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.”
Josh and Bo Naylor put on a show and homered again in the same inning as Cleveland Guardians rallied for a 7-6 win over Chicago White Sox on National Siblings Day. It was the second time they homered in the same inning.
The MLB has seen a lot of siblings play together throughout the years. It’s always a great experience to play alongside your brother.
In Ohio, two brothers have suited up together for another season.
Naylor brothers back at it again
MLBbros Josh and Bo Naylor are a part of the Cleveland Guardians and the brothers want to help Cleveland get back to the World Series for the first time since 2016.
In the last three seasons, there have been siblings who have played for the same team. Other than the Naylors, there was Andrew and Austine Romine: Cubs (2021) and Taylor and Tyler Rogers: Giants (2023).
Cleveland is at the top of the American League Central standings so far and the Naylors can help their team continue to be one of the best in the division as the season progresses.
“It’s super special,” Bo said in an mlb.com article. “I think it was something we talked about, joked about in the past. Seeing it come to pass is pretty wild to think about.”
“When I hit mine, me and him shared a great moment,” he said. “You just see how excited he was for me. And when he hit his, I was up on the top step waiting for him. It’s a cool moment to share with him.”
Josh setting the tone early at the plate
Josh had a productive 2023 season where he finished hitting .308 with 17 home runs and 97 RBI and could have been named an All-Star. He has wasted no time picking up where he left off.
He started the 2024 season on a five-game hitting streak and through nine games, he’s hitting .303 with five RBI and one home run.
If Josh can continue to be consistent at the plate and drive in runs for his team, he has to be mentioned in the All-Star Game conversation this season.
He has a lot of pop in his bat and can change the momentum of the game with one swing. If he can remain healthy throughout the season, he will make a significant impact for the Guardians.
Bo looking to find his role on the team
Through seven games this season, Bo is hitting .167 with a homer and two RBI. Last season, he saw some significant playing time and is looking to repeat that this year.
During those seven games, Bo has struck out in each game, but that doesn’t take away how good of a hitter he is. Once he gets settled in at the plate and becomes more comfortable, you will start to see his production improve.
If there’s one thing the Naylor’s can do, it is hit the baseball. Hopefully we will get to see these brothers stay on the team throughout the remainder of the season.
Rachel Hill goes ‘First To Third’ on Cleveland Guardians rookie MLBbro catcher Bo Naylor, who made it a point to learn Spanish in order to increase communication with his Latin teammates.
“The Naylor Bros” Josh and Bo of the Cleveland Guardians became the first pair of brothers to hit multi-run home runs in the same inning as teammates this past Friday night against the Texas Rangers. That put a bow on what was an amazing week for their family, which began when their youngest sibling Myles was selected in the 2023 MLB Draft.
No other Major League players have the luxury of hitting in the same batting practice group with a member of their family, let alone their brother other than Josh and Bo Naylor.
“It is awesome to go behind the cage and have a conversation with him,” younger brother and Guardians third ranked prospect, catcher Bo told MLBbro.com.
“To see him doing his thing and working on his craft every round is special and I love every moment.”
Year five has been a career year for Josh.
He ranks eighth in the Majors in batting average, fifth in RBI and is in the top 10 in OPS, on base and slugging percentage amongst all first baseman.
This past Friday in the third inning of the first game since the All-Star Break both launched two-run homers off Rangers starter Jon Gray who’s changeup fell victim on both occasions.
“When I hit mine, we shared a great moment,” Bo told reporters. “I could see how excited he was for me. When he hit his, I was up on the top step waiting for him. Just a cool moment to share with him.”
That was the first time in Major League Baseball’s long history that brothers hit multi-run home runs in the same inning for the same team.
The last set of brothers to homer in the same game were the Upton’s, Justin and B.J. who did it twice during their stint with the Atlanta Braves.
The most recent came in 2014 when each homered off of Phillies pitcher A.J. Burnett while the other happened in 2013 when they hit back-to-back solo shots against Rockies pitcher Jon Garland.
“The Naylor Bros” also etched their name in the history books with the late Aaron brothers, former Home Run King Hank and his younger sibling Tommie.
On July 11th of 1962, just over 61 from the Naylor’sshots, both Aaron’s homered in the 9th inning of a game against the St. Louis Cardinals to pull their Braves to an 8-6 win.
Myles Naylor
The third Naylor, Myles is an infielder from Canada who was selected out of high school by the Oakland A’s as the 39th pick in this year’s Major League Draft.
Middle child Bo was able to give MLBbro.com a scouting report on his little brother.
“A guy who can get it done in every phase of the game,” said Bo.
“Crazy amount of potential, really good arm, hits the ball to all fields with power and fields his position well. The sky’s the limit for him.”
If Myles can earn his way to the Majors, the Naylor family will enter even more rare company as families with three brothers playing at the same time, joining a small list headlined by the Alou’s and Molina’s.
Recent Comments