MLB Team of the Week: Robinson Cano, Masahiro Tanaka and Stephen Vogt Star
Another week of baseball action is in the books, which means it's time once again for Bleacher Report's MLB Team of the Week.
You know the drill: 10 players (one per position, excluding relievers but including designated hitters) who stuffed the stat sheets between April 17 and April 23.
To qualify, a player needs at least two starts at the position in question or at least one start in the case of pitchers. And while this is mostly about individual performances, we award extra credit if big numbers translated to ticks in the win column.
Catcher: Stephen Vogt, Oakland A's
1 of 10
2015 Stats: 15 G, .360/.441/.700, 4 HR, 14 RBI
Over his last six games, the Oakland A's catcher has collected nine hits in 20 at-bats, including three round-trippers, and has driven in eight runs.
More than that, Stephen Vogt embodies the scrappy soul of this Athletics team. Here's how the Oakland backstop summed up his appeal to Ben Reiter of Sports Illustrated:
"Look at me. I'm not chiseled. I'm a regular guy. I wasn't destined to do this. I didn't make it to the big leagues at 22—I made it at 27, and still didn't do well. I made my first Opening Day roster at 30, for crying out loud. If one kid is watching me and is like, "Man, I want to do what he's doing," I want to tell him, "You can."
"
For the past week especially, Vogt has.
Honorable Mention
Russell Martin (TOR): Martin smacked two home runs, collected six RBI and scored six runs while posting a 1.140 OPS.
First Base: Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds
2 of 10
2015 Stats: 16 G, .361/.466/.721, 6 HR, 14 RBI
It's still early, but the Cincinnati Reds have reason to believe Joey Votto is back. Like, say, the 10 hits, three home runs and five RBI the first baseman has collected over the last week or the .469 on-base percentage he's sporting over that stretch.
Votto, of course, missed 100 games last season while battling a quadriceps strain. Now, the 31-year-old former National League MVP is looking to put the injury talk to rest.
"I don't think he's ever lacked confidence offensively, but he's very comfortable at the plate," Cincinnati skipper Bryan Price said Tuesday after Votto hit a home run and scored three times in a 16-10 Reds victory, per Cincinnati.com's C. Trent Rosecrans. "Every swing is competitive, every at-bat looks like he's going to win the at-bat. I just think we're looking at a stretch that's vintage Joey."
Honorable Mention
Jose Abreu (CWS): Seven of Abreu's 11 hits have gone for extra bases, and he has 11 RBI.
Second Base: Robinson Cano, Seattle Mariners
3 of 10
2015 Stats: 15 G, .290/.323/.452, 1 HR, 6 RBI
Despite the preseason hype and elevated expectations, the Seattle Mariners have gone 3-3 over the last week and are still mired under .500.
Robinson Cano is doing his part to reverse the trend.
During that same six-game stretch, Cano went 10-for-24 with four doubles and three RBI, good for a .417 batting average and 1.065 OPS.
Eventually, it'll need to translate to wins. For now, the M's will certainly take it.
Honorable Mention
Howie Kendrick (LAD): Kendrick collected five extra-base hits, including a pair of home runs, and drove in five.
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Third Base: Matt Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals
4 of 10
2015 Stats: 14 G, .386/.444/.684, 3 HR, 11 RBI
See if this sounds familiar: The St. Louis Cardinals sit atop the National League Central, and Matt Carpenter is a major reason why.
This has been the formula for the Red Birds, who have played in four straight National League Championship Series. That's quite a run.
Speaking of which, over the last week, Carpenter has gone 10-for-24 with six extra-base hits, two of them home runs.
As Drew Silva of Hardball Talk noted, "Carpenter has made two straight National League All-Star teams. He's well on his way to his third straight."
Honorable Mention
Josh Donaldson (TOR): If Donaldson's four home runs and seven RBI don't do it for you, his 1.444 OPS will.
Shortstop: Zack Cozart, Cincinnati Reds
5 of 10
2015 Stats: 16 G, .328/.361/.603, 4 HR, 8 RBI
Another Reds player lands on the list, less decorated than Votto but no less accomplished in this seven-game sample.
Cozart hit just .221 in 147 games last year and entered the season with the attendant lowered expectations.
Over the past week, the 29-year-old has gone on a power binge, cracking four home runs to go along with seven RBI.
That's as many four-baggers as Cozart hit in 506 at-bats last year.
"It's been fun to realize my potential as a hitter," Cozart said, per Cincinnati.com's Rosecrans. "In my mind, I always thought I could hit. Last year was a bad year, and I've moved on from it and I've learned from it."
Honorable Mention
Starlin Castro (CHC): Castro's 12 hits pace all MLB shortstops for the week, and his seven RBI are tied with Cozart's.
Left Field: Starling Marte, Pittsburgh Pirates
6 of 10
2015 Stats: 15 G, .224/.278/.551, 5 HR, 12 RBI
Starling Marte missed the Pittsburgh Pirates' game Thursday after being hit on the hand by a pitch the day before. That's the bad news.
The good news is the X-rays were negative, per Travis Sawchik of TribLive.com. That means Marte could soon return to the roll that saw him bash four dingers, drive in 10 runs, steal two bases and score eight runs over the past week.
Marte struggled early for the Bucs, collecting just three hits in his first 33 at-bats. Since then, the 26-year-old has done what his skipper has demanded.
"In sports and in life, it becomes awfully frustrating if people don't [know] what the expectations are of them," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said of Marte, per The Associated Press (via FoxSports.com). "I try to make sure these guys know where they stand and know what I expect."
Honorable Mentions
Yoenis Cespedes (DET): In a loaded Detroit lineup, Cespedes flexed his considerable muscles with three home runs and 10 RBI.
Center Field: A.J. Pollock, Arizona Diamondbacks
7 of 10
2015 Stats: 15 G, .358/.417/.472, 1 HR, 7 RBI
A.J. Pollock started his week off right with a 4-for-5 showing against the world champion San Francisco Giants. In the game, a 9-0 Arizona Diamondbacks win, Pollock smacked a double, drove in a run and stole a base.
Since then, he's collected six hits in 14 at-bats, swiped another bag and generally made his presence known on a team everyone counted out.
Not coincidentally, as of this writing, Arizona sits at 8-7, one game out in the National League West.
Honorable Mention
Adam Jones (BAL): Jones continued his MVP pace by going 12-for-27 with four extra-base hits and five RBI.
Right Field: Nick Markakis, Atlanta Braves
8 of 10
2015 Stats: 14 G, .373/.467/.412, 9 R, 5 RBI
Yes, the upstart Atlanta Braves, still poking their heads above .500, are almost surely a flash in the pan. That's not so for Nick Markakis.
Markakis won two Gold Gloves and posted double-digit home run totals for nine straight seasons with the Baltimore Orioles before heading south.
Over the last week, the 31-year-old has gone 11-for-21 with an eye-popping .615 OBP, more than negating his lack of RBI and extra-base hits.
Honorable Mention
Gregory Polanco (PIT): Polanco is tied for the lead at his position with 11 hits this week, including four doubles and a home run.
Designated Hitter: Billy Butler, Oakland A's
9 of 10
2015 Stats: 17 G, .369/.423/.569, 3 HR, 12 RBI
Yes, Billy Butler snapped his 12-game hitting streak this week. But that speaks to how well he's been swinging it for his new club.
And Butler hasn't slowed down over Oakland's last seven games, going 10-for-26 with two home runs and six RBI.
Mostly, his production has helped him fit the "Moneyball" mold. But his penchant for number-crunching doesn't hurt.
"I'm really good at math. I'm really good with statistics," Butler said, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. "I'm definitely an avid percentage guy through and through."
Honorable Mention
Alex Rodriguez (NYY): A-Rod launched a pair of home runs (in a single game), bringing him within two of Willie Mays on the all-time list.
Pitcher: Masahiro Tanaka, New York Yankees
10 of 10
2015 Stats: 22.1 IP, 3.22 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 24 SO, 7 BB
Masahiro Tanaka gets bonus points for wagging a finger at the doubters—or, more accurately, freezing them with a four-seam fastball.
The New York Yankees ace has been relying on his four-seamer more often as the nascent season progresses, per Fox Sports' C.J. Nitkowski. And it's been yielding results, like the one earned run Tanaka surrendered over 6.1 innings in a 2-1 win over the powerful Detroit Tigers on Thursday.
Tanaka, as you know, battled elbow problems last season, his first in the majors, and came into spring training trailing doubts about his durability.
Those doubts haven't gone away, but as CBS Sports' Chris Towers points out, they may be overblown:
"Before the season, figuring out how to value Masahiro Tanaka was one of the toughest questions we faced. Not only did we have just 136 1/3 innings to build an opinion on him, but the cloud of a torn elbow ligament hovered over every thing he did.
Could Tanaka still be effective while pitching with a partially torn UCL? How would pitching at something below max effort impact his ability to run through lineups? Would fatigue be a concern?
But, after his fourth start Thursday against the Tigers, another question crossed my mind: Were we freaking out over nothing?
"
It's too early to say for certain, but that's definitely a possibility.
Honorable Mention
Jacob deGrom (NYM): Let's keep it in the Big Apple for the reigning NL Rookie of the Year, who tossed seven shutout innings with eight strikeouts.
All statistics current as of April 23 and courtesy of MLB.com.
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