2011 stats: .264 avg., 8 HRs, 54 RBI, .693 OPS, 49 SBs
Crisp was one of the few bright spots in Oakland's anemic lineup last year, stealing an AL-high 49 bases. While his .264 average is unimpressive, it was still good enough to tie Cliff Pennington for the second-best in the Athletics' lineup. He also tied Josh Willingham for the team lead in runs with 69.
9.) Peter Bourjos, Los Angeles Angels
2011 stats: .271 avg., 12 HRs, 43 RBI, .765 OPS, 22 SBs
Not many people know about Peter Bourjos outside of Los Angeles, but in his first full big-league season, he impressed many Angel fans, as he tied for the AL lead in triples with 11, while recording a solid 22 steals. Additionally, he displayed spectacular defense in center, which has many fans excited about what the future holds for the Illinois native. Perhaps the only flaw in his game is that he is a bit of a free swinger, striking out 124 times while drawing only 32 walks. Bourjos looks to be the Angels center fielder for 2012, but with top prospect Mike Trout waiting in the wings, it will be interesting to see what the Angels decide to do with him, especially since they moved Torii Hunter to right in favor of the 24-year-old. They will also have to figure out what to do with left fielder Vernon Wells, especially since he is still owed $21 million over the course of the next three seasons. Once Trout arrives, the Angels will have quite the dilemma on their hands with five outfielders, including Bobby Abreu, although he could possibly be traded. 
2011 stats: .294 avg., 2 HRs, 50 RBI, .734 OPS, 61 SBs
Bourn split time between his hometown Astros and the Braves last year, leading the majors in steals along the way. The Braves acquired him from Houston at the trade deadline, sending Juan Abreu, Jordan Schafer and three minor leaguers to the Astros in exchange for the speedy center fielder. Bourn immediately provided a boost to the top of the order for Atlanta, recording 22 steals in just 58 games to go along with a .278 average. At age 29, Bourn is entering his prime, and he will definitely be one of the top leadoff hitters in the game for the next several years. With Scott Boras as his agent, expect Bourn to receive a nice payday once he hits free agency after this season.
2011 stats: .279 avg., 17 HRs, 61 RBI, .847 OPS, 19 SBs
Victorino's stolen base totals dropped sharply in 2011 (down to 19 from 34 in 2010), however he made up for it by recording a strong OPS for a guy with below-average power. Victorino smacked a major-league high 16 triples to go along with 27 doubles, enabling him to achieve the solid OPS you see above. While he did not record as many steals as he did in the past, his speed still enables him to display great range in center, to go along with a solid glove.
2011 stats: .259 avg., 23 HRs, 89 RBI, .820 OPS, 23 SBs
McCutchen saw an increase in his power numbers last year, recording career-highs in home runs, RBI and OPS, however his batting average fell by 27 points from last year's mark. Additionally, his strikeout total increased by 37, fanning 126 times, a career-high. The drop in average and increase in power can be attributed to the fact that the Pirates placed him in the middle of their order significantly more last year, as they expected him to be more of a power hitter (348 of his 572 at-bats came in the three hole). This year will be just his fourth big-league season, so the best has yet to come for the Bucs' center fielder.
2011 stats: .280 avg., 25 HRs, 83 RBI, .785 OPS
The former Mariners first round draft pick continues to rise amongst the game's top center fielders, putting together a solid season for the Orioles. He tied for third among Junior Circuit center fielders in home runs, while playing outstanding defense in center for the Birds. While a true renaissance appears to be several years away in Baltimore, you can bet that Jones will be a part of it when it finally arrives.
4.) Melky Cabrera, San Francisco Giants
2011 stats: .305 avg., 18 HRs, 87 RBI, .809 OPS, 20 SBs, 44 doubles
The spectacular season Melky Cabrera put together for Kansas City went virtually unnoticed last year, as the young center fielder had the best year of his career. Cabrera put up career-highs in just about every major statistical category, and he was one of four Royals players to hit at least 40 doubles, joining Jeff Francoeur (47), Alex Gordon (45) and Billy Butler (44). His chance to make an impact in Kansas City was short-lived, as he was traded to the Giants during the offseason for pitcher Jonathan Sanchez. It will be interesting to see if Cabrera can have an encore performance in San Francisco, where he will be counted on to be a major contributor in an otherwise dreadful lineup. 3.) Curtis Granderson, New York Yankees
2011 stats: .262 avg., 41 HRs, 119 RBI, .916 OPS, 25 SBs
2.) Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston Red Sox
2011 stats: .321 avg., 32 HRs, 105 RBI, .928 OPS, 39 SBs
Along with Dustin Pedroia, Ellsbury carried the Red Sox during the month of September while their metaphorical ship was sinking. During that final month, Ellsbury hit .358 with eight homers and 20 RBI, to go along with a ridiculous 1.067 OPS, which gave him a decent amount of consideration for AL MVP. Unfortunately for him, the team's collapse destroyed his chances of capturing the award, as it ended up going to Detroit's Justin Verlander. Despite this, Ellsbury became the first 30-30 player in Red Sox history, leaving the team with a bonafide star in center who can not only hit, but play stellar defense as well. 
2011 stats: .324 avg., 39 HRs, 126 RBI, .986 OPS 40 SBs
If you remember my MVP projections I made on here last September, you will know that I selected Kemp as my winner. It is not hard to see why as he nearly became the first National League player since Joe "Ducky" Medwick in 1937 to win the Triple Crown. He fell short in batting average, finishing third, but he still led the way in home runs and RBI while finishing second in OPS and stolen bases. Statistically speaking, it was one of the more dominant offensive performances in recent memory. He fell short of the coveted 40-40 mark by one home run, which made Kemp all the more hungry, saying that he wants to go 50-50 in 2012. No player has ever achieved that lofty mark, and it's doubtful that Kemp will reach that milestone. However, if I had to pick one player that I believed had an outside shot at doing it, Kemp would be my man. He displayed a new found energy and passion for the game last year, and it would not surprise me to see him get to 30-30 at the very least this season.
Adam jones need to be first for 2013
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