MLB Team of the Month: Xander Bogaerts, Miguel Cabrera and Clayton Kershaw Star
You're going to enjoy this one, Boston Red Sox fans.
Yes, your club is sitting atop the American League East standings as May winds down. But far, far more importantly, Boston landed three—count 'em, three—players on Bleacher Report's MLB Team of the Month.
Feels good, right?
The rules are essentially the same as Team of the Week, except we're looking at stats from the past 30 days instead of the last seven.
Other than that, it's what you've come to expect: one player per position, including a designated hitter and starting pitcher, who have busted box scores.
To qualify, a player needs to have made the majority of his starts at the position in question. And while this is mostly about individual output, we award bonus points for gaudy numbers that led to notches in the win column.
Feel free to add your picks and nitpicks in the comments, and proceed when ready.
Catcher: Jonathan Lucroy, Milwaukee Brewers
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Peas and carrots. Tango and Cash. Jonathan Lucroy and trade speculation.
Get used to it, Milwaukee Brewers fans. Some things just go together.
Lucroy, as ESPN.com's Adam Rubin pointed out, "will be in big demand" as the August 1 non-waiver trade deadline approaches.
He's got an affordable $5.25 million team option for 2017. He plays a position that's short on premium talent around the league.
And he's padded his stats over the past month, posting an .882 OPS with six home runs, four doubles and a triple.
Milwaukee fans may hate to see him go if and when he's dealt, but the return could be substantial for the rebuilding Brew Crew.
Honorable Mention: Salvador Perez (KC): .287 AVG, .781 OPS, 5 2B, 3B, 3 HR
First Base: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
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Age brings many things: wisdom, perspective, humility. And, apparently, the ability to give a thumbs-up to a pitcher after he strikes you out, provided you're in the middle of a hot streak.
At the very least, that's true for Miguel Cabrera, who offered the friendly gesture to Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Jeremy Hellickson in the third inning Tuesday night after whiffing for the first time since May 13.
Overall, the 33-year-old former Triple Crown winner collected 38 hits in 103 at-bats with eight home runs and 21 RBI, good for a .369 average and 1.106 OPS.
"I really think the two offseasons for Miggy with the (core muscle and ankle surgeries) created issues with him using his legs and driving the ball," manager Brad Ausmus said of his veteran slugger, per Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press. "He's finding his way."
Honorable Mention: Jose Abreu (CWS): .308 AVG, .832 OPS, 6 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 17 RBI
Second Base: Ben Zobrist, Chicago Cubs
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Over the course of his MLB career, Ben Zobrist's value has come from his well-rounded skill set and ability to capably play all over the diamond. He's a Swiss Army knife, a jack of all trades.
This month, his value has come from the fact that he's been flat-out raking.
With 38 hits in 91 at-bats, including five doubles and five home runs, Zobrist led all qualifying second basemen with a .418 average, 1.137 OPS and 23 RBI.
In a high-scoring Chicago Cubs lineup stacked with young talent, the 35-year-old set the pace.
"Unbelievable," manager Joe Maddon said of Zobrist, one of his favorite tools from their days together with the Tampa Bay Rays, per Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. "His at-bats have been spectacular. If anyone is rubbing off on everyone else, it would be him. He's at the top of the game right now."
Honorable Mention: Daniel Murphy (WAS): .394 AVG, 1.004 OPS, 8 2B, 5 HR, 21 RBI
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Third Base: Nick Castellanos, Detroit Tigers
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On May 11, yours truly took note of Nick Castellanos' breakout performance but suggested his high batting average on balls in play (BABIP) hinted at a regression to come.
Entering play Thursday, his BABIP sat at a still-high .387, per FanGraphs, and the regression had yet to hit.
The 24-year-old went 34-for-98 on the month with nine doubles, a triple, seven home runs and 21 RBI.
"Success and failure, it's all temporary," said Castellanos, a hyped former prospect taken by the Tigers with the 44th overall pick in 2010, per Tony Paul of the Detroit News. "So, you enjoy the success and you learn from your failure, and you keep moving forward regardless. Because the game doesn't know what you did yesterday."
Honorable Mention: Kyle Seager (SEA): .351 AVG, 1.042 OPS, 10 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 17 RBI
Shortstop: Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox
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The first of our trio of Red Sox hitters to make the Team of the Month cut, Xander Bogaerts paced all shortstops in hits (44), average (.386) and OPS (1.002).
He also drew 12 walks this month alone after taking just 32 free passes all of last season. It's the knocks, however, that have defined his scalding stretch.
"It's crazy what he's been doing," outfielder and fellow rising star Mookie Betts said of his teammate, per John Tomase of WEEI.com. "It's almost like you expect a hit every time now. You know you're going to get a good at-bat, and then when he gets a hit, it's just like, well, that's the story of Xander."
Honorable Mention: Jonathan Villar (MIL): .333 AVG, .885 OPS, 11 2B, HR, 13 RBI, 13 SB
Left Field: Khris Davis, Oakland A's
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On May 17, Khris Davis put up a decent month's worth of power production, clubbing three home runs in a single game, including a walk-off grand slam, in an 8-5 win over the Texas Rangers.
"That was an amazing feeling," Davis said of his monster game, per T.R. Sullivan and Michael Wagaman of MLB.com. "I knew in the back of my head I was going to get the job done going up to the plate."
The 28-year-old has been getting the job done all month, collecting 11 home runs, four doubles and a triple among his 24 hits and driving in 24 runs.
Honorable Mention: Ryan Braun (MIL): .350 AVG, .966 OPS, 4 2B, 4 HR, 13 RBI
Center Field: Jackie Bradley Jr., Boston Red Sox
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Jackie Bradley Jr.'s hit streak ended Thursday at 29 games. But that takes nothing away from his eye-opening performance.
Always a whiz with the glove, the 26-year-old Bradley gave Boston reason to dream of consistent production at the plate, too. For the month, he went 40-for-96 with eight doubles, two triples, seven home runs and 26 RBI.
Much like the hitting streak, that output is sure to taper off. Even the best-case scenario for Bradley isn't a guy who hits .417 with a 1.251 OPS.
Still, as FanGraphs' Jeff Sullivan noted:
"I don't think that Bradley is one of the very best hitters on the planet, but I definitely do think he's turned himself into a threat. A year ago, Jackie Bradley Jr. fixed his swing. This year, it seems he’s improved his approach. There was a time this would've been unimaginable, but that’s probably more the fault of our collective imagination.
"
Go ahead, Sox fans—imagine away.
Honorable Mention: Marcell Ozuna (MIA): .410 AVG, 1.166 OPS, 7 2B, 2 3B, 7 HR, 17 RBI
Right Field: Gregory Polanco, Pittsburgh Pirates
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At age 24 and now in his second full big league season, Gregory Polanco has "breakout" written all over him.
This month, 15 of his 29 hits went for extra bases, including nine doubles, a triple and five home runs, good for a .937 OPS. He also drove in 17 runs and swiped five bases.
"He had a learning curve, experienced some things up here," manager Clint Hurdle said of Polanco, who debuted in 2014 at age 22 and hit .235 in 89 games, per Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "Now what you’re getting to see is a guy that’s gaining experience, he’s gaining reps."
If he keeps up his current pace or something close to it, the next thing he should be gaining is All-Star status.
Honorable Mention: Stephen Piscotty (STL): .364 AVG, .910 OPS, 9 2B, HR, 13 RBI
Pitcher: Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers
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What is there left to say about Clayton Kershaw except that he's the best pitcher on the planet?
Challengers keep emerging, and eventually someone will knock the three-time Cy Young Award winner from his perch.
Not today, though.
You can pick almost any time period—a week, a year, a half-decade—and Kershaw's numbers will look impressive.
The ace left-hander has been particularly transcendent over the last month, however, going 5-0 with a 0.64 ERA, 55 strikeouts and just two walks in 42 innings.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have had an uneven season overall, and they trail the archrival San Francisco Giants by 4.5 games in the National League West entering play Friday.
Where would the Dodgers be without Kershaw? It's a thought the Chavez Ravine faithful dare not even contemplate.
Honorable Mention: Jose Fernandez (MIA): 6-0, 1.89 ERA, 58 SO, 14 BB, 38 IP
Designated Hitter: David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox
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Seriously, David Ortiz—you're not retiring, right?
That question will only get louder the more Big Papi hits. And as May draws to a close, the 40-year-old Beantown icon is showing no signs of stopping.
Ortiz led all hitters with 31 RBI and 14 doubles over the past month while bashing nine home runs and posting a 1.222 OPS.
There's something to be said about going out on top, and Ortiz, as Jared Diamond noted in the Wall Street Journal, "has apparently decided to say goodbye to baseball by utterly dominating the rest of the league."
But if he's still doing this come September and guides the Red Sox on another magical postseason run, how could he possibly resist the siren song of one more year?
Honorable Mention: Victor Martinez (DET): .364 AVG, .918 OPS, 5 2B, 3 HR, 15 RBI
All statistics and standings are current as of May 26 and courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and MLB.com unless otherwise noted.
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