Lawrence Butler was not only named the American League Player of the Week, thanks to his second three home run game of the year and a .500 average, he also set an A’s franchise record with nine straight games with an extra base hit. The “Law Dawg” is becoming a superstar right before our eyes as he takes the top spot on Week 22 of our #HighFive list.
1. Lawrence Butler “Law Dawg”
Things seemed to click for Lawrence Butler right before the All-Star Break when he hit his first career three homer game on the final Sunday against the Phillies.
Ever since, Butler has been playing at a superstar level and this week he earned his second American League Player of the Month award this season, becoming one of six Athletics ever to win the award twice in a season.
Last Thursday Butler became the third player age 24 or younger with multiple three home run games in a season, joining Ralph Kiner and Mookie Betts.
In total, Butler had six home runs, drove in 10 runs, had three doubles, stole two bases and slashed .500/.517/1.767 to clinch the award.
His Athletics continue their final month as a franchise this weekend when they welcome the Tigers to Oakland for the final time.
2. Josh Naylor
After a lackluster July and August, Josh Naylor stepped his game up this week with multiple hits in four of six games including two three-hit games to take the two spot on our #HighFive List.
After homering on Labor Day for the 29th time this season, he is only one blast away from joining the 100 RBI-30 home run club for the first time in his career. This week Naylor along with fellow All-Star Jose Ramirez became the first pair of Major League teammates to each reach 100 RBI.
In his last seven games he is slashing .429/.467/.679 with eight RBI, a homer and a stolen base.
3. Jazz Chisholm Jr.
Through 26 games as a Yankee, Jazz Chisholm is showing to be one of their better trade deadline additions for New York in recent memory.
Over that stretch he has a .333 average, 1.007 OPS, scored 22 runs, stole 11 bases and nine home runs, almost more than the 13 he had in 101 games with the Marlins this year.
“He is a better player than I knew,” said Yankee manager Aaron Boone.
“Defensively his instincts have been good as well as on the base paths. He is a really good player that may just be scratching the surface.”
Chisholm had four straight games this week with multiple hits and over his last seven games he has a .462 average with a .500 OBP and six steals.
4. Mookie Betts
Monday August 19, 2024: (Photo: Kevin Reece MLBbro.com)
Mookie Betts made the Angels pay for the ultimate disrespect Tuesday with a three-run bomb in the 10th to put the game on ice.
It becomes pick your poison when facing the top three MVP hitters in the Dodger lineup and Tuesday, Ron Washington decided Ohtani was not going to be the one not to beat them.
With a runner on second they intentionally walked Ohtani to go at Betts. The rest, like they say, is history.
“They walked Sho for me and I was like alright if that is what you want,” Betts told reporters postgame.
Betts has hits in 10 of his last 11 games and has driven in 10 runs in his last seven games and posting a .360 average.
5. Jack Flaherty “Blackjack”
Jack Flaherty made a statement by shutting down the Diamondbacks in his first start as a Dodger against the National League West.
He got the win after throwing 5.2 innings and gave up only one run on five hits and seven strikeouts.
Since joining the Dodgers, the same team he grew up rooting for in his hometown of Los Angeles, Flaherty is 4-1 with a 3.18 ERA and 41strikouts in 34 innings.
His next start will be Sunday against one of Blackjack’s familiar foes, Josh Naylor and the Cleveland Guardians.
Aaron Judge is on track to have one of the best offensive seasons in Major League history.
His two-homer game Wednesday highlighted another week where he finished with a batting average above .400, earning him his regular place atop our #HighFive list for Week 20.
1. Aaron Judge
With offense down across the Majors, what Aaron Judge is doing at the plate in 2024 is much more special than I think most people realize.
Consider this: Judge entered Thursday leading the Majors in home runs, RBI, OBP, slugging percentage, extra base hits and total bases while sitting second in batting average and walks.
Comparing his numbers now to his record-breaking 2022 season through 127 games, he has driven in more runs and has a higher in average, slugging percentage and OPS while sitting just two home runs off his pace.
Judge homered three times in the first two games of the Yankees series against the Guardians, including two on Wednesday night to raise his league leading total to 47.
The “dog days” of August do not seem to be slowing him down as this has been the best month of what will likely be his second career MVP season.
With a little over a week to go this month, he is slashing .450/.577/.933 with eight home runs, 18 RBI and 17 walks (eight of them being intentional.
2. Simeon Woods Richardson
Simeon Woods Richardson makes our #HighFive list for a second straight week thanks to two quality starts that led to two Twin wins.
Friday, in his home state of Texas against the Rangers he threw five innings and allowed just two runs on three hits.
Then on Wednesday, in hostile territory against a playoff hopeful San Diego Padre team, he went five innings allowing only one run on four hits and added seven strikeouts.
Woods Richardson continues to stack good starts together in what has been somewhat of a surprising rookie year.
That makes two solid starts in a row for Stroman, who struggled to end July and to begin August.
On Sunday he went six shutout innings, giving up just four hits and striking out five.
This after allowing just one run in five innings against the Rangers in his previous start.
Stroman also shined off the field last week when he awarded two $25,000 scholarships to two New York area college freshmen for his HDMH Foundation.
Although no date has been set, he should be slated to start against the Rockies in Yankee Stadium this weekend.
4. James Wood
With each passing week, James Wood gets more comfortable at the Major League level, leaving me to believe that by next season, he will find himself in the conversation for the best outfielders in the National League.
In his last seven games he is slashing .409/.500/.636 with four RBI, a home run and a stolen base.
Woods had his fourth career three-hit game on Wednesday and has hit baseballs harder than most of the Majors since he was called up.
At the young age of 21 he is fifth in the league in average exit velocity, trailing only Aaron Judge, Ohtani, Juan Soto and O’Neil Cruz
Aaron Judge sits atop Week 19 of our #HighFive List after becoming the fastest player in Major League history to reach 300 home runs. The Bronx Bro Bomber did it in just 955 games.
1. Aaron Judge
On last weeks #HighFive we discussed how teams were intentionally walking Aaron Judge on a nightly basis to avoid him doing damage. This time around, Judge was the one being disrespected, as the White Sox decided to give a free pass to fellow All-Star outfielder Juan Soto to take on Judge with two runners on; and he made them pay for it.
On a 3-0 count in the eighth inning, he hit his Major League leading 43rd homer of the season and the 300th of his career. He reached the benchmark in just 955 games, 132 faster than any player in history of the Majors. Over his last seven days Judge has a .480 batting average with two home runs, three doubles, six RBI and seven walks.
He currently has 110 RBI, which is on pace to be the most in his career, bettering the 131 runs he drove in from 2022.
2. Hunter Greene “Machine”
Hunter Greene’s National League Cy Young campaign is full steam ahead for the final six weeks.
He now finds his name amongst the top five for all Major League pitchers in ERA with a 2.83 following his seven innings of one run baseball in his start against the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday. Greene struck out eight while only walking one and surrendering four hits.
His lone run was given up via a home run by Nolan Arenado in the seventh. His .185 batting average against is the lowest in the National League and his 162 strikeouts tie him for fourth in the N.L.
Greene’s next start will be Monday when his Reds travel across the border to face George Springer and the Toronto Blue Jays.
3. Andrew “Cutch” McCutchen
Despite a tough stretch for his Pirates, Andrew McCutchen has done his part to keep their ship afloat by collecting hits in 10 of his last 11 games and slashing .348/.464/.739 with three home runs and eight runs batted over his last seven.
Two of the homers came in an extra inning loss to the Dodgers over the weekend, giving him 16 on the season. That leaves him only four away from his first 20 home runs season since he did it as a Philly in 2021 and the 10th time he reached the mark in his Hall of Fame worthy career.
This weekend McCutchen’s Pirates will host the American League Wildcard hopeful Seattle Mariners in what will be a make-or-break series for Pittsburgh’s playoff chances.
4. Simeon Woods-Richardson
Woods-Richardson threw a career-high seven innings allowing just two runs while issuing no walks and striking out seven in his start last Saturday against their American League Central rival Guardians.
He has been one of the better rookies in Major League Baseball this season, posting a 3.78 ERA through 102.1 innings in his 20 starts.
The stability he has given Minnesota by staying healthy has been a boost to a team that seems to always be dealing with the injury bug in their clubhouse: their latest victim being center fielder Byron Buxton who was placed on the 10-Day Injured List Thursday with a hip injury.
Woods-Richardson’s next start will be Friday night in his home state of Texas against the defending World Series Champion.
5. Devin Williams “The Airbender”
Devin Williams, the inaugural winner of the MLBbro.com “Bob Gibson Pitcher of The Year” award winner makes his first appearance on the #HighFive this season after a back injury sidelined him until late July.
Since then, he has only given up two hits and one earned run in his six appearances while striking out 10 and walking none. The highlight of his week came in his two scoreless and hitless outings against the N.L. West leading Dodgers.
Wednesday night he got out three former MVPs in a row, shutting down Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. is off to a historic start in his first week as a Yankee, becoming the first player in their franchise history to homer four times in their first three games with the team.
That was just the opening act for the “Bahamian Blur,” who has a chance to become the next great superstar in New York.
He claims the top spot on Week 17 of our #HighFive.
1. Jazz Chisholm “Bahamian Blur”
The electricity, passion and energy Jazz Chisholm Jr. plays with makes him the perfect fit to shine under the bright lights of one of the toughest cities for anyone to play in.
He was traded to the Yankees last weekend and made his debut on Sunday Night Baseball, where he finished with a hit and stolen base to help clinch the series in Fenway Park over the Red Sox.
During the series against the Phillies earlier this week, Chisholm announced his presence with back-to-back multi-homer games for the first time in his career, one of those Bro Bombs was sent into the Philadelphia night sky using Aaron Judge’s bat.
Not only does he take a little weight off of the shoulders of he and Juan Soto but he also adds an energy to the ballpark that no other player has brought to the Bronx recently outside of those two.
3. Hunter Greene “Machine”
Hunter Greene’s seven innings of two-hit shutout baseball against the Rays last Sunday solidified his case for National League Pitcher of the Month for July.
In four starts he finished with a 0.33 ERA, .103 batting average against, a 29:8 strikeout to walk ratio and only gave up a total of nine hits.
Over last seven starts, Greene has only given up more than one run once while going scoreless four times.
His next start will be Saturday in Cincinnati as his Reds take on the Giants in a series that will have huge implications in the National League Wild Card race.
4. Cedric “The Entertainer” Mullins
Cedric Mullins has been quiet at the plate for a majority of 2024, but if his bat stays as loud as it has over the last seven days, the depth that brings to the Orioles lineup will be trouble for the rest of the American League.
Mullins, who over the last seven days has a .426 average and a 1.486 OPS had hits in each of his final five games in July, ending the month with a slash line of .262/.357/.443 with two doubles, five doubles, two home runs and three stolen bases.
Baltimore will take on the American League Central-leading Guardians this weekend. They entered Thursday just a half game back of the Yankees for first place in the A.L. East.
If you had not heard of Lawernce Butler, last month told you all you need to know in terms of the potential he has.
He is in the running to take home the American League Player of the Month award after launching 10 home runs and finishing with a slash line of .363/.402/.802.
Butler also drove in 27 runs and was 4-for-4 in stolen base attempts.
“This was my top month ever in life,” Butler told reporters. “This is the most fun I have had playing baseball. My team is playing great behind me. We are playing great defense, the pitching has been great. Everyone is clicking and it is a lot of fun.”
Lawrence Butler announced his presence to the baseball world with a three-homer game against the best team in the Majors to close out the first half of the season and has continued his heater into Week 16, posting an average over .570 in his last seven games and earning the top spot on the #HighFive for the first time in his career.
1. Lawrence Butler
A subtle change to his batting stance has Lawrence Butler swinging one of the hottest bats in the Majors as July comes to a close.
Butler, who was named the American League Player of the Week for the first time in his career last week entered July with his season average below .180 but has since raised it .075 points thanks to a meeting with the A’s Director of Hitting where they focused on keeping his head movement to a minimum in order to see the ball longer.
Over his last seven games he has a slash line of .571/.636/1.286 with 13 RBI, four home runs and five walks.
On Tuesday night Butler finished a single shy of the cycle in Oakland’s matchup against Houston. He was up in the 8th with a chance to be the first Athletic to accomplish the feat since 2007, but he was walked much to the dismay of the hometown crowd.
2. Taj Bradley
Taj Bradley’s one-hit, seven inning shutout on the road in New York earned him the two spot on this weeks #HighFive list.
In my eyes last Saturday’s outing was the best of his career so far, but the same could be said for almost any start he has had since June 8th.
Bradley is 4-0 with an 0.82 ERA and a 51:16 strikeout to walk ratio over his last seven starts. He entered Thursday only giving up one run in his three July starts.
Bradley is the current front runner for the 2024 Bob Gibson MLBbro.com pitcher of the year award, the inaugural trophy was given to Brewers closer Devin Willams last year.
Bradley is scheduled to start Thursday afternoon in Toronto against George Springer and the Blue Jays.
3. Hunter Greene “Machine”
In his first start since playing in his first career All-Star Game, Hunter Greene delivered a masterful performance in the venue that will host MLB All-Star in 2025.
He threw seven shutout innings and gave up just two hits while striking out seven against the Braves.
That adds another strong start to the best month of his career. He has a 0.45 ERA, 24 strikeouts and only seven hits allowed in 20 innings pitched.
Greene’s final start of July will be Sunday against Tampa Bay.
4. “Black” Jack Flaherty
If Jack Flaherty’s start on Tuesday was his last in a Tiger uniform, he went out with a bang.
Black Jack’s name has been going around the MLB trade rumor mill since he signed a one-year deal with Detroit this off-season.
Now contenders such as the Dodgers, Astros, Braves, Yankees and even his former team the Cardinals are all trying for Flaherty’s services to help boost their rotations for the stretch run.
He threw six shutout innings, giving up three hits and striking out six against the American League Central leading Guardians.
Those six strikeouts bring his season total to 133 which is the fourth most in the American League and his 2.95 ERA also ranks him in the top 10 for A.L. pitchers.
5. Justyn-Henry Malloy “JHM”
Justyn-Henry Malloy is getting more comfortable with each passing day in the Majors as he takes the final spot on our #HighFive list this week thanks to his current 17-game on-base streak.
He has hits in eight of his last nine games and hit homers on back-to-back days this week including a go-ahead grand slam (the first of his career) on Sunday.
“I knew the situation. I knew we were down by a few runs and I wanted to pass the baton,” Malloy told reporters in his postgame press conference.
“I know with the bases loaded there is no place to put me so I just wanted to find a good pitch. It was a really cool moment and I am glad to get the first out of the way.”
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