This is a breakout season for Milwaukee Brewers rightfielder Corey Hart.
He's making amends for the bad first month of the 2010 season.
And, Hart is winning over the fans who thought he was too proud to take the club's $4.2 million offer.
Hart turned it down and forced the Brewers to go to arbitration.
He didn't even deserve that much because he was hurt last season, and his production declined.
Now, Hart looks like a genius, after not only winning a $4.8 million deal, but also staying hot at the plate.
Hart began the week hitting .272 with 18 home runs and 58 runs batted in.
He's among the National League leaders in the home run category.
There are reasons why Hart is producing right now.
Hart hooked up with Roland Hernandez, a former wood scientist who worked at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and inventor of RockBat.
Hernandez is a wood expert who knows a thing or two about wood bats.
He convinced Hart and Fielder to use the new bats, which are made of sugar maple.
Once Hart started using the bat, his numbers jumped.
This season, he was in different spots of the lineup. Now he bats second.
Hitters at the bottom of the lineup and leadoff hitter Rickie Weeks often get on base in scoring position, which leaves Hart with RBI opportunities.
Hart is 18-for-66 (.273) with runners in scoring position.
His 18 dingers scored 27 runs for the Brewers.
When Fielder, who bats third, gets to the plate, the bases are cleared.
Of his 15 home runs, 12 are solo shots.
Fielder is hitting .164 (12-73) with runners in scoring position.
That explains why Fielder has only 32 RBI's and a .260 average.
He used to bat cleanup, but Ryan Braun hits behind Fielder.
Fielder uses the same bats as Hart.
Clearly, he's frustrated from his lack of production at the plate.
The other thing that's in the back of his mind, though he may deny it, is his status as a Brewer after this season.
Fielder, like Hart, are free agents after the 2011 season.
Hart wants to stay. Fielder may be looking elsewhere.
Fielder's agent, Scott Boras, shut down talks between himself and team management because he wants to play hardball.
Brewers general manager Doug Melvin might wait until after the season to try to trade Fielder.
It would make him available to all teams.
He already DH'ed when the Brewers played at Anaheim in interleague play recently in an American League ballpark.
Does anybody need a designated hitter?
We have one ready to go after September.
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