MLB Team of the Week: Corey Seager, Carlos Beltran and John Lackey Star
The MLB draft dominated the baseball world this week, as teams, talking heads and eager fans rushed to project the tools and future prospects of a bunch of untested high school and college kids.
But up at The Show, life goes on.
For some guys, life was good, which in turn landed them on the latest edition of Bleacher Report's Team of the Week.
In case you're new here: These are the players—one per position, including a starting pitcher and designated hitter—who blew up box scores over the past seven days.
To qualify, a player needed at least two starts at the position in question, or one start in the case of pitchers. While this is mostly about individual output, we award bonus points for gaudy stats that translated to ticks in the win column.
Tear yourself away from your draft board, knock the dirt off your cleats and proceed when ready.
Catcher: James McCann, Detroit Tigers
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Recently, at the behest of skipper Brad Ausmus, James McCann tweaked his swing, eliminating a leg kick that was interfering with his timing.
"In Brad's terms, it looked like I was swinging underwater," the Detroit Tigers backstop said June 3, per George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press.
Correlation does not equal causation, but McCann rapped out six hits in 18 at-bats this week, including a double, a triple and two of the three home runs he's hit all year.
He probably won't post a 1.202 OPS for the remainder of the season, but at least he's got his head above water.
Honorable Mention: Wilson Ramos (WSH): 7-for-17, 2 2B, HR, 4 RBI
First Base: Wil Myers, San Diego Padres
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The San Diego Padres had a wobbly Day 1 at the MLB draft, and they're mired in last place in the National League West despite a 4-2 week.
Wil Myers did his part to inject some faith into the Friars, going 11-for-24 with two doubles and four home runs, good for a .458 average and 1.522 OPS.
On Wednesday, Padres skipper Andy Green suggested Myers deserves All-Star consideration, per Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
That feels like a stretch, but the game will be played at Petco Park, and Green has been tapped as a coach by Terry Collins, manager of the reigning NL champion New York Mets. So you never know.
Honorable Mention: Matt Adams (STL): 9-for-19, 2 HR, 6 RBI
Second Base: Jose Altuve, Houston Astros
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After a 4-3 week, the Houston Astros are still sitting nine games out in the American League West.
Meanwhile, after a scalding week of his own, Jose Altuve is leading the All-Star vote tally among Junior Circuit second basemen.
Houston's diminutive middle infielder went 11-for-27 with a double, a home run, six RBI and three stolen bases.
He's putting it all together, as FanGraphs' Jeff Sullivan recently noted in a nice dissection of Altuve's early 2016 power surge and subsequent adjustments:
"If pitchers sense that Altuve is cheating too much to cover the plate away, they'll come back in. Then Altuve might take a few days or weeks to adjust to that, but then he'd be looking at pitches in his power zone. Which could take us right back to April. Which all leads to the realization that Jose Altuve is tremendously difficult to pitch to. He can hit for power now when he has the chance, and when he doesn't, he can hit for contact and singles. That puts pitchers in a bind, because it's a no-win situation. There's not much left for Jose Altuve to figure out.
"
As for the disappointing third-place 'Stros, they've got plenty to ponder.
Honorable Mention: Jurickson Profar (TEX): 11-for-26, 2B, 3B, HR, 3 RBI
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Third Base: Jung Ho Kang, Pittsburgh Pirates
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After missing the season's first month while recovering from last year's devastating leg injury, Jung Ho Kang has been making up for lost time.
The Korean import rapped out eight hits in 20 at-bats, including two doubles and two homers, while driving in five runs.
The Bucs, who went 3-4, appear to be locked in a dogfight with the St. Louis Cardinals for second place in the NL Central and a possible wild-card slot behind the juggernaut Chicago Cubs.
More hot swinging from a finally healthy Kang would aid the cause considerably.
Honorable Mention: Matt Carpenter (STL): 9-for-22, 5 2B, 4 RBI
Shortstop: Corey Seager, Los Angeles Dodgers
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The NL is stuffed with intriguing rookie shortstops, from the St. Louis Cardinals' Aledmys Diaz to the Colorado Rockies' Trevor Story.
Right now, though, Corey Seager is swinging his way to the head of the pack.
The Los Angeles Dodgers' 22-year-old 2012 first-round pick posted a ludicrous 1.722 OPS this week, bashing five home runs among his seven hits.
He's also been the third-best defensive shortstop in baseball, per FanGraphs.
"I love the offense and the offense is great," Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts said, per ESPN.com's Doug Padilla, "but that he is doing at a premium position defensively, on a day-to-day basis, for me is really special."
Honorable Mention: Gregorio Petit (LAA): 9-for-23, 5 2B, HR, 5 RBI
Left Field: Adam Duvall, Cincinnati Reds
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An 11th-round pick in 2010 by the San Francisco Giants, Adam Duvall was shipped to Cincinnati last July as part of the trade for right-hander Mike Leake.
Now Duvall is looking like the most significant player in that deal.
Yes, we're squarely in small-sample territory. But Duvall had another powerful week for the Reds, going 8-for-25 with a double and three homers while driving in nine runs.
Yes, he's playing his home games in a hitters' park, and he's a free swinger who whiffs a lot and doesn't walk much.
But mashing is mashing. And right now, Duvall is mashing.
Honorable Mention: Brett Gardner (NYY): 15-for-27, 3 2B, 2 RBI
Center Field: Ian Desmond, Texas Rangers
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There were all sorts of reasons to doubt Ian Desmond in 2016.
A converted shortstop moving to center field on a new team in a new league coming off a down year, Desmond was a question mark wrapped in a "huh."
Instead, Desmond is an early Comeback Player of the Year contender, as Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News noted.
This week, Desmond went 12-for-30 with a double, a home run, five RBI, five runs scored and two stolen bases. And Wednesday, he nailed the Astros' Jason Castro at the plate with a strong throw from center.
"It's certainly not natural," Desmond said of his outfield assist, per Cowlishaw.
Maybe not, but he's making it look that way.
Honorable Mention: Byron Buxton (MIN): 8-for-22, 2 3B, RBI, SB
Right Field: Carlos Beltran, New York Yankees
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The more Carlos Beltran hits, the higher his trade stock rises ahead of the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline.
On the other hand, the more the New York Yankees win, the less likely they are to deal Beltran.
This week, the Yanks went 5-2 to creep back to .500 at 30-30 and within 6.5 games of the first-place Baltimore Orioles in the AL East.
For his part, the 39-year-old Beltran—always one of the streakiest hitters in baseball—went 9-for-24 with two doubles, four homers and an eye-popping 12 RBI.
"I just want to go out and do my job," Beltran, who is in the final year of his deal with New York, told Bleacher Report's Danny Knobler. "What the front office is going to do, they already have their plans. It's just that you don't know what that plan is, and we don't know it."
Honorable Mention: Mark Trumbo (BAL): 10-for-28, 3 2B, 3 HR, 6 RBI
Designated Hitter: Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees
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He's baaack.
OK, that's a touch dramatic. Injuries and general ineffectiveness have greatly limited Alex Rodriguez this season, and one good week isn't nearly enough to chase away the doubts.
Still, A-Rod showed signs of life, going 11-for-30 with a double, a home run and seven RBI.
The 40-year-old slugger, NJ.com's Julie Kayzerman noted, "wasn't in the Yankees' clubhouse to speak to reporters Tuesday night, perhaps because he felt his bat has been doing the talking."
Honorable Mention: Victor Martinez (DET): 7-for-18, 2B, HR, 2 RBI
Pitcher: John Lackey, Chicago Cubs
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Score one for the cagey veteran.
As baseball fans increasingly turn their attention to triple-digit bolt-slingers like the New York Mets' Noah Syndergaard, the Cubs' John Lackey proved that smarts and experience count for something too.
In two starts this week, the 37-year-old right-hander twirled 13.2 scoreless frames, allowing eight hits and two walks while striking out 17.
"It's unusual at his age, what he has gone through, to actually pitch as well as I've seen him," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said, per Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. "His stuff has not diminished. You combine it with guile and knowledge, it's fun to watch."
As if fans on the North Side needed another reason to tune in.
Honorable Mention: Jose Fernandez (MIA): 7 IP, 4 H, 0 BB, 14 SO
All statistics current as of Thursday and courtesy of MLB.com unless otherwise noted.
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