One can only imagine how many losses the Padres would have without Adrian Gonzalez. AP Gennaro Filice's Mailbag Submit a comment or question for Gennaro. Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND

THREE UP

1. Adrian Gonzalez: The National League is filled to the brim with talent at first base. Lance Berkman and Albert Pujols have been on a tear to start the season. Derrek Lee, Ryan Howard, Prince Fielder and Mark Teixeira boast gaudy credentials. And rookie Joey Votto is quickly making a name for himself.

With all this star power at the position one first sacker gets completely lost: San Diego's Adrian Gonzalez.

He leads the NL with 55 RBIs. That's 15 more than Pujols and seven more than Berkman. At his current pace Gonzo will finish with 44 homers, 144 RBIs and 102 runs.

It's no mystery why Gonzalez's achievements go unnoticed on the national level -- the small-market Padres are currently one of the worst teams in baseball. But this makes his accomplishments even more jarring. Gonzalez is flanked by one of the worst supporting casts in baseball. Kevin Kouzmanoff, Scott Hairston, Tad Iguchi and Co. don't inspire much fear in opponents. There's one concern and one concern only for opposing pitchers: Gonzalez. On top of this Gonzalez plays in quite possibly the worst hitters' yard in baseball. PETCO Park is kryptonite to most power hitters. (Just ask Brian Giles.)

This isn't the first time Gonzo has been overlooked, either. Florida took him as the first overall pick in the 2000 draft, but the Marlins gave up on him after a wrist injury and shipped him to Texas in a trade for Ugueth Urbina in 2003. Two years later the Rangers sent Gonzalez, Chris Young and Terrmel Sledge to San Diego for Adam Eaton and Akinori Otsuka. Gonzalez, who is originally from San Diego/Tijuana, has flourished since joining the Padres.

Just 26, Gonzalez still has plenty of upside at the plate. He's already Gold Glove-caliber in the field. All in all he's probably the best player nobody's watching.

2. Kazmir's elbow: Rays ace Scott Kazmir spent the first month of the season on the disabled list with a strained left elbow, but it's safe to say his arm has healed.

Kazmir, who set a Rays record with five wins in May, owns a 1.22 ERA through his first six starts. Holding opposing hitters below the Mendoza Line with a .172 batting average against, he has given up just two earned runs over his last 33 innings.

This May dominance is nothing new; he boasts a 12-5 career record and 2.55 ERA during the month. The question is: How will he fare now that we've entered the sixth month of the calendar year? Kazmir's career ERA in June is 5.23 -- easily his highest monthly mark.

His first start of the month comes on Friday night (June 6), and it's a tough assignment: at Texas. Kazmir struck out 10 Rangers in a brilliant outing on May 26, but that was at the Trop. Following a humbling three-game sweep in Fenway the Rays need their ace to get them back on track.

3. Brandon Lyon: Jose Valverde led the majors with 47 saves as the Diamondbacks' closer last season. With Valverde's arbitration looming in the offseason, Arizona traded "Papa Grande" to Houston and handed Brandon Lyon the keys to the ninth inning. Lyon proceeded to post a 13.50 ERA in spring training and blow two of his first three save opportunities. Following the second slipup, Bob Melvin faced questions about Lyon's status as the team's closer. "It's pretty early in the season," Melvin told MLB.com. "I've been known to show some confidence in my guys."

Touché, Mr. Melvin. Since his manager's vote of confidence, Lyon has pitched 20 consecutive scoreless innings -- the longest current streak in baseball -- and notched 11 saves.