MLB Team of the Week: Chris Sale, Danny Valencia and Mike Trout Star
The Chicago White Sox's Chris Sale improved to 9-0 Thursday with a complete-game victory against the Houston Astros.
If that doesn't sum up the folly and intrigue of Bleacher Report's MLB Team of the Week, nothing does.
On the one hand, pitching wins are a silly, outmoded stat. On the other hand, 9-0 is 9-0.
Likewise, a week's worth of scalding production doesn't mean much in the long run. On the other hand, a hot week is a hot week.
In case you're new to the party: We're picking the guys—one per position, including a designated hitter—who busted box scores over the past seven days. To qualify, a player needs at least two starts at the position in question.
And while this is mostly about individual output, bonus points are awarded for gaudy numbers that translated to ticks in the win column.
Welcome to the land of the small sample. It might mean everything, it might mean nothing.
Slap on some pine tar, get your commenting muscles loose and proceed when ready.
Catcher: Jonathan Lucroy, Milwaukee Brewers
1 of 10
At some point soon, the rebuilding Milwaukee Brewers will have to make tough decisions with their veteran pieces.
That includes Jonathan Lucroy, who upped his stock this week by going 7-for-22 with a double and three home runs, good for a 1.196 OPS.
In our last Team of the Week installment, we discussed Milwaukee outfielder Ryan Braun and how he presents a paradox for Brewers fans who root for his continued success but understand that every time he pads his stats, he edges closer to the trading block.
The same applies for Lucroy, and possibly even more so given his position. Top-tier catchers are a rare commodity in today's MLB, and odds are the San Francisco Giants aren't putting Buster Posey on the block.
Honorable Mention: Yan Gomes (CLE): 6-for-20, 2B, 3 HR, 8 RBI
First Base: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
2 of 10
Despite a 4-2 week, the Detroit Tigers remain mired under .500 and in fourth place in the American League Central.
Veteran basher and former Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera did his part to rev things up in the Motor City, going 8-for-22 with a triple, two home runs and five RBI.
That's nothing new for Cabrera, who's been one of the top hitters on the planet for the last decade. But it's good news for a veteran Tigers team searching for consistency and seeking to atone for a last-place division finish in 2015.
Honorable Mention: Eric Hosmer (KC): 6-for-21, 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI
Second Base: Ian Kinsler, Detroit Tigers
3 of 10
A second consecutive Tiger on the list?
You bet your stripes.
Ian Kinsler, after all, went 11-for-24 with three doubles, four home runs and seven RBI. To what does he attribute his power binge?
"I've always been capable of driving the ball out of the ballpark," Kinsler said after clubbing all of this week's homers in a four-game stretch, per Aaron McMann of MLive.com. "Just, right now, I'm working on the right things."
Detroit had better hope it's contagious.
Honorable Mention: Johnny Giavotella (LAA): 12-for-26, 4 2B, HR, 5 RBI
.png?w=256)
Shortstop: Corey Seager, Los Angeles Dodgers
4 of 10
After a 3-4 week dropped them to 21-21, 3.5 games behind the archrival Giants in the National League West, the Los Angeles Dodgers are wrestling with question marks.
As to whether Corey Seager is for real, that query has an unambiguous answer in the affirmative.
The 22-year-old flashed his star potential this week, going 11-for-30 with a double, four home runs and five RBI.
An even scarier thought for opposing pitchers: He might get better.
"Corey is learning the league," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of his budding shortstop, per Michael Duarte of NBCLosAngeles.com. "With the strength that he has and the swing that he has, if he gets a strike, he's doing to do some things. It's really good to see."
Honorable Mention: Francisco Lindor (CLE): 15-for-32, 3 2B, HR, 6 RBI
Third Base: Danny Valencia, Oakland Athletics
5 of 10
Like the Brewers, the Oakland Athletics could be sellers at the trade deadline. They're 19-23, five games out in the AL West. And executive Billy Beane has never shied away from an everything-might-go sale.
For now, the A's are riding a 5-2 week thanks in part to Danny Valencia, who went 12-for-27 with six home runs and 11 RBI.
Oakland claimed Valencia, 31, off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays last August. So of course he's raking for the A's, who specialize in bargain reclamation projects.
On May 15, Valencia clubbed three home runs in a 7-6 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. And each one traveled a minimum of 425 feet, the first time that's happened since 2009, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
"The feeling in our dugout was, 'He's gonna hit another one,'" catcher Stephen Vogt said of Valencia's final at-bat in that three-homer game, per MLB.com's Jane Lee. "It wasn't, 'I hope he hits another one,' it was, 'He's hitting another one right now.'"
Honorable Mention: Evan Longoria (TB): 10-for-25, 4 2B, HR, 2 RBI
Left Field: Tyler Goeddel, Philadelphia Phillies
6 of 10
If you think the Philadelphia Phillies are playing above their pay grade, check out Tyler Goeddel.
Yes, the Phils are 24-17, a game out of first in the NL East despite a minus-28 run differential.
Goeddel, meanwhile, is proving to be an expectation-defying one-upper.
A little-regarded 23-year-old rookie who struck out in 11 of his first 21 at-bats, Goeddel went 10-for-21 this week with a double, a triple and a home run, good for a .476 average and 1.284 OPS.
“I’m sure even after his season was over last year he never thought he'd be in the big leagues this year," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said, per Philly.com's Matt Gelb. "Then he gets picked up in Rule 5 and makes the team. It's not easy to make the adjustment, and it's a little overwhelming."
At this point, Goeddel might answer, in a moment of honesty: Not so much.
Honorable Mention: Khris Davis (OAK): 6-for-25, 5 HR, 11 RBI
Center Field: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels
7 of 10
Poor Mike Trout.
Possibly the best player of his generation, the 24-year-old former AL MVP is flashing his elite ability on a team with debilitating payroll obligations and a barren farm system that appears to be going nowhere fast.
That didn't stop Trout from banging out 12 hits in 27 at-bats, including two doubles and three home runs, with eight RBI and 11 runs scored.
Trade rumors will continue to swirl around him as long as the Halos languish. But considering his lucrative contract and stratospheric trade value, a deal is doubtful.
"You're getting a guy who's being paid at the very top of the food chain and trading three to five potential impact players in return," an unnamed general manager said, per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. "I don't think there is a scenario where that is going to happen."
If it doesn't, the Halos need to get to work building a winner around their franchise cornerstone.
Honorable Mention: Rajai Davis (CLE): 9-for-23, 10 R, 3 2B, 2 HR, 9 RBI
Right Field: Gregory Polanco, Pittsburgh Pirates
8 of 10
In March, yours truly highlighted Gregory Polanco as a potential bust-out candidate.
This week, the Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder showed why, going 12-for-26 with six doubles, a triple and a home run, good for a 1.418 OPS.
The Bucs are in for a dogfight in the NL Central, and they may well end up duking it out for a wild-card slot with the St. Louis Cardinals while the Chicago Cubs run away with the division.
For the moment, however, Polanco has some of his teammates' attention focused squarely on him.
"Mr. Polanco is doing a really good job," John Jaso said with a dash of cap-tipping formality, per Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "It's been exciting to watch him."
Honorable Mention: J.D. Martinez (DET): 10-for-22, 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 5 RBI
Designated Hitter: Edwin Encarnacion, Toronto Blue Jays
9 of 10
After emerging as the offensive juggernaut of 2015, the Blue Jays are looking like a punchless one-hit wonder so far.
Edwin Encarnacion did his part to reverse that disturbing trend this week, going 8-for-24 with two doubles, three home runs and five RBI.
Like teammate and fellow veteran basher Jose Bautista, Encarnacion is set to be a free agent next winter in a weak market.
So barring an improbable spending spree, expect this to be the final season this current Jays lineup is fully intact—and expect the 33-year-old Encarnacion to get paid the more he rakes.
Honorable Mention: Albert Pujols (LAA): 10-for-27, 2B, HR, 7 RBI
Pitcher: Chris Sale, Chicago White Sox
10 of 10
We already told you about the complete game that pushed Sale to 9-0 on the season.
The dominant South Side southpaw's week was even better than that, however.
On balance, Sale threw 18 innings over two starts, allowing two earned runs and no walks while fanning 15. The White Sox, not surprisingly, went 2-0 with Sale on the hill, their only two victories in a 2-4 week.
Here's how ESPN.com's David Schoenfield summed it up after noting Sale's control and acumen:
"Maybe there's a whole bunch of things going on. It seems clear, however, that Sale is back to where he was in 2014, when he posted a 2.17 ERA and finished third in the Cy Young voting. If Clayton Kershaw and Jake Arrieta rank 1-2 among pitchers in some order, Sale isn't far behind them so far in 2016, and he's doing this against American League lineups.
"
Skipper Robin Ventura implored Sox fans to believe in their ace and potential AL Cy Young Award winner, per Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune.
"We're confident when he goes out there," Ventura said, per Kane. "The crowd should be that way. You're seeing somebody special."
Honorable Mention: Justin Verlander (DET): 15.1 IP, 4 ER, 5 BB, 18 SO
All statistics current as of May 19 and courtesy of MLB.com and Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
.png?w=480)
