MLB Team of the Week: Byron Buxton, Brian Dozier and Jose Abreu Star
It's September, folks, and things are getting weird.
The New York Yankees sold at the trade deadline, and now they're postseason contenders.
The New York Mets gave an actual minor league contract to Tim Tebow, a 29-year-old ex-NFL quarterback who hasn't played baseball competitively since high school.
It's an even year, but the San Francisco Giants are sinking like a kettlebell in quicksand.
Up is down, night is day.
Thankfully, you've got another edition of Bleacher Report's MLB Team of the Week to keep you grounded. The names change, but the rules remain the same: Here are 10 players—one per position, including a starting pitcher and designated hitter—who 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. And while this is primarily about individual output, we award extra credit for flashy stats that led to ticks in the win column.
Limber up your commenting muscles and proceed when ready.
Catcher: Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals
1 of 10
St. Louis Cardinals backstop Yadier Molina kept his superlative second half rolling this week, going 9-for-23 with three doubles, two home runs, five RBI and six runs scored.
Molina is 34 years old and coming off a pair of offseason thumb surgeries. Yet he's defining durability and helping keep the Cards in the thick of the National League wild-card chase.
"I think it's because I play him every single day," manager Mike Matheny, himself a former catcher, said with tongue presumably in cheek, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "It's a new theory. Play him. Keep playing him."
Honorable Mention: J.T. Realmuto (MIA): 9-for-23, 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI
First Base: Jose Abreu, Chicago White Sox
2 of 10
This week, the first base slot was a toss-up between the Chicago White Sox's Jose Abreu and the Detroit Tigers' Miguel Cabrera.
That's coincidental, because the two men squared off, with the White Sox taking two of three and Abreu absorbing some knowledge.
"We always try to talk about offense, about hitting," the Sox's Cuban slugger said of his in-game encounters with Cabrera, per Tom Musick of the Sports Xchange (via UPI). "I take extra motivation every time that we play against the Tigers because I like to talk with him about offense, about how he hits, to pick some things up about him."
In all, Abreu went 12-for-29 on the week with three homers and paced all first basemen with 12 RBI.
Honorable Mention: Miguel Cabrera (DET): 11-for-25, 3 HR, 6 RBI
Second Base: Brian Dozier, Minnesota Twins
3 of 10
Hit seven home runs in a five-day span, and it's a safe bet you'll secure Team of the Week honors.
So it went for Brian Dozier, who also had a double among his 12 hits this week, good for a mind-boggling 1.214 slugging percentage.
The Minnesota Twins went just 2-4 and own the worst record in baseball at 52-88. Dozier, meanwhile, has 39 homers on the season, two behind the Baltimore Orioles' Mark Trumbo for the MLB lead.
If Dozier passes Trumbo and the Twins continue their futility, it would be only the second time a home run leader played for the game's losingest club since 1961, as Sporting News' Wendy Thurm pointed out.
Not exactly the kind of history you want to make, but there it is.
Honorable Mention: Rougned Odor (TEX): 12-for-31, 2 2B, 3 HR, 10 RBI
.png?w=256)
Third Base: Alex Bregman, Houston Astros
4 of 10
Alex Bregman, one of the Houston Astros' first-round picks in 2015, was a shortstop in college at LSU.
He's mostly played third base with the 'Stros since his late-July call-up thanks to the presence of a guy named Carlos Correa. This week, Bregman got starts at second base and shortstop in addition to his reps at the hot corner.
"Versatility on the field is a big part of my game," he said, per USA Today's Jorge L. Ortiz.
Bregman raked wherever he played, going 13-for-33 with two doubles, three triples, two home runs and 10 RBI.
The Astros went 4-3, but they sit just 2.5 games behind Baltimore for the American League's second wild-card slot.
Honorable Mention: Manny Machado (BAL): 9-for-25, 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI
Shortstop: Chris Owings, Arizona Diamondbacks
5 of 10
It's been a dreary season for the Arizona Diamondbacks, which means bright spots are welcome.
Enter Chris Owings, who rapped out 12 hits in 24 at-bats, good for a cool .500 average, including three doubles.
The 25-year-old 2009 first-round pick hit just .227 last season. He's raised that to .288 this year and is tied for the MLB lead with nine triples.
None of that matters for Team of the Week purposes, but we figured snakebitten D-backs fans could use a little cheering up.
Honorable Mention: Jonathan Villar (MIL): 7-for-21, 3B, 4 HR, 7 RBI
Left Field: Justin Upton, Detroit Tigers
6 of 10
A borderline bust for much of the season, Justin Upton is beginning to justify the six-year, nine-figure contract the Tigers handed him this winter.
Last week, we told you about the mechanical adjustments he reportedly made in the cage, per Aaron McMann of MLive.
This week, he kept swinging with purpose, going 8-for-24 with a double, four home runs and 11 RBI.
"You've got to look in the mirror," Upton said of his early struggles, per MLive's Evan Woodbery. "I wasn't producing. I wasn't doing anything productive for the team, so I looked in the mirror and said this is a time for me to get things right, and hopefully I can help this team down the stretch."
Honorable Mention: Melky Cabrera (CWS): 10-for-27, 2 2B, HR, 6 RBI
Center Field: Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins
7 of 10
Byron Buxton is 22 years old. That's way too early to label anyone a bust.
But as Sports Illustrated's Ben Reiter put it: "Whether the fault lies with his lingering injuries, the Twins' developmental system or Buxton himself, the fact was that despite raking in the minors, the electrically athletic center fielder didn't produce whenever he periodically reached Minnesota."
This week, Buxton produced to the tune of 11 hits in 23 at-bats, including four doubles and three home runs.
Again, the Twins own the worst record in the game. But Buxton's emergence counts as a glittering silver lining.
Honorable Mention: Kevin Kiermaier (TB): 13-for-29, 3B, 4 HR, 8 RBI
Right Field: Ichiro Suzuki, Miami Marlins
8 of 10
If you don't love what Ichiro Suzuki is doing this season, you don't love baseball. Period, end of story.
The 42-year-old future Hall of Famer padded his resume this week, collecting eight hits in 22 at-bats, including a double, a triple and a home run, while scoring five runs and knocking in four.
He also moved past Rafael Palmeiro for 26th place on the all-time hits list and is just two behind Lou Brock for 25th place.
The Fish, unfortunately, went 1-5, slipping below .500 and out of the playoff chase.
Honorable Mention: Domingo Santana (MIL): 8-for-22, 3 HR, 6 RBI
Designated Hitter: Kendrys Morales, Kansas City Royals
9 of 10
Kendrys Morales made a second consecutive Team of the Week with 10 hits in 24 at-bats, including four homers and 11 RBI.
The Kansas City Royals went 3-3 on the week, but the defending champs are hanging around the AL playoff margins. Count them out at your peril.
As for Morales?
"Right now, his timing, his rhythm, his tempo is perfect," manager Ned Yost told reporters. "He's seeing the ball really well."
Honorable Mention: Carlos Beltran (TEX): 12-for-28, 3 2B, 2 HR, 11 RBI
Pitcher: Carlos Carrasco, Cleveland Indians
10 of 10
Not even insects can stop Carlos Carrasco.
The Cleveland Indians right-hander was beset by a swarm of midges in his start Wednesday against the Astros at Progressive Field. Still, he lasted 7.1 innings and got the win.
Add that to his dominant start Sept. 2 against Miami, and you get a 2-0 record with 16 strikeouts, two walks and four earned runs allowed in 14.2 frames.
In all, the Tribe went 5-2 and held on to first place in the AL Central. Nothing buggy about that.
Honorable Mention: David Price (BOS): 2-0, 14 IP, 4 ER, 3 BB, 15 SO
All statistics current as of Thursday and courtesy of MLB.com unless otherwise noted.
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
