Yoooooouuuukkkk!!!

Red Sox first baseman kevin Youkilis is off to a monster start this season. His OPS is .988, he has 30 runs batted in, and while batting average is an overused and overrated stat, it nonetheless is worth pointing out that he is batting .354 to go with his .427 OBP. He is in the midst of a 22 game hitting streak. he has scored 40 runs. By any measure, Youks is reaching the exalted standards that brought him to the attention of Billy Bean and Moneyball author Michael Lewis. Oh -- and he costs the Red Sox $424,500 this season, a pittance. Now the Greek God of Walks has his own blog. there is a pretty good case to be make that Youks is the Sox MVP thus far this season, and with the way the Sox are playing, that places him as an early-season candidate for the AL MVP race. (Sox-Yanks kick off their latest series tonight.)

(Hat Tip to colleague and reader Brian for the heads up on the Youks blog)