MLB Team of the Week: Madison Bumgarner, Ben Zobrist and Jackie Bradley Jr. Star
Another week of MLB action is in the books, which means it's time for a fresh installment of Bleacher Report's Team of the Week.
In case you're new to the party, these are the players (one per position, plus a designated hitter) who have busted box scores over the past seven days. Forget their overall stats. We're judging them solely on what they accomplished between August 14 and August 20.
(Seriously, we're strict about those dates. So before you complain in the comments, make sure you aren't remembering, say, a monster game from August 13—then feel free to sound off.)
To qualify, a player needs at least two starts at the position in question, or at least one start for pitchers. Speaking of which, we're only considering starting hurlers—sorry, relievers.
Finally, we award bonus points if a strong individual performance led to notches in the win column—because as the summer slides along and the playoff races heat up, that's what it's all about.
Catcher: Francisco Cervelli, Pittsburgh Pirates
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See if this sounds familiar: The Pittsburgh Pirates are surging toward the postseason, with a lot of help from their catcher.
That's the formula that propelled the Bucs to the playoffs last season and in 2013, but this time the backstop in question is Francisco Cervelli rather than Russell Martin.
The name-change didn't hinder the Pirates this week. They went 6-1 to remain at the head of the wild-card pack and pull within 4.5 games of the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central.
Cervelli, meanwhile, went 9-for-22 with a pair of doubles, good for a .409 average and a .980 OPS.
Honorable Mention
Derek Norris (SD): The San Diego Padres clawed to within three games of .500 with a 5-1 week, and Derek Norris did his part, going 8-for-21 with three doubles and a home run and posting a gaudy 1.048 OPS.
First Base: Travis Shaw, Boston Red Sox
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The Boston Red Sox made headlines Tuesday, hiring Dave Dombrowski as their new president of baseball operations.
As NESN.com's Ricky Doyle noted, "Finding a first baseman figures to be on [Dombrowski's] offseason to-do list," particularly after the Sox traded veteran Mike Napoli to the Texas Rangers.
If Travis Shaw is auditioning for the role, he nailed it this week.
The 25-year-old rookie went 15-for-30 with two doubles, four home runs and eight RBI.
"I try not to do too much. I know who I am as a hitter now," Shaw said, per Doyle. "Everything's kind of just clicked since I've been up here and I'm just trying to ride the wave as long as I can."
Honorable Mention
Miguel Cabrera (DET): It's almost surely too little, too late for the Detroit Tigers, but Miguel Cabrera came off the disabled list and flashed vintage production, going 10-for-22 with three doubles and a home run.
Second Base: Ben Zobrist, Kansas City Royals
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When the Kansas City Royals acquired Ben Zobrist from the Oakland A's in July, they were looking for a Swiss army knife.
This week, the versatile utility man was more like a wrecking ball.
While seeing action in the outfield as well as at third and second base, Zobrist went 11-for-25 with four doubles and a home run.
The Royals, meanwhile, went 5-1 to remain comfortably atop the American League Central.
Honorable Mention
Dee Gordon (MIA): Speedster Dee Gordon earned a second consecutive Team of the Week honorable mention by legging out 12 hits in 29 at-bats, including a double and a triple, and swiping five bases in as many attempts.
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Third Base: Miguel Sano, Minnesota Twins
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The Minnesota Twins, baseball's Cinderella in the early going, sit three games out of the wild-card race after a 3-4 week. But even if their coach turns into a pumpkin, the future is bright.
Take Miguel Sano, the 22-year-old rookie who went 7-for-25 with three home runs and seven RBI this week.
On Thursday, Sano teamed up with fellow phenom Byron Buxton for the first time in a big league game, and the result was a 15-2 drubbing of the Baltimore Orioles.
"People have been waiting for that for a long time, at least who follow the Twins," skipper Paul Molitor said of the Sano-Buxton pairing, per Mike Berardino of TwinCities.com. "Hopefully it's the start of those guys playing many, many games together for a lot of years."
Honorable Mention
Chase Headley (NYY): Five of Chase Headley's nine hits were two-baggers, and he posted a 1.049 OPS for the week.
Shortstop: Jose Reyes, Colorado Rockies
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Jose Reyes, the forgotten man in the trade that sent Troy Tulowitzki to the surging Toronto Blue Jays, served up a notice that he's no slouch.
After getting off to a rocky start in Colorado, Reyes went 10-for-25 with two doubles, a home run and three RBI this week.
"For the first week, my mind was running off," Reyes said of getting shipped from Canada to the Mile High City, per MLB.com's Thomas Harding. "But now I have a place here and everything is settling down. You're going to see better results."
Honorable Mention
Adeiny Hechavarria (MIA): Adeiny Hechavarria joins his double-play partner Gordon in honorable-mention territory with 10 hits in 23 at-bats, including a triple.
Left Field: Starling Marte, Pittsburgh Pirates
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Starling Marte put it all together for the Pirates this week, going 9-for-26 with two doubles, a triple, a home run and two stolen bases.
Marte hit his 13th home run on July 1, but he didn't bake another tater until Tuesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks at PNC Park.
Manager Clint Hurdle, however, dismissed his outfielder's protracted power outage.
"I think they do come in cycles from time to time," Hurdle said, per Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "But nothing alarming for me."
Honorable Mention
Khris Davis (MIL): Khris Davis went 7-for-22 with a double, three home runs and six RBI for the last-place Milwaukee Brewers, who tallied a winning week at 4-2.
Center Field: Jackie Bradley Jr., Boston Red Sox
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Yes, another member of the Red Sox earned Team of the Week honors, and no, that isn't a typo.
Jackie Bradley Jr. flashed his typically stellar defense, but the 25-year-old former first-round pick also got it done with the bat, going 11-for-24 with five doubles, a triple, three home runs and 12 RBI.
This will go down as a bitterly disappointing season in Beantown. But these are the bright spots that'll make the winter less dreary.
Honorable Mention
Adam Jones (BAL): The Baltimore Orioles are fluttering just half a game off the wild-card pace after a 5-2 week. That's thanks in no small part to Adam Jones, who went 10-for-27 with a double, four home runs and eight RBI.
Right Field: Carlos Beltran, New York Yankees
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The New York Yankees are putting faith in their veteran bats as they try to return to the postseason for the first time since 2012.
Carlos Beltran gave the Yanks something to believe in this week, going 8-for-22 with two doubles, three home runs and seven RBI.
He's a defensive liability and may not be worth the $15 million New York owes him this season and in 2016.
As Ryan Hatch of NJ Advance Media noted, however, "Beltran's contract might be an albatross, but at least he's starting to earn more of it these days."
Honorable Mention
Ichiro Suzuki (MIA): Ichiro Suzuki went 9-for-25 with a double and a triple this week, but more importantly, he passed Hall of Famer Ty Cobb on the all-time list with hit No. 4,192 on Aug. 15. Granted, that tally isn't officially going in the record books, since it takes into account the hits Ichiro collected in Japan as well as MLB. Semantics aside, that's a lot of knocks.
Designated Hitter: David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox
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Yes, a third Boston player earned Team of the Week recognition. You got a problem with that?
You won't after gazing at the 11 hits David Ortiz collected in 26 at-bats, including four doubles, seven RBI and a home run.
That long ball brought Big Papi within eight dingers of 500. And while Boston.com's Eric Wilbur argued the milestone will bring only "manufactured joy," we're still prepared to tip our caps to Ortiz and his muscle-flexing ageless act.
Honorable Mention
Alex Rodriguez (NYY): Speaking of age-defying designated hitters, Alex Rodriguez had just four hits this week, but one of them was a double and two were home runs, and he netted five RBI.
Pitcher: Madison Bumgarner, San Francisco Giants
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Yes, the fact that Madison Bumgarner made two pinch-hit at-bats this week says more about the San Francisco Giants' thin bench than it does about Bumgarner's hitting ability.
But the stud southpaw did pick up a key single in one of those at-bats, and also launched a home run and a double in his Aug. 16 start against the Washington Nationals.
Speaking of which, MadBum was brilliant on the mound, striking out 14 and allowing three hits over nine scoreless frames. And that's what the defending champs actually pay him to do.
Honorable Mention
Chris Sale (CWS): Chris Sale recorded 21 outs in his seven shutout frames Aug. 16 against the Windy City rival Chicago Cubs, and an incredible 15 of them came by way of the strikeout.
All statistics and standings current as of August 20 and courtesy of MLB.com unless otherwise noted.
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