by: Kevin Bourassa
Not too many people would know who I'm talking about if I mentioned Lyle Overbay before the season started. Now that he's batting.347 with 5 homers and 31 RBI's(2nd in NL), many fans and fantasy owners are taking notice. Overbay has helped the Brewers maintain a.500 record (through May 13th) and has helped himself get some recognition with a current 13-game hit streak. The fantasy owners are starting to flock to this 27-year old Brewer. Overbay may be a big hitter, 6'2", but he is more of a contact hitter. He has a flat swing, which allows him to hit a ball anywhere in the field. That being said, he has hit 5 homers this season in 124 at bats, 1 more than his 2003 total in which he had 254 at bats. Lyle Overbay has shown his all-star potential since moving from Arizona to Milwaukee as part of the Richie Sexson trade. Overbay went 7-11 with 6 RBI's in a series against his former team, the Diamondbacks.
Overbay's success didn't start this year, as a graduate from the University of Nevada, he was a right fielder and has led the Big West Conference in hits, runs, and RBI's. The 1999 Ralph Nelles Award for Most Valuable Player broke the short-season minor league record for RBI's in a season with 101 RBI's. Overbay's 101 RBI's broke Medicine Hat Blue Jay's Jay Gibbons' (currently with Baltimore) 98 RBIs in 1998.
Fantasy owners all around need to take notice, if they haven't already, of this young slugger. Overbay has the potential to be an all-star first baseman in the future, and maybe even this season if he keeps up his current numbers.