Aaron Judge put himself in rare company this week, joining Babe Ruth, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire and Alex Rodriguez as the players in Major League history to have three 50 home runs seasons.
Judge is a standout among this group being one of the only to do so without having any steroid allegations. For that, he earns the top spot on Week 21 of our #HighFive list.
1. Aaron Judge
This week was full of accomplishments for Judge as not only did he become the first MLBbro to hit 50 home runs in three different seasons, but he also reached 1,000 base hits. Judge has more homers today than he did at this same point of the season back in 2022 when he finished with an American League record 62 home runs in a season.
Sunday, he hit bro bombs 50 and 51, but the highlight of his week came on Monday in D.C. when he robbed a homer in center field and got the ball back to the infield in time to double off a speedy C.J. Abrams.
Judge was awarded the American League Player of the Week award for his efforts. He has a slashline of .318/.500/.909 with four homers, six RBI, seven walks and a stolen base over his last seven games.
2. Lawrence Butler “LawBoyz”
Lawrence Butler is on a heater, similar to the one he went on in July that saw him become one of the better hitters in baseball after making a slight adjustment to his stance.
He led off Wednesday’s game with a bro bomb and is currently riding a seven-game hitting streak. Butler has three home runs in his last five games, giving him 16 on the season. Over the last seven games, Butler has a .303 average with a 1.095 OPS, seven RBI and two stolen bases.
His A’s will travel to Arlington, Texas this weekend for the final time representing Oakland to take on the Rangers in a three-game series.
3. Jazz Chisholm Jr. “Bahamian Blur”
Jazz Chisholm returned to the Yankees lineup and immediately hopped on the bandwagon being carried by Aaron Judge; but he is doing his part to keep the Yankees going forward in their push for the American League East title.
Chisholm was the biggest name to move at the deadline and since arriving in New York, he has been a perfect fit to their puzzle. After being sent to the Injured List to deal with an elbow injury, he has come back without missing a beat at the plate. He is hitting .273 with two home runs and a .940 OPS over the last seven days. His 22 home runs and career-high 28 steals give Chisholm Jr. the first 20/20 season of his career.
It may be a longshot to reach the 30/30 mark, but the 2023 MLB The Show cover boy could use the short porch in Yankee Stadium to make it become a reality.
4. Will Benson
Will Benson takes the fourth spot on our #HighFive list after hitting a go-ahead three-run bomb in the bottom of the seventh against the Athletics. For Benson, it was his first home run in a month and the 13th of his season.
He went through a tough stretch for most of August that saw him only going 2-for-20 until August 21st, but he has improved since then, hitting .333 over the last seven days.
5. Bo Naylor
Bo Naylor is becoming one of the better defensive catchers in the Majors, but he showed out with his bat this week to help the Guardians salvage a game in what was a crucial series for the American League Central pennant. His 11th home run of the year ignited a late inning comeback for Cleveland, who is currently holding onto their A.L. Central lead by a thread.
“It has been a long stretch from the beginning of the season until now and there is still a long way to go,” said Naylor. “We are not stopping or letting any adversity get to our head. Just keep competing and hope we end up on the right side of things.”
As the MLB postseason rapidly approaches, the good old days of World Series lore spread over decades is a possibility as the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees are again the class of baseball.
Both teams have the best players in their respective leagues in Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers) and Aaron Judge (Yankees) with plenty of statistics to back it up.
Both are having historical seasons that supersede their superstar careers.
Judge, who broke the American League home run record with 62 in an MVP season, is on pace to break his own record while becoming an even more efficient hitter. He has dominated baseball at the plate at such a level that many are bypassing the “Steroid Era” and placing him next to the one and only Babe Ruth.
Shohei Ohtani, who is compared to Ruth based on his ability to pitch at a high level and hit for power, has put pitching on the shelf for this season. But that doesn’t mean his contributions haven’t been electric. Ohtani is on a short list of players who have accomplished hitting over 40 home runs (he stands at 41) and stealing more than 40 bases (40). The Dodgers superstar has an outside chance of being the only player to join the 50-50 club.
It was enough of a possibility that ESPN’s Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser discussed whose accomplishments were greater on Pardon The Interruption…
But we begin today with Aaron Judge hitting home runs number 50 and 51 yesterday… pic.twitter.com/LuoCQFHLFv
Guess which player is a slam dunk for winning league MVP and who isn’t? Yes, our MLBbro Aaron Judge!
Bobby Witt Jr. Is A Legit AL MVP Candidate
While MLB should be ordering Aaron Judge’s name to be stenciled for the AL MVP trophy, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal believes Kansas City Royals shortstop, Bobby Witt Jr. should be considered. He based his opinions on these factors…
Witt Jr. leads all of baseball as of this writing with a .347 batting average. Aaron Judge has an average of .333.
Witt Jr. has made an impact on the basepaths with 27 compared to our MLBbro’s six. This puts him on pace for a back-to-back 30-30 season.
Finally, with the comparisons in the field, Rosenthal based on the analytics and advanced stats calls Witt Jr. the best defensive player in baseball and Judge one of the worst.
Well…film don’t lie, as they say.
Usually posting #MLBbro Aaron Judge hitting Bro Bombs but this time he takes one away on this amazing play 🔥🔥🔥 https://t.co/hnyAucrN0w
MLBbro.com is biased towards Black and brown players because…that’s who the staff covers exclusively. But that does not matter in this case. Since April 27, 2024, the reigning AL Player of the Week is the first MLBbro to hit over 50 home runs in three seasons breaking a tie with MLBbro icons, Ken Griffey Jr. and the late Willie Mays…
HOME BOI HIGHLIGHTS | Aaron Judge Becomes First MLBbro To Post Three 50+ Homer Seasons pic.twitter.com/uCADpEYUQt
His power combinations with teammates have been electric. He shares home runs in the same game this season with not one but two teammates in Giancarlo Stanton and Juan Soto with 12. But last weekend, the last ingredient to an MVP story is history that has been made. When all three hit back-to-back-to-back homers, it was the first time three former Home Run Derby champions had accomplished the feat!
This is the first time in MLB history that three former HR Derby Champs all were part of back-to-back-to-back HR in a game! pic.twitter.com/CJEoPIvNMG
In his first season with the New York Yankees, Marcus Stroman has been a contributing piece to the Yankees pitching rotation.
After struggling during the middle of the summer, Stroman has bounced back and put together dominating performances in his recent outings. In his last three starts, Stroman has a 2.25 ERA after posting a whopping 6.32 ERA in his previous 10 starts.
On Sunday, Stroman, pitched five innings and allowed three runs in securing the Yankees a 10-3 win. He also got a front row seat to witness Juan Soto, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton accomplish a feat that had not been done since Sept. 17, 2020. The tanking-trio went back-to-back-to-back.
Soto smoked the ball for 418 feet to right-center field, Judge bro bombed one 377 feet and Stanton followed up with the most majestic shot, a 425-foot to center field.
After the game, Stroman, who remains one of the go-to voices on the team in both tough and triumphant moments, said, “I mean, it’s hard to put into words, to be honest. It’s truly special. I think we take it for granted what these guys are doing each and every day. What Cap is doing is truly incredible. You know, it’s historic, and it might never be done again. It’s just very fun to witness, amazing to be around, and I try not to get lost in taking it for granted, like I feel we all do.
It just seems like hitting a home run every day is very normal for him [Aaron Judge]. And obviously, what Soto’s been doing before him is scary, scary. So, Stanton obviously going back-to-back-to-back, that’s incredibly fun. Like I said, having those guys swinging it gives the pitchers and the whole team more confidence.”
With the Yankees clinging on to the top spot in the American League East Division, Stroman will look to continue to put his team in positions to win games as the season is winding down.
Marcus Stroman Can Reach Career-High in Wins
The two-time All-Star has a 9-6 record with a 3.88 ERA and 97 strikeouts. His nine wins are third best on the team and he has the opportunity to set a new career-high in wins before the season is over.
His current career-high in wins is 13, which he set back in 2017 with the Toronto Blue Jays. During the last four seasons, Stroman has ended the season with an ERA under four.
With the Yankees being one of the top teams in the AL, there’s a strong chance that Stroman gets another opportunity to appear in the postseason. He’s only appeared in the playoffs two times in his career, coming in 2015 and 2016, both with Toronto. In five postseason starts, he is 1-1 with a 4.40 ERA.
One thing about Stroman is that he’s a competitor. Whether he’s coming off a bad performance or one of his best outings, he’s going to go out there and compete.
Marcus Stroman Struggled In July
During the month of July, Stroman made four starts and finished with an 0-2 record and finished with a 5.50 ERA. Not an ideal stretch for a pitcher, and it didn’t get any better in his first start during the month of August.
Against the Blue Jays, Stroman allowed seven earned runs on eight hits and did not make it out of the second inning. Going through a rough patch like that can have you asking a ton of questions, wondering what you need to do to change the outcome.
As mentioned before, Stroman will always compete no matter the situation. And during his start on August 11th against the defending World Series champs, he did just that. He went five innings against the Texas Rangers allowing just one run as he picked up his first win in six appearances.
Stroman Slump Over: Rounding Into Playoff Form
After that performance, he locked in and followed up with two impressive starts.
He made the start in the Little League World Series Classic game against the Detroit Tigers. Even though the Yankees lost to the Tigers in walk-off fashion, Stroman was on the money in that game.
He was signed to help the Yankees go deep in the playoffs. When Gerrit Cole was out at the beginning of the season, Stroman picked up the slack by pitching almost lights out through first five starts.
The playoffs will determine his Yankees legacy and Stroman knows this well. He’s hoping to be at his best when October rolls around.
Aaron Boone’s been pleased with Stroman’s last few starts.
“I thought he was just real sharp,” Boone said. “I thought he was better this time even than last time. Real efficient. Was attacking the zone but also with command.”
If he can continue to remain consistent, attack the zone, and keep hitters off balanced, Stroman will be in a good position once the postseason comes and he’s pitching in a must win game for the Yankees. When the pressure is one, he wants the ball in his hands.
Through his first week in the majors, San Francisco outfielder Grant McCray has given the Giants a spark. The 23-year-old rookie was recalled from the minors on August 14th and has literally hit the ground running for the Giants.
The son of ex-big leaguer Rodney McCray, Grant has used his speed and defensive skills to contribute to the Giants’ recent stretch. After going hitless In his MLB debut, the Billings, Montana native showed his stuff the next day.
MLBbro Rookie Grant McCray Impacting San Francisco Playoff Push
Playing in front of family and friends against the Atlanta Braves, McCray collected his first career hit in the second inning and launched a home run over the center field wall in the sixth in a 6-0 San Francisco victory.
McCray’s first hit was a bunt single against Braves’ starter Max Fried, scoring Jerar Encarnacion from third base. In the sixth, McCray swatted the first pitch he saw from reliever Jesse Chavez for his first career home run, a solo shot.
“I blacked out, honestly,” McCray told Montanasports.com. “I rounded second and was like, ‘This is for real.’ I was just overwhelmed with excitement.” McCray was listed as the No. 11-ranked prospect in the Giants’ organization, according to MLB.com prior to his call up.
Second Generation MLBbro Grant McCray Is Better Than Father Rodney
The younger McCray was also able to gain some “bragging rights” over his father with his two-hit performance. Rodney debuted as a 26-year-old with the Chicago White Sox in 1990, appearing in 32 games exclusively as a pinch runner and defensive replacement,
The senior McCray received only seven plate appearances that season and didn’t get his first major league hit until the next season (his 44th career game). He would collect two more hits before his major-league career ended with the New York Mets in 1992.
Unfortunately, Rodney is remembered more for his days in the minors which included an infamous incident while playing in the outfield. The play has been repeated many times over several baseball highlight videos. He was the AAA outfielder who crashed into and through the wall at Portland’s Civic Stadium on May 27, 1991, taking out a panel of the yellow plywood Flav-R-Pac sign while chasing a fly ball that kept carrying in the breeze.
The elder McCray has been able to bask in the glow of his son’s early success.
“I was known for bunting, so for my son to get his first big-league hit that way is great,” Rodney told the Athletic. “But then he got the legit hit! He went from a bunt to a home run. When he walked in the fourth inning, I said to myself, ‘He’s locked in.”
“He’s not chasing.’ I could tell by his body language. And Chavez came in, OK, he can relax a little bit, maybe see a pitch or two. And he jumps on the first pitch. I’m like, ‘Wow!’
Grant McCray Is Taking Advantage Of Opportunity
The Giants’ third-round pick in the 2019 MLB amateur draft, Grant was splitting time with AA Richmond of the Eastern League and AAA Sacramento of the Pacific Coast League before being called up to the big-league club.
In Frisco’s next series against their crosstown rivals from Oakland, McCray’s blend of speed and defense was on full display. In the Bay Bridge Series opener at the Coliseum, McCray beat out an infield single to break up Osvaldo Bido’s no-hit bid in the sixth inning.
McCray needed only 4.19 seconds to get from home to first and recorded an elite 30.8 ft/sec sprint speed on the play, well above the Major League average of 27 ft/sec. He had two of the Giants’ four hits in the 2-0 loss.
McCray also used his speed to rob a hit in the fourth when he charged in and made a sliding grab on Miguel Andujar’s blooper to center field. He stretched a single into a double in the eighth, securing his second consecutive multi-hit effort.
He added another extra base in the series finale won by San Francisco 4-2 in 10 innings. While McCray cooled off a bit during the three-game series against the Chicago White Sox (1-of-11 with five strikeouts), the rookie has impressed Giants’ skipper Bob Melvin
“He’s off to a great start,” Melvin told NBC Sports Bay Area following Sunday’s win. “He’s playing with a lot of confidence. His speed and his defensive ability helped him make some really nice plays in center field. [He] surely looks the part.”
“He’s fast and having good at-bats right now against guys he’s never faced before.”
McCray added another Friday night in the Giants’ 6-5 loss to the Mariners in 10 innings. It raised his average to a modest .241 overall clip. San Francisco (65-65) has gone 4-4 since Grant was called up, five games behind the Atlanta Braves for the final NL wildcard spot.
Aaron Judge is the leader in the American League MVP. Judge made history in recent weeks with his 300th career bro bomb and is the youngest Yankee to do so. Of course, the American League is stacked with heavy hitters in the race such as Gunthar Henderson, Bobby Witt Jr, and even his own Bronx teammate Juan Soto are all in the conversation.
With all those big names in the convo, we could be looking at a two-time MVP. The 2022 season was Judge’s MVP season where he broke the AL home run record and carried a batting average of .311. This year, he is on pace again for 60 home runs; his batting average is through the roof at .331.
Hurlers don’t even want to pitch to him, which is why his walk rate is at a career high as well.
Aaron Judge is on easy street, but the National League race is up in the air. The Los Angeles Dodgers have Shohei Ohtani leading the conversation. Mookie Bett is just now getting back from the injury that he obtained near the All-Star Break, so he’s fallen out of the race. Ohtani has surpassed him since then.
Betts, however, returned from his injury in MVP form, even hitting a game-tying double to left field, which inspired fellow Bro Jason Hayward to hit a three-run home run to win the game. Betts coming back and producing like he never left, is all the more reason why his name will always at least be mentioned. Betts won the AL MVP back in 2018 when he was playing for the Boston Red Sox and won a World Series title that year.
Betts and Judge are both searching for their second MVP award, in the very near future we could be witnessing two Black Major leaguers win this award which hasn’t been done since 1993 (Frank Tomas & Barry Bonds).
These two will continue to carry their teams to plenty of wins and World Series contention. The New York Yankees and Dodgers are also favorites to meet in the World Series, so you know the Bros will continue to bring their A-game to the field.
The MLB season is going into the final stretch with less than 40 games left.
Now that the All-Star Game and trade deadline are in the rearview mirror, the contenders are battling for playoff seedings while the rest of the teams are getting ready for changes in the offseason.
For MLBbro.com, it’s time to check in on the progress of MLBbros not named Aaron Judge or Mookie Betts and how they stack up against their peers.
MLBbro.com has a weekly version of the top five players who have stood out for their respective teams…
But now this top five list will be expanded to the top five African-American pitchers in baseball up until this point in the season.
Believe it or not, one of the pitchers is on the board as one of the top five players of the week.
Hunter Greene (Cincinnati Reds):
The Reds franchise and its fan base had to be scared when our MLBbro went on the IL for elbow soreness. Luckily for the team and Hunter, the injury is not serious and he could be back on August 29.
Greene is one of the cornerstones of the franchise with the Reds investiing $53 million contract extension guaranteed through the 2028 season.
Up until the injury, Hunter Greene was on the shortlist for the NL Cy Young Award.
His 9-4 record with a 2.83 ERA (third in the league), 1.02 WHIP (5th) and 162 strikeouts (4th) in only 143 ⅓ innings shows why.
With his bobblehead promotions rewarding school kids for good grades or shoe donations for high school kids and potential players in Africa, Greene is making a difference on and off the field as a role model.
Marcus Stroman (New York Yankees):
This MLBbro is so high on the list because the Yankees need him to perform at a high level not only to hang on to the American League East but more importantly, a World Series run.
His 8-6 record with a 3.82 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 92 strikeouts is solid but not enough for the famous “Championship or Bust” Yankees fanbase.
After a midseason slump that ballooned his ERA to 4.10, two strong starts seemingly have him back on the right track.
With a bullpen that has been inconsistent, the Yanks need more Stroman starts to last well past the fifth inning with the precise pitching shown in his last two starts.
Simeon Woods Richardson (Minnesota Twins):
Simeon Woods Richardson is still developing as a starting pitcher after coming over to Minnesota in the Jose Berrios trade.
After trying to gain footing with the velocity of his fast ball, our MLBbro has found a spot in the rotation as the middle to back of the rotation starter. With over 100 innings, an ERA of 3.78 and a 1.18 WHIP, Woods Richardson is moving in the right direction.
But that has come with hard work and changes in his pitching mechanics…
simeon woods richardson has now reached 97.2 mph as his max velo
he & the #mntwins have done a fantastic job improving some of his actions
1. arm slot
2. shoulder direction
3. more extension through back hip ride 🚫 pushing from toes
If this keeps up, Simeon Woods Richardson will be near the top of the rotation before you know it.
Taj Bradley (Tampa Bay Rays):
Taj Bradley’s performance this season basically mirrors Tampa Bay’s.
As of Tuesdsy afternoon, the team’s record is .500 (62-62) and so is Bradley’s (6-8). A slow start due to a right pectoral muscle in spring training held him out until May 10. His 3.55 ERA doesn’t knock anyone out of their socks on the surface but considering a 1-4 record and a 5.81 ERA at the beginning of June, his run in July was Cy Young worthy!
How did he do it?
Bradley had an eight game start stretch that would have made Dwight Gooden proud.
From June 8 through late July, our MLBbro posted an ERA of 0.92 which was the lowest in the majors.
The 2018 150th pick of the Rays has thrived moving up the pipeline to becoming one of the more consistent pitchers on Tampa Bay’s staff.
Triston McKenzie (Cleveland Guardians) currently in the minors:
An MLBbro.com favorite, “Sticks” exploded on the scene in 2020 as Cleveland’s number one prospect. The improvements kept coming through the 2022 season.
Then the UCL injuries derailed his career from missing most of the 2023 season and the ultimate decision to send him to the minors this season.
With this being an arbitration-eligible season, McKenzie decided to forego surgery and go the rehab route.
Meanwhile, Triston could look to develop a sinker to add to his portfolio of pitches that are losing velocity.
To get that velocity back, surgery might be the only option to keep this MLBbro from being one of the biggest “What ifs” in MLBbro history.
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