MLB Team of the Week: Miguel Cabrera, Xander Bogaerts and Adam Jones Star

We're two weeks into the 2015 baseball season, which means it's time for another installment of Bleacher Report's MLB Team of the Week.

To refresh your memory: These are the players (one per position, plus a designated hitter) who have lit it up over the last seven days.

We'll give you their overall stats for context, but we're judging them solely on what they accomplished between April 10 and April 16.

To qualify, a player needs at least two starts at the position in question or at least one start in the case of pitchers. Speaking of which, we're only considering starting hurlers—sorry, relievers. And bonus points are awarded if a strong individual performance led to a win.

Ready? Let's do it.

Catcher: Caleb Joseph, Baltimore Orioles

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

2015 Stats: 7 G, .375/.444/.542, 3B, 2 RBI

All-Star backstop Matt Wieters is still working his way back from Tommy John surgery, but Caleb Joseph is filling in capably for the Orioles.

Make that more than capably. Over the past week, Joseph has banged out eight hits in 17 at-bats, including his first career triple.

Most of that production came in a three-game series against the division-rival New York Yankees; Joseph went 7-for-11 and drove in a pair of runs as the O's took two of three.

Honorable Mentions

• Salvador Perez (KC): Perez went 9-for-27 with two home runs and six RBI—and that actually qualified as "cooling off."
• Yadier Molina (STL): After going hitless in his first 10 at-bats,Molina's gone 8-for-19 with three RBI.

First Base: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers

Mark Duncan/Associated Press

2015 Stats: 9 G, .432/.500/.676, 2 HR, 9 RBI

Miguel Cabrera is on the wrong side of 30 and had ankle surgery in October. So it was worth wondering if he'd start slow this season, at least by his lofty standards.

So much for that.

The former Triple Crown winner and two-time American League MVP put together another scalding week, going 14-for-26 with two home runs and seven RBI. The Tigers, not coincidentally, went 5-1 during that stretch and sit atop the standings in the AL Central.

"He's an exceptional player," Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski told George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press after Cabrera launched a pair of long balls April 12 against the Cleveland Indians. "He's got a chance to be one of the best players to ever play the game."

Honorable Mentions

• Lucas Duda (NYM): Duda went 12-for-27 with six RBI as the Mets went 5-2.
• Paul Goldschmidt (ARI): Goldschmidt smacked four home runs to go along with 12 RBI and swiped a base for good measure.

Second Base: Dee Gordon, Miami Marlins

Associated Press

2015 Stats: 10 G, .366/.386/.488, 3B, 6 RBI, 6 SB

When the Marlins acquired Dee Gordon from the Los Angeles Dodgers this winter, they were looking for a spark at the top of the lineup.

Lately, Gordon has been a torch.

Over the last week, the 2014 MLB stolen base champ went 12-for-29 with a triple, five steals and seven runs scored.

On Sunday, Gordon came within a home run of the cycle in an 8-5 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. Of course, the Fish didn't get him for his power; they got him for his legs. So far, he's put those to good use.

Honorable Mentions

• DJ LeMahieu (COL): LeMahieu went 13-for-22 with five RBI but collected only one extra-base hit.
• Devon Travis (TOR): The rookie had 10 hits in 26 at-bats, plus a home run and seven RBI.

Third Base: Cody Asche, Philadelphia Phillies

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

2015 Stats: 9 G, .429/.500/.571, HR, 2 RBI 

This figures to be a long, dark season in Philadelphia, as the Phillies lurch into a painful rebuild. Cody Asche has a chance to brighten the picture just a bit.

After opening the season 1-for-8, the 24-year-old has gone on a tear. He took an 0-for-4 in a 5-2 loss to the Washington Nationals on Thursday, but between April 12 and April 15, he collected nine hits in 14 at-bats, including his first home run of the season.

"Asche's swinging the bat well," manager Ryne Sandberg said after his third baseman went 3-for-3 Wednesday, per Jake Kaplan of Philly.com. "He's got a good approach going."

Honorable Mentions

• Matt Carpenter (STL): Carpenter went 10-for-25 with a home run and six RBI.
• Mike Moustakas (KC): Moose smacked 10 hits in 24 at-bats as part of a lethally balanced Royals lineup.

Shortstop: Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox

Chris Szagola/Associated Press

2015 Stats: 8 G, .382/447/.471, 3B, 2 SB, 7 RBI

In a Red Sox lineup stacked with stars, Xander Bogaerts has been the X-factor. 

Beginning with a 4-for-8 showing in the Red Sox's marathon 19-inning win against the Yankees on April 10, Bogaerts has banged out nine hits in 23 at-bats over the last week.

He missed a game with a sore knee April 14 but returned to the lineup Wednesday after an MRI "revealed no structural damage," per Ricky Doyle of NESN.com.

The 22-year-old opened the season 1-for-7 with a pair of strikeouts after a so-so spring, and an unnamed scout told The Boston Globe's Alex Speier that Bogaerts looked "lost" at the plate.

For now at least, he seems to have found his way.

Honorable Mentions

• Jhonny Peralta (STL): Peralta went 10-for-24 with a home run and six RBI for the defending NL Central champs. 
• Jose Reyes (TOR): Reyes exited Thursday's game early with rib soreness, per ESPN.com, but still enjoyed a good week, going 9-for-25 with four RBI.

Left Field: Justin Upton, San Diego Padres

Lenny Ignelzi/Associated Press

2015 Stats: 10 G, .351/.405/.703, 3 HR, 7 RBI

A new offensive era is dawning in San Diego, thanks in no small part to Justin Upton.

One of several reinforcements brought in over the winter by general manager A.J. Preller, Upton hasn't disappointed in the early going. 

The left fielder has hit safely in 10 straight games to open the season. Over the last week, he's gone 9-for-20 with two home runs and four RBI.

"I'm trying to torment every team we play," Upton said after homering Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, his former club, per Jeff Sanders of U-T San Diego. 

San Diego finished dead last in MLB in runs scored and team batting average. It's still early, obviously, but so far in 2015, the Friars are 11th and fifth in those categories, respectively, and Upton deserves his share of the credit.

Honorable Mentions

• Chris Coghlan (CHC): Super-prospect Kris Bryant is drawing all the attention for his imminent debut, but Coghlan had a nice week of his own, going 6-for-17 with two home runs and posting a 1.274 OPS.
• Nori Aoki (SF): The defending champs are off to a rough start. But where would they be without Aoki, who has hit safely in six of the last seven games and 10 of 11 overall?

Center Field: Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

2015 Stats: 9 G, .406/.459/.844, 4 HR, 11 RBI

How do you follow a season in which you made the All-Star team, won a Gold Glove and guided your team to the American League Championship Series for the first time in 17 years?

If you're Adam Jones, you just keep hitting. Over the last week, the Orioles center fielder has been positively dialed in, banging out 12 hits in 21 at-bats, including four home runs, and driving in nine.

"He's one of the best hitters in the game," New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia said Tuesday after Jones took him deep, per Shawn Krest of CBSSports.com. "He got a two-seamer and put a good swing on it. I felt like we pitched him a little better after that. But he's hot, and there's nothing you can really do."

Honorable Mentions

• Mike Trout (LAA): The reigning AL MVP went 11-for-21 but had just one extra-base hit and one RBI.
• Lorenzo Cain (KC): Cain picked up 10 hits, including a home run, in 23 at-bats to go along with seven RBI and more defensive wizardry.

Right Field: Nelson Cruz, Seattle Mariners

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

2015 Stats: 9 G, .294, .368, .824, 6 HR, 9 RBI

You know how they say power is down across baseball? No one told Nelson Cruz.

The Mariners right fielder is on an epic dinger binge; he's hit six home runs in his last five games and has collected nine RBI over the same stretch.

As MLB.com's Greg Johns notes, Cruz is within striking distance of some history:

"

The 34-year-old now is tied for the second-longest home run streak in Mariners history. Ken Griffey Jr. homered in eight straight games in 1993, tying a Major League record. Alex Rodriguez (1999), Jay Buhner (1995 and '96) and Richie Zisk (1981) also homered in five straight games for Seattle.

Cruz also is tied for the most home runs by a Mariner in the first nine games of a season, equaling Jim Presley (1985), Griffey ('97) and Michael Morse (2013), who had six.

"

Enter M's skipper Lloyd McClendon with the understatement of the week, per Johns, "He's swinging the bat extremely well."

Honorable Mentions

• Giancarlo Stanton (MIA): Stanton opened the season 1-for-8 with no extra-base hits but has collected nine RBI in his last seven games.
• Jorge Soler (CHC): Soler went 8-for-22 with two home runs and seven RBI. 

Designated Hitter: Kendrys Morales, Kansas City Royals

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

2015 Stats: 9 G, .351/.442/.595, 2 HR, 5 RBI

Billy Butler, the Royals' primary designated hitter last season, was a fan favorite and a big part of Kansas City's World Series run.

So Kendrys Morales, whom KC inked over the winter, has had some big shoes to fill. So far, he's filling them.

The 31-year-old switch-hitter has had at least one hit in eight of his first nine games, and over the last week he's gone 10-for-26 with two home runs. 

He's saying all the right things, too. 

"I'm going to defer it to the club," he said, per MLB.com's Jeffrey Flanagan, when asked about his early success. "Everyone is seeing the ball well right now. It's a team effort, and that's how we approach it."

Honorable Mention

• Billy Butler (OAK): Speaking of Butler, he's hit safely in all 10 games in an Oakland uniform and has a home run and five RBI over the last week.

Starting Pitcher: Archie Bradley, Arizona Diamondbacks

Ben Margot/Associated Press

2015 Stats: 12.2 IP, 1.42 ERA, 10 SO, 0.87 WHIP

Taking down Clayton Kershaw or Madison Bumgarner qualifies you for a good week. Outpitching both? That's the stuff of tall tales.

Except this one's completely true. Archie Bradley, Diamondbacks rookie and budding ace-slayer, faced off against Kershaw on April 11 and twirled six shutout innings in a 6-0 D-Backs win. 

For an encore, Bradley got a date with Bumgarner on Thursday and again more than held his own, giving up two runs in 6.2 innings and leaving with the lead.

He didn't get a decision in that one, though Arizona ultimately went on to win 7-6 in 12 innings.

Honorable Mentions

• Chris Archer (TB): Archer hurled 14 shutout innings over two starts and struck out 16, picking up a pair of wins.
• Doug Fister (WSH): Fister's doing his part to reverse the Nats' sluggish start, yielding just one earned run in 13 innings.