So, it's no surprise, of course, that Braun and Fielder are leading the team in home runs.  Anyone want to guess who's in third place?  Corey Hart?  JJ Hardy?

It's none other than Mike Cameron!  Quietly, he's put up 19 home runs in 3 1/2 months, after missing most of April.    At this pace, he should finish the season with 25-30.

In fact, he and fan fave Corey Hart have been virtually the same player this season: .323 OBP/.498 SLG for Corey, .328 OBP/.488 SLG for Cam.  The difference is batting average: Corey laps him with a 52 point BA advantage, though Cameron's 17 more walks give him the edge in OBP.

Against the rest of the NL centerfielders, Cameron is holding his own: 3rd in SLG, 3rd in HRs, 6th in OPS.

It's interesting to consider why he is often the forgotten man when thinking about the Brewers' successes this season.  One reason is the batting average, of course: of our regulars, only Rickie Weeks and Bill E. Hall are hitting with less frequency.  A second is the strikeouts, where he has as many Ks as Prince Fielder despite 140 fewer ABs. 

Moreover, as evidenced by a 1 for 12 performance against the Nationals last week, Cameron does not seem to like Miller Park.  His OPS is more than 300 points better on the road than at home (.943-.640), and he strikes out more at home despite 50 fewer ABs.  If you've gone to a home game or two, chances are good that you left not feeling particularly impressed.

(It's worth mentioning that his BA is a bit lower than his career numbers: he's a .250 career hitter, and that's when his home park was a pitcher park, like Petco.  Having his home park be a pitcher's park might explain why he's been better on the road in his career, too, though his career difference is 60 points, not 300.)

Given our options at center coming into the season (TG Jr., currently with a .651 OPS in AAA; the still-out-of-baseball Kenny Lofton), Mike Cameron has been a pretty good solution for the Brewers this season.  The question becomes, do you want to keep him for 2009?  It'll cost you a cool $10 million if you do, though buying out his option will run you $750,000.  If he can keep hitting against relatively weak competition as the season plays out, I'll bet you a nickel we pick up his option.