By Ryan Taylor
May 12, 2008 3:42pm CDT

Lance Berkman had a stretch last week when he was 18-for-23. I have seen the last six summers in the Valley of the Sun, but Berkman was hotter than any hot I have seen. It has been a while since we have seen a legitimate attempt at .400 for a season, but Berkman hits from both sides of the plate, has tremendous plate discipline and he is some kind of hot. It is May and we shouldn't discuss it this early, but I have my fingers crossed that we are able to talk about it in August and September.

Hot

National League
Lance Berkman, 1B, Astros (.382-12-36-40-6) There is hot, and then there is white hot; white hot is what Berkman was at the plate last week with 15 hits in 22 at-bats while hitting two home runs and also stealing two bases. Currently, Berkman is first in the National League in RBI, and ranks second in both batting average and home runs. It is too early to talk Triple Crown, but what Berkman is doing now is special. It appears the only thing that can slow him down is injuries, and Berkman's fantasy owners should be aware that the slugger left Sunday's game with a groin injury.

Aaron Cook, P, Rockies (6-1, 2.26 ERA, 23K, 1.13 WHIP in 55.2 IP) Cook is one of the few Rockies that are playing up to expectations so far in 2008. Cook has seven straight quality starts, and he has won the last six games he has started. In the extreme offensive ballpark of the Rockies, Cook is holding hitters to a .192 batting average. Currently, Cook is in the top five of the NL in wins, ERA, and innings pitched.

Ryan Ludwick, OF, Cardinals (.347-8-24-21-1) Ludwick bounced around with a couple of teams, never receiving more than 136 at-bats, before coming to the Cardinals in 2007. So far in 2008 it has been Ludwick's coming out party. Last week Ludwick hit four home runs while hitting .478 as the Cardinals continue to surprise in the National League Central. Ludwick has been especially tough versus right-handers, hitting .400 against them with a 1.204 OPS.

American League
Mike Lowell, 3B, Red Sox (.279-3-9-11-0) Lowell missed 17 games last month due to a hand injury, but he is back now with a hot bat. This past week Lowell hit .406 with three home runs, nine RBI, and nine runs scored. Lowell is now 34 years old, so a regression is likely in the next two or three years. For now, though, Lowell's fantasy owners should reap the benefits of a hot hitter.

Carlos Quentin, LF, White Sox (.298-9-29-26-3) The Arizona Diamondbacks made the decision to extend Eric Byrnes's contract last season, and with Chris Young and Justin Upton already in the big leagues, that led to the departure of Quentin from Arizona. Though Quentin struggled last season with a .214 average, it looks as though Arizona General Manager Josh Byrnes made one of his few bad decisions letting Quentin go. Last week Quentin continued his tear by hitting .345, and he is currently leading the American League in home runs and OPS.

Ervin Santana, P, Angels (6-0, 2.63 ERA, 45 K, 0.97 WHIP in 54.2 IP) Santana is showing this season that he can be effective on the road. Santana is currently in the top six in wins, ERA, strikeouts, and WHIP, even though five of his eight starts have been away from home, which was his downfall last season. Santana's fantasy owners that drafted Santana hoping he could right the ship on the road are now being rewarded for their wise choice.

Cold

National League

Pat Burrell, LF, Phillies (.298-9-31-22-0) Burrell got off to a great start in his contract year, but everything slowed down last week for the slugger, as he hit .111 with just a single RBI. There is a lot of offense in the Phillies lineup, and Burrell is a big part of that. Still, if he isn't hitting, he is of little use to the Phillies and fantasy owners.

Eric Gagne, P, Brewers (1-2, 6.89 ERA, 17 K, 1.85 WHIP with 9 SV in 15.2 IP) Gagne beat out the Cardinals' Jason Isringhausen for this dishonor, as both have given up their closer spots. Injuries and steroids have been the downfall of Gagne after a Cy Young season in 2003, and there are rumors swirling that Gagne would like to become a starter again, as he did in his early days with the Dodgers. One thing we know for sure is Gagne will not be closing in the near future for the Brewers, and as bad as he has been, that is a good thing.

Chase Utley, 2B, Phillies (.327-13-28-31-3) Just when we were ready to hand over the National League MVP to Utley, he went and had a bad week. Utley hit .167 with just two RBI in the last seven days, but he is still leading the NL in home runs and he ranks in the top ten in batting average, RBI, slugging percentage, runs scored, and OPS. Expect Utley to spend most of the season on the hot side of this list.

American League

Adrian Beltre, 3B, Mariners (.254-7-16-19-5) The Mariners are slumping, having won only twice in their last 12 games, and so is their third baseman. Beltre hit .120 last week, going 3-for-25. The Mariners were thought to be contenders in the AL West, but need more from Beltre and the always struggling Richie Sexson, who make nearly $29 million between the two of them.

Curtis Granderson, CF, Tigers (.246-5-10-13-2) After coming off the DL on April 23, Granderson had nine hits in his first 24 at-bats. He has since cooled after going 3-for-24 with no runs scored in the last seven days. Granderson is a five-category guy, and he makes fantasy owners happy more often than not.

Nate Robertson, P, Tigers (1-4, 6.64 ERA, 31 K, 1.55 WHIP in 40.2 IP) There is a lot that has gone wrong for the Tigers this year, and one of those things is Nate Robertson. Robertson has given up no less than four runs in all seven starts this season, and as great as the Tigers offense is, that will not win you very many games. Robertson had a 3.84 ERA as recently as 2006, but if he doesn't right the ship soon, he will be looking for work.