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And other baseball impressions from Week Two

BY FRANK VERDE

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

FRANKIE SAYS

No limit to what he can do: Matt Kemp made news in the offseason when he predicted that he would hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in 2012. Maybe he should have said something about winning the Triple Crown.

Right now it would be hard to argue that the Dodgers’ star centerfielder is not baseball’s top player, and that assessment may not change much as the season progresses. He leads the National League with five home runs, 15 RBI and a .457 batting average through the first nine games.

Kemp has only one stolen base so far, but it’s hard to pick up steals when 50 percent of your hits go for extra bases. We’re liable to see an increase in stolen bases once opponents figure out it’s safer to walk Kemp and take your chances with him on the base paths rather than pitch to him.

But one key to Kemp’s ability to continue this torrid start through the summer and into the fall is teammate Andre Ethier. Manager Don Mattingly has Kemp batting third this year rather than cleanup, and he’s been protected in the lineup by a resurgent Ethier. If Ethier returns to form, he makes it that much more difficult for teams to pitch around Los Angeles’ MVP candidate.

The Dodgers figure to cool off after their 8-1 start, but there’s no reason to believe Kemp will falter much. He’s 27 years old, just entering his prime, and he’s been getting better every year. His only limits are those he places upon himself, and this season he’s shooting for the stars.

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The Wright stuff: The Mets are 6-2 as they go for the sweep in Philadelphia. It’s just a feeling, but New York seems like a different team with a productive David Wright in the lineup.

Your head tells you that you’ve seen David Wright before: Nice player. Solid player. But not someone you get the sense is irreplaceable. That may be changing this season, and there are reasons for it. 1) The Mets are so thin this season that any absence, especially in the heart of the lineup, is felt even more. 2) The club’s quick start has people taking notice. In the past, whenever Wright has missed playing time, New York already seemed like a lost cause. Not this year. Not yet.

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Competition in the NL East: With the Phillies continuing to struggle, it begs the question: Are the Nationals, atop the NL East with a 7-2 record, ready to make a run at the Phillies?

Philadelphia is just trying to keep its head above water while it waits for Chase Utley and Ryan Howard to return from injuries, but doubts persist. For years, Utley and Howard have formed the most productive right side of the infield in baseball. But their numbers have been in a downward spiral since 2009.

The problem is that the Phillies are counting on Utley and Howard more than ever at a time when their skills are eroding and injuries have taken a toll. Utley is 33 and Howard 32, but it’s beginning to look that both former All-Stars are aging before their time.

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Can’t wait: What do the Nationals do if they’re in a pennant race and Stephen Strasburg, their ace, reaches his innings limit of 160? Do they stick to their guns and shut down Strasburg, or do they go for it?

Manager Davey Johnson may spout the company line and say Washington will shut down Strasburg anyway, but I find it hard to believe that the 69-year-old Johnson wouldn’t want to make one more run at the World Series without his best pitcher.

The Nationals’ starting rotation of Strasburg, Jordan Zimmerman, Gio Gonzalez, Edwin Jackson and Ross Detwiler takes a back seat to no one, except Philadelphia. But there’s life in their bats, particularly third baseman Ryan Zimmerman’s, that is missing from the Phillies.

My thoughts are that the Nationals will have a very difficult decision to make in September.

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Ho hum: Some Yankees fans are upset that more wasn’t made of Alex Rodriguez catching Ken Griffey Jr. for 5th place in career home runs with 630. But that’s what happens when you’re linked to performance-enhancing drugs. Ask Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro and other steroid-era sluggers about that.

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This one hurts: The Red Sox have lost Jacoby Ellsbury for about two months with a dislocated shoulder. It’s the biggest injury of the young season, but Boston hopes to have Carl Crawford back next month to take some of the sting away. Manager Bobby Valentine took the Mets to the World Series in 2000 by playing an outfield of Benny Agbayani, Jay Payton and Timo Perez. No one needs to remind Valentine that his club wasn’t playing in the AL East then, battling with the Yankees and Rays over 162 games.

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Flying starts: The White Sox (5-2) are off to great start under new manager Robin Ventura, but the Rangers (7-2) have looked even better than they have the past two seasons when they captured the AL pennant. It’s too early to crow, but no one can blame the Rangers for thinking, “Remember us?” out loud. Most analysts touted the Angels to take over the AL West after acquiring Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson as free agents.

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No, not “The Beard”: With the Giants’ Brian “The Beard” Wilson facing Tommy John surgery, I’m starting to like Arizona’s chances more in the NL West. The Diamondbacks don’t appear to be one-year wonders. They’re probably the No. 1 team that I underestimated in the preseason. The team that I overestimated the most? The Marlins, who are off to a 3-6 start with more problems than victories.

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Darvish, Smarvish: My first impressions of Texas rookie Yu Darvish … “Eh!” Darvish hasn’t been awful, but he hasn’t been impressive either through his first two starts in the majors. MLB Network pointed out how the former Japanese star has already tweaked his windup. I have to agree with Tom Verducci: That’s not a good sign. You don’t change what’s been successful for you after you struggle in your first outing.

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Not exactly going out on the limb here, but … Twins, Pirates and Padres will contend for the worst record in the big leagues this year.