BallHype - Latest Ryan Ludwick News Articles

The Gruesome Twosome: Pujols And Ludwick Go Silver

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 22:42:06 +1900

One is a veteran to the award and the other is a rookie. Yet, the new "Gruesome Two-some"—Ryan Ludwick and Albert Pujols—both put up huge offensive numbers to be named Silver Sluggers on Thursday. Pujols and Ludwick were teammates during last year's All-Star game and now they can share another honor. The Louisville Silver Slugger recognizes the best offensive players at their respective positions and these two men did just that. Pujols, a leading candidate for NL Most Valuable Player honors, batted .357 in 2008 with a career-best .462 on-base percentage. He slugged .653, hit 37 homers, drove in 116 runs and scored 100. He drew 104 walks, his first time over 100, and struck out just 54 times. Ryan Ludwick's first full major league season had him put up comparable numbers. Batting nearly a .300 average with a .375 on-base percentage coupled with a .591 slugging percentage, the outfielder clearly had his best season of his career. Matching Pujols in home runs with 37, Ludwick also ...

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Silver Sluggers

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 12:12:06 +1900

The National League Silver Sluggers were announced today, and it was no surprise that the two Cardinal All-Stars were selected. The award, which is voted on by the league’s coaches and managers, is given to the best offensive performers at each position. Albert Pujols put up a line of .357/.462/.653 to win his fourth Silver Slugger, adding to his already crowded trophy case. He’s also the leading candidate for the NL MVP award. Ryan Ludwick’s line of .299/.375/.591 was good enough to garner his first Silver Slugger, joining Matt Holliday and Ryan Braun as the three most potent outfield bats in the league. The Cardinal duo combined to hit 74 home runs and drive in 229 runs in 2008. Yet many, including manager Tony La Russa, believe that an “impact bat” is still a pressing need for the ball club. Check out Derrick Goold’s Bird Land for more on the story, along with the complete list of this year’s winners.

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Rockies-Cardinals Deal Thankfully Dead

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 05:48:48 +1900

It looks like the Rockies' front office is finally listening to their fans. When news broke of a possible trade that would send superstar slugger Matt Holliday to the Cardinals for 30-year-old journeyman outfielder Ryan Ludwick and a couple of spare parts, there was vicious backlash from Rockies fans everywhere, from the pages here on Bleacher Report to comments on articles in the Rocky Mountain sports pages to call-ins on local sports-talk radio. Such venom was spewed by the Rockies faithful that the deal is now, apparently, dead according to the Rocky Mountain News . This, of course, saves the Brothers Monfort and Dealin' Dan from the angry, torch-wielding mob that would have cornered them in their Coors Field tower. That is, until the next ridiculously one-sided deal that won't give the Rockies a fair return for the face of their franchise.

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Value of Holliday, Atkins Questioned

Sat, 8 Nov 2008 20:19:57 +1900

The question is an immediate topic of discussion anytime a Rockies hitter is mentioned in trade talks. What happens when you take him out of Coors Field? Left fielder Matt Holliday's home-road splits last season were not terribly extreme — he had a .997 on-base/slugging percentage at home, an .891 OPS on the road. Still, maybe the Cardinals should think twice about their proposed trade for Holliday, which, according to one source, would require them to part with outfielders Ryan Ludwick and Skip Schumaker along with right-hander Mitchell Boggs. If the Cardinals made such a deal, they presumably would make a strong push to sign Holliday to a contract extension. Holliday, a native of Stillwater, Okla., surely would be open to staying in St. Louis. But his agent, Scott Boras, prefers his clients to establish their values on the open market. The Cardinals, then, would risk keeping Holliday for only one season while giving up three years of Ludwick, four years of Schumaker and six of ...

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