2012 MLB Spring Training: 15 of the Best Gap Hitters in Baseball

Home runs certainly provide for exciting moments in any baseball game, but watching some of the game's best hitters shoot the gap and speed around the bases can definitely be just as exciting.

The game's best sluggers use their sheer strength to push balls into the gap as they get into scoring position, while some of the speedier players can turn those same hits into a three-bagger with ease.

Spray charts outlining player hit totals are available in pieces, but since their information is relatively limited, for the purposes of this slideshow I'm looking basically at some of the game's best doubles and triples hitters, as they're more often than not the ones finding the gaps in the spacious outfields in ballparks all over the country.

Evan Longoria

Having hit more than 40 doubles twice during his short four-year stint in the majors, Evan Longoria has a way for finding the gaps as he racks up his total bases.

With 44 doubles in 2009 and 46 in 2010, Longoria's numbers dropped to 26 in 2011, although his home run productivity increased to 31 home runs (as opposed to 22 the prior year).

Jacoby Ellsbury

A contender for this past year's AL MVP honors, Jacoby Ellsbury spent plenty of time on the basepaths, hitting 46 doubles, five triples and 32 home runs.

With the relatively hitter-friendly confines of Fenway Park, Ellsbury should be able to build on his outstanding 2011 performance and once again be towards the top of the league in extra-base hits.

Curtis Granderson

Curtis Granderson also saw some consideration for MVP honors thanks in part to a 41-home run, 119-RBI effort.

His speed on the basepaths also led to 26 doubles and 10 triples, as Granderson would go on to lead the league in runs scored with 136.

Joey Votto

The 2010 NL MVP had himself another strong season in 2011, as Joey Votto led the league in doubles with 40 and also managed to rack up more than 100 runs scored in the process.

In just three full seasons in the majors, Votto has notched more than 67 extra-base hits per season en route to 103 RBI and 318 total bases.

Starlin Castro

As one of the league's up-and-coming stars, Starlin Castro is headed for great things, as he led the league in hits in 2011 all while batting .307 and notching 55 extra-base hits.

With new organizational management in the front office, Castro will hopefully be surrounded by more than enough talent to further develop his growth.

Johnny Damon

Currently ranking second among active players in career triples, and sixth in doubles, Johnny Damon has clearly found a way to use both gaps and speed to his advantage.

He's averaged 34 doubles and six triples per year over his last 14 seasons, spanning six teams. He hasn't found a team for 2012 yet but should make an impact wherever he ends up.

Ben Zobrist

Along with an improved batting average in 2011 (.269), Ben Zobrist notched a career high in doubles with 46.

Zobrist is among the top of players in doubles/triples over the past two seasons, and with other offensive talent in the Rays' lineup, he stands to continue his successes in 2012.

Ryan Braun

Despite some controversy surrounding his status for the 2012 season after a positive PED test, 2011 NL MVP winner Ryan Braun still remains one of the best offensive players in the National League, and he will no doubt continue to thrive whenever he gets back on the field.

Over the past two seasons, Braun has racked up more doubles than all but a couple of players in the league, and he will always remain a long-ball threat as his OPS hovers around 1.000.

Shane Victorino

With 53 doubles and 26 triples over the past two seasons, Shane Victorino has used his speed on the base paths to add an important offensive element to the Philadelphia Phillies' offense.

As his on-base percentage and slugging increased in 2011, he provided a spark for the Phillies' offense, as he had his sixth straight consistently productive season with the team.

Dexter Fowler

With the hitter-friendly confines of Coors Field at his disposal, Dexter Fowler has managed 55 doubles and 29 triples in just the past two seasons with the Rockies.

At 25, Fowler still has his best days ahead of him, as he looks to build on his .262 career average and 119 hits he's averaged over the past three seasons.

Adrian Beltre

Adrian Beltre's prolific offensive talent has reared many positive returns for teams that he's played for over the years. Perhaps none more than in 2010, when he hit 46 doubles with the Boston Red Sox en route to a career-high .321 batting average.

With 82 doubles over his past two seasons, Beltre uses his strength to hit to the gaps and down the lines to his advantage, as he's a threat any time he steps up to the plate.

Jose Reyes

After an outstanding season in which he led the league in batting, Jose Reyes will set his sights on other NL East foes in 2012 as a member of the Miami Marlins.

Reyes has hit at least 29 doubles and 10 triples in each of the past two seasons, and with his batting average on the way up, there's no reason he won't continue to vault up the ranks of the league's best players.

Michael Young

With at least 30 doubles in each of the past nine seasons (three times over 40), Michael Young certainly takes his home-field advantage to the fullest in Texas.

In reaching a number of three-baggers each season, Young has amassed more doubles and triples than all but only a few select players in the past few seasons.

Miguel Cabrera

The spacious and sometimes pitcher-friendly confines of Comerica Park have still yielded a great deal of long balls at the expense of slugger Miguel Cabrera over the duration of his career, but the 28-year-old has managed to produce in a number of other ways.

With 93 doubles over the past two seasons, no player has bested Cabrera in that category, as he's also climbing towards the league lead in hits and bases on an annual basis.

Robinson Cano

Robinson Cano, a 2011 AL MVP candidate, is only 29, but the seasoned veteran has shown in his seven career seasons that he deserves consideration among the league's best players.

Cano's 97 doubles and triples over the past two seasons are unmatched, and having played in at least 159 games in each of the past five seasons, he's an example for consistency that will only continue to improve, as his best years more than likely lie ahead of him.