Best players from Texas. (Spotlight).(baseball players)

Adam Dunn, OF, Reds

Dunn is as Texan as you can get--born in Houston, raised in small-town New Caney, went to the University of Texas on a football scholarship. But though many thought he'd be the next great UT quarterback, the 6-6 Dunn opted for baseball after a year in Austin. As a rookie in 2001, he hit 12 home runs in August, just one month after his major league debut. Big things have been predicted for him since. In 2002, he became an All-Star as a 22-year-old but fared poorly after the break, batting .190 and hitting just nine of his 26 home runs. Opposing pitchers discovered his weaknesses and he fell victim to a steady diet of inside fastballs and changeups. Though he walked frequently (128 times), he also finished second in the National League with 170 strikeouts. This season, he's striking out a lot again (43 in his first 99 at-bats), but he's still hitting with power, taking advantage of Great American Ball Park and a trip to San Juan. He had nine homers (tied for second in the N.L.) and 18 RBIs entering the week.

Lance Berkman, OF, Astros. Born in Waco, Berkman is everything the Astros hoped he would be when they drafted him in the first round in 1997 after he was the NCAA Player of the Year at Rice. An All-Star the past two seasons, Berkman has yet to profit from hitting in front of Jeff Kent this season. He had just three home runs in his first 21 games. He also has missed time with a strained elbow tendon.

Roger Clemens, RHP, Yankees. Clemens was born in Dayton, Ohio, but went to Houston Spring Woods High and San Jacinto Junior College before starring at Texas. Clemens, 40, always has relied on an overwhelming fastball and pinpoint control, and observers say the fastball ...