MLB Team of the Week: Carlos Beltran, Miguel Cabrera and Kendrys Morales Star
That sound you heard Wednesday was every single New York Mets fan gasping in unison.
Noah Syndergaard, the Mets' bolt-throwing ace, exited in the sixth inning of a game against the Kansas City Royals with elbow discomfort, also known as a code-red ruh roh.
Subsequent tests revealed no structural damage, per MLB.com's Anthony DiComo. Go ahead and exhale, Queens faithful.
That counts as a good week for Thor. Other players, however, enjoyed better ones, and you'll find them in this edition of Bleacher Report's MLB Team of the Week.
In case you're new to the party: These are the guys—one per position, including a starting pitcher and designated hitter—who lit up box scores over the past seven days.
To qualify, a player needs at least two starts at the position in question, or one start in the case of pitchers.
And while this is mostly about individual performance, we award bonus points for gaudy stats that coincided with ticks in the win column.
Tap the clay off your cleats, limber up those commenting muscles and proceed when ready.
Catcher: Kurt Suzuki, Minnesota Twins
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On Tuesday, Kurt Suzuki dug into the box in the eighth inning of a game against the Philadelphia Phillies with only a triple standing between him and the cycle.
He punched one into the left field corner but settled for a two-bagger.
"Everybody was convinced that I would have been close," Suzuki said of his decision not to sprint for third, per Brian Murphy of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "I wasn't so convinced."
Suzuki ended up collecting a career-high six RBI in that game—a 14-10 Minnesota Twins victory—and eight on the week, along with three doubles and two home runs.
Cycle or no, that's convincing production.
Honorable Mention: Matt Wieters (BAL): 7-for-15, 2B, HR, 6 RBI
First Base: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
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Miguel Cabrera could make a Team of the Week case solely on the home run he hit Monday night against the Seattle Mariners, a 454-foot bomb that left Comerica Park on a bounce.
"That was probably the farthest I've seen here," Detroit Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said, per Cameron DaSilva of FoxSports.com. "I can't think of one that was farther. I've seen farther in [batting practice], but never in a game."
But Miggy did other stuff, too, going 8-for-25 with three homers and five RBI this week.
Oh, and in case you're curious, his stadium-exiting blast did finally come down.
Honorable Mention: Paul Goldschmidt (ARI): 11-for-25, 2 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI
Second Base: Jonathan Schoop, Baltimore Orioles
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In a Baltimore Orioles lineup full of thump, Jonathan Schoop is making his own distinct noise.
The 24-year-old, whom yours truly tapped as a potential breakout candidate in March, went 11-for-25 with two doubles, two homers and nine runs scored for the first-place O's.
"I feel I'm getting better every day," Schoop said, per Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun. "That's how you've got to be. That's how you've got to be every day, trying to get better and try to improve."
Honorable Mention: Scooter Gennett (MIL): 9-for-21, 2 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI
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Third Base: Justin Turner, Los Angeles Dodgers
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On a Los Angeles Dodgers team desperately searching for offense, Justin Turner was a beacon of hope.
Turner paced all qualified third basemen with four home runs and eight RBI, and he punctuated his binge with two homers and a walk-off hit June 17 against the Milwaukee Brewers.
"It's nice when you can have different guys be heroes each night," Turner said after that game, per Zach Helfand of the Los Angeles Times.
Add some humility style points to an overall stellar week.
Honorable Mention: Jake Lamb (ARI): 11-for-27, 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 7 RBI
Shortstop: Eduardo Escobar, Minnesota Twins
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A second player from the last-place Twins on Team of the Week?
You bet.
In a league stuffed with budding-star shortstops, Eduardo Escobar shot to the top, going 10-for-21 with a double, two triples, two homers and nine RBI.
The 27-year-old switch-hitter may not boast the pedigree of the Dodgers' Corey Seager or the Houston Astros' Carlos Correa, and he almost certainly won't have their results, either, when all is said and done.
But for now, he's swinging a hot enough stick to earn a name-drop.
Honorable Mention: Corey Seager (LAD): 11-for-24, 4 2B, HR
Left Field: Justin Upton, Detroit Tigers
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After signing a six-year, $132.75 million pact with the Tigers this winter, Justin Upton has mostly been a strikeout-prone disappointment.
Now, at last, he's teasing signs of the bang Detroit assumed it was getting for its buck.
This week, Upton went 8-for-27 with a double, four homers and nine RBI while swiping a couple of bases to boot.
"Baseball’s a funny game," Upton said of his resurgence, per Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press. "You work on things day in and day out and occasionally it clicks. But it's a process. The game is the game. You've got to try and stay grounded."
Honorable Mention: Ryan Braun (MIL): 10-for-22, 3 2B, HR
Center Field: Marcell Ozuna, Miami Marlins
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The Miami Marlins are swimming in the vicinity of the National League playoff picture.
And while superstar contributors such as ace Jose Fernandez and masher Giancarlo Stanton command the most headlines, there's a cast of supporting players who deserve credit.
Like, say, Marcell Ozuna, who went 9-for-23 with a triple, four home runs and seven RBI this week.
Ozuna, in fact, leads Marlins regulars in homers and OPS. After a forgettable 2015, he's looking like a star on the rise.
"I'm having fun," he said back in May, per Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. "Everything's good."
No argument there.
Honorable Mention: Charlie Blackmon (COL): 9-for-32, 2B, 3 HR, 6 RBI
Right Field: Carlos Beltran, New York Yankees
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The New York Yankees are below .500 and in fourth place in the American League East. Carlos Beltran is an impending free agent, and he's raking.
That will add up, inevitably, to feverish trade speculation. Expect Beltran, a veteran switch-hitter with postseason credentials, to be linked to virtually every playoff hopeful ahead of the Aug. 1 non-waiver deadline.
For now, Joel Sherman of the New York Post notes, "Yankees ownership is ardently against selling." Further, Sherman speculates, the Yanks could extend a qualifying offer to Beltran in the offseason and bring him back for 2017.
Here's what we know: The 39-year-old just reeled off another impressive week, going 9-for-21 with three home runs and seven RBI.
It may not be enough to vault the Yankees deep into October, but it's keeping Beltran's stock sky-high.
Honorable Mention: Giancarlo Stanton (MIA): 10-for-25, 2 HR, 5 RBI
Designated Hitter: Kendrys Morales, Kansas City Royals
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It's been a rough season overall for Kendrys Morales, but the veteran designated hitter showed signs of life this week for the defending champion Royals.
K.C. went just 3-3 and remained in a dogfight in the wide-open AL Central. But Morales did his part, banging out seven hits in 12 at-bats with a home run, eight RBI and six runs scored.
"He’s a big key to our lineup," manager Ned Yost said, per Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star. "He's a big-time run producer. You just know it was a matter of time before he finally got hot."
Honorable Mention: David Ortiz (BOS): 6-for-20, 2B, HR, 3 RBI
Pitcher: Trevor Bauer, Cleveland Indians
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The Cleveland Indians rolled to a perfect 6-0 week and sit in first place in the AL Central thanks in no small part to Trevor Bauer.
The 25-year-old right-hander tossed 16 innings over two starts, scattering seven hits and two earned runs while fanning 19.
Bauer's velocity has ticked up compared to last year, and he's looking like the missing link that could help the prematurely hyped Tribe finally deliver a postseason berth.
Bauer—who led the Junior Circuit in walks last season—succinctly summed up his success, per Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com: "I'm just throwing more strikes."
Honorable Mention: Jake Arrieta (CHC): 11 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 17 SO
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