When Darin Erstad had his freaky-good 200 season, Mo Vaughn (in his final year of being an elite offensive threat) batted third in the lineup to Erstad's Leadoff. I bring this up because Darin has taken off like never (well, like once - the 2000 season to be exact)) before, and his acceleration comes on the heels of batting in front of Vladimir Guerrero.
Does Darin see better pitches as the moundstander eyes Vladdie in the on-deck circle? This is one of three possible explanations, the other two being that he is healed of lingering hamstring injuries and playing better as a result or that he is accelerating toward a higher statistical mean than career-watchers had previously placed for him.
Perhaps this is just a good year for Gemini, who the hell knows. Darin is batting above .300 and has a career-high 21-game hitting streak.