X Factor? No, it's more like Catch Factor!

Catch Factor
In 2007, only 2 catchers hit 20 or more homeruns.
Jorge Posada has been injured and only has 3 HR, while Victor Martinez currently sits on the DL and has yet to go deep.
So how has the 2008 class of catchers improved?
There are 5 catchers that are likely to hit 20 or more homeruns, 4 guys that are on pace for 80+ RBI and 16 players batting .280 or better.
We have all seen a dominant pitcher get hot and virtually carrying a team into the postseason and even to a World Series title, but the other half of the battery may be even more important to a team’s success.
Let’s take a closer look at the top catchers (min. 200 AB) as we near the All-Star Break…
Brian McCann (Atlanta Braves)
McCann is turning in a wonderful season thus far. He’s batting .299 with 14 homeruns, tops among catchers. His 35 runs is ranks 4th and his 45 RBI put him 3rd. The Braves have disappointing with a 40-43 record, but sit just 4.5 games back in the division race.
Joe Mauer (Minnesota Twins)
Mauer is batting a remarkable .322 and shows discipline at the plate evidenced by his 41 walks. He has just 3 homeruns on the year, but power has never been his game. He has contributed 32 RBI and leads all catchers with 48 runs scored. Mauer and the Twins have won 10 of the last 11 games and have closed to within 1 game of the White Sox for first in the Central.
Russell Martin (LA Dodgers)
Martin is a big reason that the Dodgers are just 2 games out of first place in the division. He’s been called upon to pick up the slack for the injured Andruw Jones and that’s exactly what he’s done. Martin has been solid all around with a .310 batting average, 8 HR, 37 RBI, 41 runs, 7 stolen bases and 44 walks.
Geovany Soto (Chicago Cubs)
Soto ranks 2nd among catchers in HR and RBI, with 13 HR and 47 RBI. He’s batting .280 with 27 runs and 37 walks. Soto has helped the Cubs to a 49-32 record. Those 49 wins are 2nd only to the Boston Red Sox.
Bengie Molina (San Francisco Giants)
Molina has been one of the lone bright spots for a Giants team that was picked to finish dead last after the loss of Barry Bonds. Molina is batting .308 with 6 HR and 25 runs scored. He has 48 RBI, which leads all catchers. The Giants don’t have the best-looking record but they are in 3rd place and 5.5 games isn’t too much to overcome.

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Diamond Dames

Diamond Dames
It’s easy to point your web browser to www.letsgodeep.com and find out who is hitting homeruns on the field. It’s a little bit tougher to find out who the biggest slugger is off the field. Sometimes you’ll catch a glimpse of a new relationship on SportsCenter. Occasionally Yahoo will feature a new fling. The Consigliere is here to really break down, who is “The Man” when it comes to off day activities.
Russell Martin might still be making rookie mistakes, but he’s also been doing some of the same things as his older teammates. Once linked to Brad Penny, among others, Alyssa Milano can now be found cheering on the young Dodgers catcher. The good news for Martin is that she’s already had the tour of the clubhouse.
And don’t feel bad for Brad Penny. Eliza Dushku is keeping him busy enough that he doesn’t have time to worry about his catcher and his leftovers.
Everyone knows that Alex Rodriguez is married, but since his wife looks like a disgruntled department store mannequin, let’s giving him some credit for his pre-marriage conquests. He may not have been the first one to hit a homerun in the ballpark, but I’m sure that ARod felt pretty comfortable at the plate with Jessica Canseco. The Yankee slugger has also been linked to Sofia Vergara. Her nickname is “Human Viagra”, so I think he did okay for himself.
We also have a few pool players that have managed to marry some pretty good-looking women.
David Ortiz can be seen here with his wife Tiffany. Fellow teammate Manny Ramirez landed a hot wife named Juliana. Red Sox rival Jason Giambi also has a pretty lady in his corner named Kristian.
Of course, we couldn’t forget about the man that’s always in the news. All-Time HR leader Barry Bonds has apparently met a new woman at the gym. It’s rare that they are seen together in public but we did manage to track down one picture of her.
All of the above-mentioned players have one very important thing in common.
They all wish that they were Derek Jeter.
When it comes to off the field milestones, Derek Jeter is a legend that will likely never be matched. His dating profile reads like a who’s who of the hottest women in America.
When Jeter was still a rookie is baseball, he was already a pro on the dating scene as he began a relationship with Mariah Carey. After he made his mark on the music world, he moved on to Miss Universe Lara Dutta. Pretty soon, it was time to try out the actress scene and he began dating Jordana Brewster, who co-starred in D.E.B.S with Meagan Good. Being careful not to stay in one relationship too long, Jeter moved on to Supermodel Adriana Lima. After things ended with Lima, he hooked up with small screen star Vanessa Minnillo. Why would he not stay with Minnillo for the rest of his life? Because he hit the jackpot and started dating Jessica Alba! While the Consigliere cannot condone this break-up, things did end with Alba and Jeter wasted little time before getting together with FHM star Vida Guerra. While Guerra may be hot, she can’t live up to the standards of Jeter’s next stop, Jessica Biel a.k.a. The Hottest Woman Alive!
Jeter is no longer with Biel either. Idiot. His latest relationship is Friday Night Lights cheerleader, Minka Kelly.
Now the next time you see the Yankees losing to the Red Sox and Jeter is sitting in the dugout grinning ear to ear, you’ll know why.
Alyssa Milano
http://s05.imagehost.org/0674/AD651-Alyssa_Milano.jpg
Eliza Dushku
http://www.humoronline.com/celebrity-pictures/eliza-dushku-6.jpg
Jessica Canseco
http://www.theminge.com/jessica/Jessica%20Canseco%20nude09.jpg
Sofia Vergara
http://www.hqclips.com/sofia_vergara/sofia_vergara_005.jpg
Tiffany Ortiz
http://i.a.cnn.net/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/2005/07/12/allstar.party/ortiz.jpg
Kristian Giambi
http://www.mlb.com/images/2005/02/10/vglQK8vC.jpg
Juliana Ramirez
http://www.wagrankings.com/images/wives/red_sox/manny_ramirez_juliana_ramirez_wife.jpg
“Her” (Bonds woman)
http://images.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/_photos/2006-02-28-inside-bonds.jpg
Mariah Carey
http://papers.same.ru/img_papers/music/Mariah%20Carey_800_1024.jpg
Lara Dutta
http://utopianvision.co.uk/images/lib/1071/medium/lara-dutta.jpg
Jordana Brewster
http://www.celebrific.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/12/jordana-brewster-engaged-12-8-2006.bmp
Meagan Good
http://s01.imagehost.org/0388/Meagan-Good_nw39.jpg
Adriana Lima
http://www.girlsector.com/gallery/Adriana_Lima/Adriana_Lima_047.jpg
Vanessa Minnillo
http://www.citybrat.com/FantasyGirls/VanessaMinnillo.jpg
Jessica Alba
http://mimi6cu.free.fr/street%20dancer%20honey/jessica-alba-wallpapers-3.jpg
Vida Guerra
http://www.abstracthiphop.com/hip-hop-honeys/vida_guerra_on_floor.jpg
Jessica Biel
http://www.toplesscelebs.net/Jessica_Biel/Jessica-Biel-topless-0.jpg
Minka Kelly
http://espn.go.com/photo/2006/1218/pg2_w_kelly_195.jpg