MLB Team of the Week: Ryan Braun, Neil Walker and Yovani Gallardo Star
July is upon us, and with another week of baseball action in the books, it's time for the latest installment of Bleacher Report's MLB Team of the Week.
In case you're new to the party: These are the guys (eight position players plus a designated hitter and starting pitcher) who've busted box scores over the past seven days. Forget their overall stats; they're being judged solely on what they accomplished between June 26 and July 2.
(Seriously, we're strict about those dates, so before you complain in the comments, make sure you aren't remembering, say, a monster game that happened June 24. Then complain away.)
To qualify, a player needs at least two starts at the position in question or one start in the case of pitchers.
Finally, while this is mostly about individual achievement, players get extra credit if stellar stats translated to notches in the win column.
Catcher: Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants
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That sound you heard Wednesday was the collective gasp of San Francisco Giants fans around the world.
Buster Posey was whacked hard in the mask by a foul tip in a game against the Miami Marlins and was removed in the fifth inning.
"I just felt a little bit off," Posey said after the game, per CSN Bay Area's Alex Pavlovic.
The Giants backstop—who's in line to start the All-Star Game—passed a concussion test, per Pavlovic, and started Thursday, albeit at first base.
In fact, since the Giants are down two outfielders (Hunter Pence and Nori Aoki are both on the disabled list) Posey figures to see a lot of time at first, with Andrew Susac assuming the squat and regular first baseman Brandon Belt sliding to left field.
Wherever he plays, the Giants need Posey's bat in the lineup, as he demonstrated this week by going 9-for-20 with two home runs and eight RBI.
Honorable Mention
Tyler Flowers (CWS): Tyler Flowers nearly doubled his 2015 home run total this week, as three of his five hits left the yard, bringing his season tally to seven.
First Base: Mitch Moreland, Texas Rangers
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Mitch Moreland sealed his Team of the Week slot with a back-to-back barrage June 29 and 30, during which he launched four home runs and netted seven RBI.
"The biggest thing is I'm trying to go up there and keep it simple," Moreland said after his second consecutive multi-dinger game, per Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Overall, he bashed five long balls this week among eight hits. If that's "simple," the Rangers will gladly take a lot more of it.
Honorable Mention
Adam Lind (MIL): Adam Lind smacked a double and two home runs while going 10-for-26 overall with 10 RBI.
Second Base: Neil Walker, Pittsburgh Pirates
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The Pittsburgh Pirates went 5-1 this week, thanks in no small part to Neil Walker.
The Bucs second baseman banged out 14 hits in 26 at-bats, including three doubles and two home runs, and hiked his season average nearly 30 points.
"He's up there now looking for pitches he wants to hit," Pirates skipper Clint Hurdle said of his suddenly scalding middle infielder, per Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "He's getting them, and he's not missing them."
Honorable Mention
Howie Kendrick (LAD): As hot as Walker was, Howie Kendrick made a strong case for Team of the Week honors, going 13-for-24 with a double, a home run and six RBI.
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Third Base: Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies
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Whenever a Colorado Rockies player goes nuts offensively, it's tempting to chalk it up, at least partially, to that rarefied Coors Field air.
This week, though, Nolan Arenado did his damage on the road.
In three games at AT&T Park—the least hitter-friendly yard in baseball, according to ESPN's Park Factors statistic—Arenado cracked four home runs to go along with eight RBI.
Overall, in seven games away from Colorado, Arenado went 8-for-28 with six extra-base hits.
Honorable Mention
Josh Donaldson (TOR): Despite a 3-4 week, the Toronto Blue Jays sit just one game out in the AL East. Josh Donaldson did his part, going 10-for-31 with two doubles, two home runs and six RBI.
Shortstop: Jordy Mercer, Pittsburgh Pirates
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It was a great seven days for the Pirates keystone combo, and so Jordy Mercer joins his up-the-middle teammate on the Team of the Week.
Mercer earned it, going 13-for-26—good for a cool .500 average—while driving in five runs, including one on a walk-off double June 26.
He's still hitting just .248 for the season, but his performance is trending in the right direction.
"The last couple weeks I've been hitting the ball so hard, seeing it so well," Mercer said, per the Associated Press (via Fox Sports). "I'm in a good place."
Honorable Mention
Asdrubal Cabrera (TB): Asdrubal Cabrera went 10-for-24 with three doubles and a triple, though the Tampa Bay Rays went a dismal 1-6.
Left Field: Alejandro De Aza, Boston Red Sox
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The Boston Red Sox's season has been a dark cloud of disappointment. Consider Alejandro De Aza an unexpected silver lining.
The 31-year-old outfielder, acquired from the division-rival Baltimore Orioles in early June, has provided a spark.
Make that a crackling flame this week, as De Aza went 12-for-26 with two doubles, three triples, two home runs and eight RBI.
"He's fit in extremely well in the clubhouse. He knows he's getting regular at-bats," manager John Farrell said, per NESN's Ricky Doyle. "That's allowed the timing at the plate to play itself out. He's doing a great job."
Honorable Mention
David Peralta (ARI): Five of David Peralta's eight knocks went for extra bases this week, as the Arizona Diamondbacks' second-year outfielder hit a double, two triples and two home runs and collected seven RBI.
Center Field: Brett Gardner, New York Yankees
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Brett Gardner makes a second consecutive appearance on the Team of the Week. As CBS New York's Sweeny Murti recently argued, he also deserves strong consideration for an All-Star spot.
As Murti noted, it would put Gardner in elite company:
"There have been only four position players drafted by the Yankees to be named All-Stars representing the franchise: Thurman Munson, Don Mattingly, Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada. Monument Park Yankees, all of them.
If Gardner were to join that group he would be the most surprising one because of how much he has elevated his game since he broke in seven years ago. Gardner is no longer just a slap-hitter with speed. He is a hitter with a plan and the ability to do so much more at the plate.
"
Gardner did plenty this week, going 11-for-26 with five doubles and raising his season average to .304.
Honorable Mention
Mike Trout (LAA): It's so easy to take Mike Trout for granted and overlook his accomplishments because he's just that good. All hail another typical Trout week, one that included eight hits in 20 at-bats, including three home runs.
Right Field: Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers
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However you feel about Ryan Braun, it's impossible to deny he's been swinging it lately.
The Milwaukee Brewers outfielder—who is sort of like a less-polarizing Alex Rodriguez—went 13-for-28 with four doubles, a home run and eight RBI this week.
Whether he'll make the NL All-Star squad remains an open question. Whether he can still hit after losing the bulk of the 2013 season to a performance-enhancing drug suspension and struggling in 2014 appears to be settled.
Honorable Mention
Torii Hunter (MIN): When Torii Hunter inked a one-year deal with the Minnesota Twins—the team that drafted him once upon a time—many assumed 2015 would be the 39-year-old outfielder's final campaign.
Hunter, however, left the door open.
"If I come back and hit .280-plus, and put up 17 home runs like I've been doing the last couple years, and do 80 RBIs or more—I'm coming back," Hunter said in March, per MLB Network Radio.
After going 9-for-26 with four dingers and five RBI this week, Hunter is hitting .270 and is on pace for 25 jacks and 90 RBI. So don't fill out his retirement paperwork just yet.
Designated Hitter: Prince Fielder, Texas Rangers
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Prince Fielder padded his All-Star case (he appears on the fan ballot as a first baseman but the player ballot as a designated hitter, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post) with a strong week, going 10-for-28.
Oh, and he joined his dad, Cecil Fielder, in the 300-home run club with a blast June 26 against the Toronto Blue Jays.
That makes them just the second father-son duo to reach 300 taters in MLB history; Bobby and Barry Bonds are the other.
"That's pretty good company," Fielder said, per the Associated Press (via Fox Sports).
Honorable Mention
Billy Butler (OAK): Billy Butler went 8-for-20 and tallied three doubles, a triple and a home run.
Pitcher: Yovani Gallardo, Texas Rangers
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Yovani Gallardo extended his scoreless innings streak this week with two exemplary starts.
Overall, the 29-year-old right-hander twirled 14.1 shutout innings while allowing just five hits and five walks and holding opponents to a paltry .109 average.
His 8.1 scoreless frames against the hard-hitting Blue Jays June 27 were particularly eye-opening.
"[It's] not an easy lineup to face," Gallardo said, per the Dallas Morning News. "They have guys who can do a lot of damage."
So, clearly, can Gallardo.
Honorable Mention
Carlos Carrasco (CLE): Carlos Carrasco came within a strike of tossing a no-no Wednesday and "settled" for 8.2 innings of one-run, one-hit, 13-strikeout ball.
All statistics current as of July 3 and courtesy of MLB.com unless otherwise noted.
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