#HIGHFIVE: Top 5 MLBbros (Week 7)

Mookie Betts is dangerous and after a slow start he has reminded everyone that he is one of the best players in baseball.  Hollywood’s biggest star takes the top spot in Week 7 of our #HighFive list, and there’s no sign of him ever letting it go.

1. Mookie Betts

Before April 22nd, Mookie Betts had hit zero home runs this season.  That night, he went deep twice against the San Diego Padres and since then his 11 home runs lead all Major League hitters.

Betts, currently on pace to become the second player to score 150 runs since 1950, is playing at the top of his game. When he does, he’s one of the best baseball players in the world.

Betts is batting .440 with a 1.080 slugging percentage, four home runs, 10 RBI and an on-base percentage of .533 over the last seven games. Last Saturday, Betts’ talents were on full display against the Phillies.

Betts hit a solo homer, a two-run double and threw out the go-ahead runner at home in the 7th inning.  

For an encore, Betts homered Sunday afternoon as well.

 

Mookie added two more home runs to his already-stacked May resume Tuesday night — one being bro-on-bro crime — taking Nationals future Ace and MLBBro Josiah Gray deep.

This weekend the Betts and the Dodgers have a four-game divisional series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

 

2. Aaron Judge

The bag Aaron Judge will get this offseason, wherever he signs, just keeps getting bigger and bigger with each growing day. He takes the two spot on this weeks #HighFive list.

Judge’s home run lead between him and the pack has grown, including a two-home run game Tuesday against Baltimore.

Now with Giancarlo Stanton going on the Injured List with a calf injury, Judge can raise his value even higher if he can help make up for Stanton’s 35 RBI – which have him one ahead of Judge for the team lead.

Over his last seven games, Judge is batting .346 with three home runs, four RBI and four walks and his Yankees now have a 4.5 game lead in the American League East.

3. Taijuan Walker

This week 2021 National League All-Star pitcher Taijuan Walker made history becoming the first pitcher ever to throw seven scoreless innings in Colorado’s hitter-friendly ballpark, Coors Field.

He struck out six, walked two and only allowed five hits to make it his third consecutive quality start and second win of the season.

On the season, Walker is now 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA and 18 strikeouts while only giving up seven walks.

He struck out six, walked two and only allowed five hits to make it his third consecutive quality start and second win of the season.

On the season, Walker is now 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA and 18 strikeouts while only giving up seven walks.

Last season, Walker hit a wall after the All-Star Break.  Maybe it was due to the innings pitched and pressure situations after the Mets staff had to deal with injury after injury to some of their more notable stars.

Once again, this season that seems like it may be the case for the Mets. Former Cy Young winners Jacob DeGrom and Max Scherzer — who was acquired over the offseason — are both injured.

It helped that last year the Mets could also lean on Marcus Stroman who led the Majors in starts after opting out the 2020 Covid-shortened season.

Walker’s next start will come Saturday against the Phillies where he will look to help extend the Mets seven-game lead in the National League East.

4. Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Major League Baseball’s leader in triples takes the fourth spot on our #HighFive list this wee while, fans hold their breaths in hopes the hamstring injury he suffered a few days ago isn’t serious.

Even out of the lineup the last two games, Chisholm is one of nine players including MLBBro Tim Anderson and Shohei Ohtani to have five steals, five home runs and at least a .250 batting average.

He has also improved on the defensive side of the ball, ranking fourth among all Major League second baseman in defensive WAR.

If Chisholm can return to the lineup and stay healthy, he has a great chance of representing the Bahamas as the first Major League All Star from the country.

5. Tyrone Taylor

Tyrone Taylor has not only earned a spot our #HighFive list for the first time in the two years we have been ranking, but also he now finds himself with an everyday job in the Milwaukee Brewers outfield.

Taylor has been raking over his last seven games, accounting for three home runs, a .320 average and 11 RBI including at least one in six straight games.

Tuesday, he hit a game-winning three-run homer with the game tied late to help the Brewers win two out of three games against the Padres.

 

The combination of injuries, plus struggles from other Brewer outfielders, has opened the gates for Taylor to get constant playing time. We will see if he can continue to make the most out of it.