MLB Team of the Week: Jose Altuve, Christian Yelich and Justin Verlander Star
It was tempting to give Ken Griffey Jr. an honorary slot in Bleacher Report's latest MLB Team of the Week.
The Kid will officially enter the Hall of Fame on Sunday, and even at age 46 he exemplifies everything that's fun and awesome about baseball. Let's put it this way: He might be the only guy his age who can still rock a backward baseball cap and get away with it.
This isn't about legends, though, or legacies. In fact, quite the opposite: It's the 10 guys—one per position, including a starting pitcher and designated hitter—who have busted box scores over the past seven days.
To qualify, a player needs to have made at least two starts at the position in question or one start in the case of pitchers. While it's mostly about individual output, we award extra credit for gaudy numbers that translated to ticks in the win column.
Limber up your commenting muscles, throw on your favorite Griffey highlight reel (here's a pretty good one) and proceed when ready.
Catcher: Stephen Vogt, Oakland Athletics
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After making his second consecutive All-Star appearance, the Oakland Athletics' Stephen Vogt ripped off a week worthy of the Midsummer Classic.
The 31-year-old backstop went 8-for-21 with two doubles and a home run and paced all qualified catchers with a 1.028 OPS.
The A's, meanwhile, went 4-3 but remained mired in last place in the American League West.
Might it be time to renew that "I believe in Stephen Vogt" chant until morale improves in the East Bay?
Honorable Mention: Jonathan Lucroy (MIL): 6-for-19, HR, 6 RBI
First Base: Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds
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Most of the talk surrounding the Cincinnati Reds over the next week-plus will concern their status as trade-deadline sellers.
No fan hopes for that in spring training, but such is the annual summer plight of MLB's veteran-laden cellar-dwellers.
Still, the Reds had a nice week, going 4-2, albeit against the Milwaukee Brewers and Atlanta Braves, two other losing squads that fall squarely in the cellar/seller column.
But we digress. The point is to sing the praises of Joey Votto, who went 11-for-20 with a double, a pair of home runs and six walks, good for an eye-popping 1.554 OPS.
In December, Votto said he had no intention of waiving the full no-trade clause that was included in the 10-year, $225 million extension he signed with Cincinnati in 2012, per MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
So no matter how loud the deadline chatter gets, don't expect to hear his name whispered.
Honorable Mention: Mike Napoli (CLE): 8-for-24, 2B, 4 HR, 6 RBI
Second Base: Jose Altuve, Houston Astros
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It's cliche at this point to note the disparity between Jose Altuve's small stature and his big production.
We'll skip that and get straight to what the Houston Astros second baseman did this week—namely, bang out 14 hits in 24 at-bats, including two doubles, a triple and a home run.
Overall, Houston went 3-3 but finished its week with a 7-0 victory over the A's in which Altuve went 2-for-3 and reached base four times.
"He absolutely demolished us this series," Oakland catcher and fellow Team of the Week honoree Vogt said, per Angel Verdejo Jr. of the Houston Chronicle. "He's got a magic wand. There's no way to get him out."
Honorable Mention: Ian Kinsler (DET): 11-for-28, 2B, 4 HR, 5 RBI
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Third Base: Justin Turner, Los Angeles Dodgers
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Until the Los Angeles Dodgers get word on ace Clayton Kershaw's balky back, nothing else matters.
That's the crux of their season, as yours truly argued, and could slam the brakes on any trade-deadline plans.
At the same time, the Dodgers are in line for the National League's top wild-card spot and in a race with the hated San Francisco Giants in the NL West.
Gratitude on behalf of the Southern California faithful to Justin Turner, who went 10-for-25 with a double, four home runs and 11 RBI this week, boosting an offense that frequently hasn't kept up its end of the bargain.
"It's almost like it isn't a hot streak anymore," catcher A.J. Ellis said after Turner homered twice and drove in five runs in a 6-3 win over the Washington Nationals on Thursday, per Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times. "This is just who J.T. is."
Honorable Mention: Evan Longoria (TB): 9-for-30, 2 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 8 RBI
Shortstop: Carlos Correa, Houston Astros
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He didn't put up numbers to match his keystone combo partner, but the Astros' Carlos Correa earns Team of the Week status nonetheless.
How, you ask? Why, by pacing all qualified shortstops with seven RBI while going 7-for-19 with four doubles and five walks, good for a 1.079 OPS.
With the 'Stros now sitting just 3.5 games back of the free-falling first-place Texas Rangers in the AL West, a hot Correa could tip the balance of power in the Lone Star State—and possibly the Junior Circuit.
Asked about his recent success, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year touted plate discipline.
"They're trying to get me to chase. I'm trying to be patient and get my walks," said Correa, per the Houston Chronicle's Verdejo. "And just try to get a good pitch to hit."
Honorable Mention: Trevor Story (COL): 6-for-19, 2 HR, 3 RBI
Left Field: Christian Yelich, Miami Marlins
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The Miami Marlins went 5-2 this week to gain some separation from the New York Mets for second place in the NL East and maintain their hold on the second wild-card slot.
Toss plenty of credit at Christian Yelich, who makes his second consecutive Team of the Week appearance after going 10-for-30 with two doubles, two home runs and seven RBI.
"To be a good team you have to win those close ones," Yelich said after driving in the winning run in the 10th inning Tuesday against the Philadelphia Phillies, per the Associated Press (via the New York Times). He added, "We know we're going to have to continue to do that in the second half if we want to go where we think we're headed."
Honorable Mention: Melky Cabrera (CWS): 9-for-28, 2B, 3B, HR
Center Field: Billy Hamilton, Cincinnati Reds
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One way to look at Billy Hamilton's week is that he went 9-for-26 with two walks but failed to collect an extra-base hit.
Another way is that the Reds speedster swiped five bases and scored six runs, driving pitchers to distraction and turning his trips to first base into something much more significant.
On Sunday, Hamilton stole his 150th career base in his 356th big league game, becoming the fastest (yeah, pun intended) player to reach that mark since Kenny Lofton did it in his 334th game in 1994, per David Jablonski of the Springfield News-Sun.
He's not a slugger by any stretch. You could apply the label "punchless" and few would argue.
But as Reds skipper Bryan Price put it, per Fox Sports' Nunzio Ingrassia: "Billy is that guy. He affects the game. He changes the look of the game. He creates a lot of anxiety on the basepaths."
Honorable Mention: Tyler Naquin (CLE): 7-for-17, 2 2B, 3 HR, 7 RBI
Right Field: Stephen Piscotty, St. Louis Cardinals
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On Tuesday, Stephen Piscotty won the St. Louis Cardinals' Heart and Hustle Award, which is a thing you totally didn't know existed before you read this sentence. Admit it.
Here's something you should know: Piscotty is helping to drive the offense as the Cards chase the Marlins for the second wild-card spot and try to maintain contact with the NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs.
In pursuit of that laudable goal, St. Louis went 5-2 this week. Piscotty, meanwhile, went 8-for-25 with a double, three home runs and eight RBI.
While it doesn't matter for Team of the Week purposes, it's worth noting the 25-year-old has now driven in a team-leading 56 runs on the season.
Heart and hustle are well and good, but ribeyes put lights on the board.
Honorable Mention: Matt Kemp (SD): 7-for-25, 4 HR, 5 RBI
Designated Hitter: Albert Pujols, Los Angeles Angels
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Maybe you thought Albert Pujols was done. I wondered as much myself back in May.
No question his star has dimmed. But the veteran slugger is producing again, as Mark Whicker of the Los Angeles Daily News outlined:
"He no longer is a fixture on All-Star Weekend. He has not brought championships to Anaheim, although that wasn't his job description.
He is Albert Pujols at 36, raging against the twilight, and those who boo him at Angel Stadium are beginning to notice that nobody else does. When judged against everything except his own footprints, he's fine.
"
Pujols was more than fine this week, going 7-for-19 with four home runs and 12 RBI. The Halos, not coincidentally, went 6-0, though they remain mired in fourth place in the AL West at 43-52.
Honorable Mention: David Ortiz (BOS): 7-for-23, 2 HR, 7 RBI
Pitcher: Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers
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Speaking of once-transcendent veterans cranking back the clock, Justin Verlander did the vintage thing in two stellar outings this week.
The 33-year-old Detroit Tigers right-hander surrendered two earned runs and struck out 19 in 15 innings.
The Tigers went 1-1 in those games and 4-3 overall. They're seven games back of the Cleveland Indians in the AL Central and four games back of the Toronto Blue Jays for the second wild-card position entering play Friday.
Verlander, meanwhile, has watched his velocity trend upward and is striking hitters out at a pace not seen since his 2011 Cy Young Award-winning season, as Evan Woodbery of MLive.com noted.
Heck, if you go by wins above replacement (WAR), Verlander is the most valuable pitcher in the American League.
Vintage, indeed.
Honorable Mention: Kyle Hendricks (CHC): 12.1 IP, 0 ER, 10 H, 10 SO, 3 BB
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