There are some hitters who had great seasons in 2005, and could possibly take it to a level of greatness this season. These hitters have the potential to soon be mentioned in the same sentence as Alex Rodriguez.

Here are some top hitters to watch in 2006.

David Wright, New York Mets
Being a die-hard Met fan, David Wright is one of my favorite players to watch. He brings a lot of excitement to the game of baseball. At just 23 years of age, he slugged 27 homeruns, putting him in second place in that category on the Mets roster in 2005. He also had 102 RBI’s last year, making 2005 his best year in the majors. He has a versatile mood on the field, which can at times carry over to the dish. In the National League, he had the eighth best batting average of .306, and 10th best RBI total, tying Bobby Abreu. If things keep up like this for young Wright, his future can go no where but up.

Michael Young, Texas Rangers
Michael Young is 29 years old coming into 2006 and has some firepower that he is waiting to unleash. Young hit 24 homers last year, and drove in 91 RBIs. It was, by far, his best year in baseball. After a good couple of years playing next to A-Rod, he racked up 221 hits last season, leading baseball in that category, which really says a lot for a young man flourishing in this league. His talent continues to rise because his fielding percentage is very appealing, .974 in ’05. Young is about to enter his prime playing years and it should be fun to watch what he can do.

Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins
Joe Mauer is an underrated veteran catcher for the Twins who had a solid year in 2005. After a 2004 rookie campaign filled with a knee injury, Mauer took center stage when he started 131 games for Minnesota last year. "He's healthy now," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said in an interview with ESPN.com. "His knee got checked out at the end of the year. No problems. It looks great. Everything is fantastic. He's a stud. … This young man is a real deal.'" Well, if Mauer is going to make it in baseball, his hitting stats will have to rise just a little bit. With 9 homers and 55 RBI’s in ’05, his hitting should either retain, or regain in ’06.

Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay Devil Rays
On a Tampa Bay team that was trying its best to rebuild in 2005, the center of attention turns slightly to Carl Crawford. Crawford is not your average left fielder that goes out there everyday and gets the job done. He does much more then that. He plays hard, versatile baseball that is not to be fooled around with. Crawford had the sixth most hits in the American League last year, with 194, tying none other then A-Rod. He had the third most steals in the AL last year, with 46 and also managed to slug his way to 15 homers and 81 RBIs. But his most memorable stat was his League leading 15 triples. He’ll have some help this year, as former Los Angeles Angel’s bench coach Joe Maddon comes in as the new manager. After working with the likes of young talents in Anaheim, Maddon should feel right at home in Tampa Bay.

Johnny Damon, New York Yankees
This pick may have already expired, if you know what I mean, as Johnny Damon has already done what has been required to be one of the top hitters in baseball. Coming just three hits short of 200 last year, he had the seventh best total in baseball. Damon also hit 35 doubles last year, which should grow to new heights on a team like the Yankees. He is known for his sleek presence at the top of the lineup. After signing with the Yanks this off-season, Damon should be in for another monster year.