, it does seem like Iglesias is stepping up to the plate with a great deal more confidence and has found ways to get hits to help the Sox manufacture runs. If that continues at a mildly successful rate, Iglesias is likely to have a long, solid career in the majors.

Cody Williams is an NBA Blogger with Rant Sports. Follow Cody on Twitter @TheSizzle20, add him on Google+ and like his Facebook page.

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Walkup songs have become one of the most identifiable and unique ways for players to showcase their individuality during a baseball game on a nightly basis. Some walkup songs have sentimental value, while others are for show or reflect the athlete’s taste in music. This season I decided to look at players on the Minnesota Twins, analyze their walkup song choice and provide some alternative songs that, I believe, better fit their persona.

I started off this series by reviewing Joe Mauer’s walkup song—which you can access by clicking here—and now I will turn my attention to the second face of the Twins’ franchise, Justin Morneau, for my second entry.  Morneau has been a very productive and popular player for years with the Twins and has recently been rumored as a likely trade candidate if the Twins fall out of contention. With that in mind, it is important that we analyze Morneau’s walkup song now in case he is traded at some point this season.

Morneau’s current selection for a walkup song is “Rock & Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution” by AC/DC and while that is a hard rock song that would signify a power hitter in the middle of the lineup, it no longer fits who Morneau is. Morneau is not the power hitting first basemen who is going to his 30-35 homeruns a season anymore. Instead, he is a 15-20 homerun hitter who still can drive in 100 runs; thus, a new walkup tune is needed. Below are the three options that I believe would fit him best.

Option number one would be the “Theme Song” to Dudley Do-Right, which can be accessed by clicking on the song title. Morneau, if you don’t know already and have lived under a rock and haven’t followed Twins’ baseball over the past decade, grew up in Canada and Dudley Do-Right is a cartoon about a Canadian Mountie—a royal police force member in Canada—who is always trying to catch his nemesis while upholding and protecting the law. If you listen to the song it is a little quirky, but it kind of fits the light-mannered attitude and style that Morneau now plays with. It more or less is the best way, in my opinion, for Morneau to display his Canadian heritage without fully walking up to “O Canada”.

Option number two would be the “The Hockey Song” by Stompin’ Tom Connors. Morneau has been known to be quite the hockey enthusiast—no surprise because he grew up in Canada—his entire life. It has also been said that Morneau was a very talented goalie during his high school years and even pondered playing professional hockey before he committed to baseball full-time. For that reason, “The Hockey Song” feels like a viable candidate for Morneau’s walkup song.

The Final option that I would suggest is “So What Cha Want” by the Beastie Boys. Heading into the season, it was rumored that Morneau wanted out of Minnesota to play on a contending team because he was sick of losing and didn’t want to go through a rebuilding project in the later years of his career; however, it has also been reported that Morneau would like to finish his career with the Twins. This begs the question, what is it that Morneau wants? In addition, Morneau hasn’t had the power numbers that he is used to and if you listen to the lyrics of this song it seems like a song that people who want to prove they still have power—or have power they have yet to unleash—would play and listen to in order to fire them up. Whatever the case may be, “So What Cha Want” would be a great tune to fit Morneau’s personality this season.

Those are my three options to replace Morneau’s current walkup song of “Rock & Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution” by AC/DC. What song do you think would be most fitting? Feel free to respond via Facebook or via Twitter with your responses.

Brian Wille is a Minnesota Twins writer for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @BeeWill15 or “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google

Kyle Terada- USA TODAY Sports

When the San Francisco Giants recalled Juan Perez on June 8, the plan was not for him to stick around for the long term. But the plan also was not for Perez to be so spectacular and to be leading the Giants’ outfielders in assists just 10 days later. So when Pablo Sandoval and Angel Pagan are activated from the disabled list in the coming days, the Giants will have a tough decision to make on Perez, who has made a more dramatic entrance than pretty much any MLB rookie besides Yasiel Puig this season.

The 26-year-old Perez, who was called up to serve in a utility role but has started four of the Giants’ last five games in center field, has been a huge defensive boost in the outfield, making several amazing catches and having thrown out four runners from center. In addition, he has hit very well, going 8-for-23 at the plate. He made a huge statement in Tuesday’s game as well by driving in the winning run.

As good as he has been, the Giants would have to make some significant adjustments to be able to fit Perez on the roster after Pagan and Sandoval return. Though Nick Noonan can easily be returned to AAA Fresno to open up one spot, the second player who would go is much more difficult to determine. It would be ridiculous to get rid of infielder Tony Abreu, who just returned from the DL and has hit .286 since he joined the team. He has an advantage over Perez in that he is an experienced bench player and has played more at second and third base than Perez. Either of the two backup catchers, Hector Sanchez or Guillermo Quiroz, could be gotten rid of in order to accommodate Perez, but that seems unlikely since manager Bruce Bochy said he wanted three catchers in order to play Buster Posey more at first base. Sanchez helped himself Wednesday by driving in the go-ahead run as a pinch hitter, a skill that he had trouble with in his earlier stint with the team this year.

As great as it would be to get Perez’s defensive prowess in center on a daily basis, it is unlikely due to the fact that the team gave Pagan a four-year, $40 million dollar contract this past offseason. Pagan’s playing time is not going to be reduced at the expense of a 26-year-old rookie who wasn’t considered an elite prospect prior to his recall. With Pagan healthy, Perez would likely be getting his playing time through a jack-of-all-trades utility role, which would include him playing the infield. As a player who has been a regular starter for his entire minor league career, it is possible that he would have difficulty adjusting to a bench role, so he provides less stability than all the players he would potentially be replacing do. The Giants already showed earlier this year that they won’t hestitate to send a hot player down, having encountered a similar situation with reliever Jean Machi, who was sent down after giving up two runs in 10.1 innings.

With that said, Perez has been spectacular and it would be very difficult to simply send him back to Triple-A at this point. His performance in the next few days will be crucial, as if he starts to cool down, he will become much more expendable. He did not help his cause by going 0-for-4 Wednesday afternoon.

If Perez does not deliver exceptional performances over the weekend, he will most likely be the player sent down when Sandoval returns early next week. While he certainly does not deserve it based on his performance, it simply is not logical to get rid of the other bench players. However, if he is dominant this weekend and makes his demotion absolutely impossible, the Giants probably could get by with two catchers. This could be potentially troublesome, though, considering that it would limit their ability to rest Posey over a long stretch of consecutive games, and it would make Joaquin Arias the backup at first base.

It is also worth noting that there have been rumors that Arias is playing through an injury and could end up needing a DL stint in the future, though those certainly look to be false based on the way Arias has performed at the plate and in the field recently. For now, Perez should be hoping to have a spectacular weekend.

Patrick Karraker is a San Francisco Giants writer for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @PatrickKarraker, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google+.

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration. Eric Hosmer, once known as one of the top prospects in the Kansas City Royals organization, has seen his production fall ever since his spectacular rookie season.

In 2011, Hosmer’s rookie season, he hit for a .293/.334/.465 slash line. In 2012, the first baseman hit .232/.304/.359. This season, he is back to a more decent .266/.324/.347 line. His bad 2012 season can be blamed slightly on bad luck, with a poor .255 BABIP. However, his line-drive percentage was only at 18.5. This season, his BABIP is .312 and his line drive percentage is at 23.2, suggesting that at some point his numbers will improve.

His home-run-to-fly-ball ratio is startlingly low this season compared to his first two seasons. His first two seasons saw him put up 13.5 and 11.3 HR/FB ratios respectively. In 2013? His HR/FB ratio is only 5.3 percent, meaning he is only hitting 5.3 percent of his fly balls for home runs. Not only are less of his fly balls resulting in home runs, but he is also hitting far fewer fly balls in general. Only 18.4 percent of his balls put in play are fly balls. Suddenly the reason why Hosmer only has two home runs this season isn’t such a mystery.

Compared to 2012, Hosmer’s defense at first base has improved drastically. His UZR has improved from -12.8 in 2012 to 5.1 in 2013, while his UZR/150 improved from -14.9 to 12.0.

The Royals have been on an extended hot streak recently, and if they wish to continue their recent trend, Hosmer is going to eventually need to be a part of it. Hosmer is far too talented to continue his struggles. As much as I enjoy seeing their pitching dominate, I have my doubts that it can continue at it’s recent pace.

Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports

Coming off of a great rookie season in which he posted a very good .288/.325/.509 slash line with 15 home runs and 54 RBIs, Boston Red Sox third baseman Will Middlebrooks has struggled in 2013.

In 212 plate appearances, Middlebrooks has hit for a .196/.232/.397 slash line with nine home runs. The power is still there, and in fact, he is hitting home runs at a very nice rate. The problem is that he isn’t getting on base. He is striking out in 28.3 percent of his plate appearances and walking in only 4.2 percent. Another bad sign for Middlebrooks is that he isn’t even getting unlucky. His .227 BABIP is very weak.

Defensively, Middlebrooks has been even worse. His UZR currently sits at -4.7 and his UZR/150 is at -13.9. Compared to his 2012 season, his defense has been much worse. In 2012, his UZR was 1.2 and his UZR/150 was 2.4, now those aren’t amazing defensive numbers, but they are certainly much better than what he is providing this season.

If this was occurring last season, during the train-wreck of a season for the Red Sox and manager Bobby Valentine, Middlebrooks’ performance would have been a huge story. However, luckily for him, the Red Sox are playing very well. With a 44-29 record, the Red Sox are in first place in the vaunted American League East division. They have the second best record in all of MLB. The Red Sox have the second highest run-differential, outscoring opponents by 79 runs.

As long as Middlebrooks is able to keep providing power and driving in runs, this shouldn’t be a huge problem for the Red Sox, but it would be a great luxury for them if the third baseman is able to turn his season around.

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Before I get this started, let me just say that I am not taking anything away from what David Price has done in his career. I am simply stating that in 2013, the most overrated player on the Tampa Bay Rays‘ roster is Price, and the statistics support my opinion.

Price has a career 62-35 win-loss record accompanied by a very nice 3.29 ERA. In 2013, Price is 1-4 with a 5.24 ERA. I am of the opinion that win-loss record for pitchers is virtually meaningless. Quite frankly, with all the new advanced statistics available to us, I would prefer to see the W-L stat dropped completely.

While Price’s simple statistics (ERA, W-L) show that Price is vastly overrated; his advanced statistics suggest that Price has been very unlucky in 2013. I wasn’t completely convinced that I should write this about Price, just because he has the unlucky factor against him, but the Rays don’t have a lot of “big-name” players to consider overrated. His 3.50 xFIP suggests that his defense is hurting Price a lot more than it is helping him. His opponents’ .345 BABIP is much higher than it has ever been in his career, with his previous high being .285. However, Price is also giving up more home runs than he has in the past, with a 1.31 HR/9, thanks in large part to a career high 15.1 HR/FB percentage.

While Price appears to be the most overrated player on the Rays roster now, in the middle of June, the advanced numbers would suggest that we won’t be thinking the same thing in August and September. His bad luck has to come to an end at some point. Hopefully.

Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

Last week after a 3-for-3 game in which Chris Young was a triple shy of the cycle, Oakland Athletics manager Bob Melvin mentioned that he thought putting the floundering outfielder in the leadoff spot had “invigorated” him.

Which is great when you consider just how extensively the former Arizona Diamondback has been struggling. He’s 8-for-56 (.143) in his last 18 games and hitting .200 since coming off the DL on May 18. Of course, it’s also kind of a problem when you consider that Coco Crisp has the top spot in the lineup locked down. Crisp is 32-for-97 (.330) in his past 25 games, has stolen 13 bases and leads the team with 42 runs scored despite having appeared in only 53 games.

Young is back to the top spot tonight, but it’s not a position he should be getting used to anytime soon. In fact, it’s time for Young to take a page out Seth Smith‘s book.

Smith could be best described as a professional hitter. He’s a career .268 hitter and recently collected his 500th career hit with a double off the Seattle Mariners‘ Hisashi Iwakuma.

But by far the most important aspect of Smith’s game is that he gets his role on the club. He’s a bench guy. Whenever Melvin writes him into the lineup or calls his number, he’s always ready to swing it.

In 2013, he’s 1-for-3 with two walks and a home run as a pinch hitter. In his career, he’s a .319 pinch hitter, which when you think about it is pretty insane. The guy literally waits around for two hours then hits like a Hall of Famer. Since 2007, he has the best batting average and highest slugging percentage among all MLB pinch hitters with at least 100 at bats. Oh, and he’s second in on-base percentage.

You wouldn’t know it from the way he tracks fly balls in the outfield, but the former backup to Eli Manning at the University of Mississippi is actually a surprisingly agile man and a more than solid defender. And if the Athletics get into another one of those 18+ inning affairs, fans might just get to see that arm of his.

Whatever it is that Smith does for the first six innings of the game, or those three days in between starts, Young should be paying very close attention. Because when it comes to being a bench guy, and that’s what Young now is, there’s nobody who’s better to learn from than Smith.

Karl Buscheck is an Oakland Athletics writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @KarlBuscheck or add him to your network on Google+.