Byron Buxton turnt’ his game up another level to close out the first half of the 2024 season, posting an average above .440 with a .778 slugging percentage in his last seven games.
A healthy Buxton is great for baseball and is crucial if the Minnesota Twins want to make it to the playoffs. He takes the top spot in Week 15 of our #HighFive list.
1. Byron Buxton
Injuries suffered early this season stood in the way of Buxton making his second career All-Star team, which is a shame, as he is one of the games most talented players when on the field.
In a larger sample size over his last 15 games, Buxton has a .414 average with an .862 slugging percentage, five home runs, 16 RBI and 18 runs scored.
He has hits in seven straight games entering Thursday and in nine of his last 10 total.
Buxton scored the game-winning run in game two of Wednesday’s double-header against the White Sox, helping the Twins to a record of 7-3 over their last 10 games as they try to chase down the Cleveland Guardians for the American League Central crown.
2. Hunter Greene “Machine”
Hunter Greene’s seven shutout inning, seven strikeout performance where he gave up just three hits last Saturday earned him the second spot on Week 15 of our #HighFive list as well as his first career All-Star selection.
Alongside teammate Elly De La Cruz, he and Greene are the first pair of teammates under 25 to be All-Stars in the same season since 1999.
He ranks in the top 10 in strikeouts for the National League and has a 5-4 record with a 3.45 ERA.
Greene battled through injuries and has worked a lot on control as well as the development of his secondary pitches to get to where he is at now.
Him being on the mound during the Mid-Summer Classic is going to do wonders for Black baseball. Kids across the nation will see the tall 6 ‘5 righty throw a fastball that touches over 100 mph.
3. Josh Naylor
Josh Naylor was snubbed from an All-Star berth last season, but now everything is right in the world as he was one of five Guardians selected to the American League roster last Sunday.
Naylor, who has the third most RBI in the American League, trailing only Aaron Judge and his teammate Jose Ramirez, will get to show on the national stage what we at MLBbro have seen from him for the past two seasons: he is a hitting machine.
In his last seven games he has a .333 average with nine RBI, a stolen base and two home runs, one of which came in the first of Tuesday’s win over the Tigers.
4. Taj Bradley
Taj Bradley added another solid start to his sophomore campaign to take the fourth spot on Week 15 of our #HighFive list.
In his start last Saturday against the Texas Rangers, he went six innings and gave up only one run on five hits. He was poised to come out for a seventh inning of work after throwing only 79 pitches, but after two pitching changes he had sat the bench too long.
“I throw my game no matter the opponent,” said Bradley after his start. “I had to be efficient. They put the bat on the ball. I had some quick innings, which helps because one of my goals is to start going further into games.
Bradley will take the mound Friday night against fellow #HighFive member Josh Naylor and the Guardians.
5. Rece Hinds
Rece Hinds had a hell of a first week in the Big Leagues, hitting a record five extra base hits in his first two games.
Hinds was a second-round pick for the Reds back in 2019 out of IMG high school in Florida who was called up to a Reds team stacked with prospects.
He was 2-for-3 with a double and homer in his debut and then followed the next day with a 3-for-5 showing where he fell just a single short of a cycle.
“I made my dream come true and now it is time to keep it going,” Hinds told reporters after his debut. “Everyone knows there are a lot of highs and lows in baseball. You need to keep that even keel the whole time, stay as humble as possible and just breathe.
Aaron Judge could stop playing for the rest of the season and still have better numbers than 99% of the league. He led the Majors in All-Star votes thanks to a first half that saw him better his numbers from his historic 2022 American League MVP year. For that, he earns the top spot on Week 14 of our #HighFive List.
1. Aaron Judge
Aaron Judge found out he would be an All-Star for the fifth time in his career just a little over a week ago after leading all American League players in phase one of voting.
That puts him fourth All-Time in appearance among all Yankee outfielders, trailing Hall of Fame MLBbro Dave Winfield, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle.
In his last seven games Judge is slashing .480/.552/.840 with eight RBI, three home runs and has recorded multiple hits in six of his last eight games entering Thursday.
This week, the Yankees captain showed why he gets the honor to wear the “C” on his jersey when he pulled Marcus Stroman to the side for a conversation about him yelling in the dugout after a mistake by a fielder on defense.
Judge and his Yankees will write the next chapter of their storied rivalry against the Boston Red Sox this weekend.
2. Taj Bradley
Taj Bradley got the win and tied a career-high with 11 strikeouts in 5.2 shutout innings against the Nationals to earn the two spot on this week’s #HighFive.
Bradley is another MLBbro from the Atlanta, Georgia pipeline that has sent an influx of talent to the Majors over the last few years including former Rookie of The Year “Money” Mike Harris, Lawrence Butler and Will Benson among others.
Bradley, who is only 23 did not start pitching until near the end of his senior year in high school, is one of the top projects for a Tampa Bay Rays team that is known for developing pitching.
He had a solid month of June and if you take away his start against the Orioles where he gave up nine runs in three innings, he has a 1.24 ERA with 40 strikeouts and 11 walks in 29 innings. In two of those starts, he struck out 11.
Bradley will take the mound this coming Saturday in Arlington against the defending World Series Champion Rangers.
3. George Springer
George Springer has been on a heater over his last seven games, hitting over .400 with three home runs, 11 RBI and a .952 slugging percentage.
He was named MLBbro.com Home Boi Highlights after bringing a five-game hitting streak out of the weekend which he extended to seven before hitless Wednesday.
The Blue Jays are in the basement of the standings for the American League East and there have already been rumors about them trading some of their key pieces as they get ready to possibly rebuild the roster.
I think Springer, who has postseason experience and is one of the most feared leadoff hitters of All-Time would be a great pickup for a contender looking for a right-handed bat to boost their lineup for the stretch run.
4. C.J. Abrams
C.J. Abrams finished June with a .373 average which ranked him in the top 10 among all Major Leaguers for the month.
He has done all he can to earn his first career All-Star nod this weekend. He is on pace for a possible 30/30 season and leads the Nationals in almost all hitting categories including doubles, RBI, OPS, Slugging percentage, steals, home runs and triples.
Abrams is going to play a key role in the development of top prospect James Wood who was called up from Triple-A earlier this week.
He himself was a top prospect with high expectations that has since answered the bell and is now on the way to stardom.
This weekend Abrams and the Nationals will take on Masyn Winn and the Cardinals in a rare matchup of Black shortstops.
5. Justyn-Henry Malloy
Justyn-Henry Malloy hit home runs in back-to-back days for the first time in his career this week in addition to posting a .304 average to earn himself the final spot on Week 14 of our #HighFive list.
Malloy had to run around the bases faster than usual when he hit his homer Sunday afternoon.
He drilled a ball off the wall in straight-away center field and sprinted across the bases for Detroit’s first inside the park homer since 2021.
“They all are worth the same, but I feel like I worked a little harder for that one,” said Malloy in his postgame interview.
“I tackled home plate, my lip is a little bit busted too but I am glad. It is one of the most exciting plays in baseball and I am glad I could give my team some laughs.”
The following day in a matchup against fellow MLBbro Simeon Woods Richardson, Malloy launched one to the left field bleachers.
He finished that game 2-for-4.
The Tigers offense has not shown much this season, so it is the perfect time for them to give young players like Malloy the opportunity to fight through struggles and get reps at the Major league level.
Aaron Judge has put up video game numbers through the first half of 2024. He became the first player to reach 30 home runs and 75 RBI and has exceeded the pace he set in all major hitting categories from his record breaking 2022 MVP year. The King of New York sits atop of the #HighFive throne for Week 13.
1. Aaron Judge
The gap between Aaron Judge and the rest of Major League Baseball becomes more and more laughable by the day. His average, OPS, and extra base hit total far exceed the competition and he is outdoing himself compared to his MVP season in 2022.
Through his first 81 games he has 15 more RBI and 11 more doubles to go along with a higher batting, OBP, slugging and OPS.
In game two of Wednesday’s Subway Series Judge hit his 30th home run of the year.
That gives him four homers in his last seven games with a slash line of .429/.538/1.048 with 13 RBI and three walks.
With his bash bro Giancarlo Stanton out with an injury for at least a month, the Yankees need Judge to stay in his mode so they can hold off the Orioles from taking first place in the American League East.
2. Josh Naylor
Josh Naylor added to his resume for the position of starting first baseman at the All-Star Game with a pair of multi-hit games this week, including a three-hit performance Sunday afternoon.
The Guardians have the highest winning percentage in the American League in large part to Naylor who ranks in the top five for RBI and home runs in the A.L. with 58 and 21 respectively.
He will continue making his case for his first All-Star appearance this weekend in the great state of Kansas during a four-game weekend series against the Royals.
3. “Black” Jack Flaherty
Jack Flaherty was on his game the entire month of June, posting a 3-0 record with a 0.57 ERA and only allowing one run in three starts ahead of taking the mound Thursday night against the Angels in his hometown of Los Angeles.
In his last start “Black Jack” went 5.2 innings and struck out eight, giving him 108 strikeouts on the year which puts him eighth amongst all Major League pitchers.
The sole earned run he gave up came on a solo homer.
On the year Flaherty has a 2.98 ERA in just over 83 innings.
Since he is only on a one-year deal, he could be a prime target when the trade deadline arrives, but with Detroit in contention for a playoff spot, it may be best to keep him for the stretch run and make him a permanent part of their rotation.
4. Byron Buxton
Slowly but surely, Byron Buxton is starting to put together a solid season, posting a .400 average and a 1.412 OPS over the last seven days. The Twins five-tool star hit homers in back-to-back games this week for the first time this season and has finally gotten his average over the .250 mark for the year.
I expect Buxton to continue his upward trend throughout the year. If he and Royce Lewis are both healthy and, in the lineup, Minnesota has a chance to contend this summer.
J.P. Crawford is another player who has begun to trend in a positive direction after an injury-filled beginning to 2024. Crawford has hits in eight of his last nine games including seven straight dating back to June 18th.
Over that seven-day stretch, he has a .314 average with two steals, five walks and four RBI. Although the Mariners may have the best pitching rotation in their lineup has continued to underachieve, even dating back to last season when they missed the playoffs by a single game.
Crawford needs to continue slugging for big hits and getting on base in order for Seattle to hold off the Astros and keep the top spot in the American League West.
Aaron Judge reaches the peak of the #HighFive mountaintop for a second straight week after continuing his domination through the month of May. He has already surpassed his home run total for April and is slashing .396/.477/1.000 over his last 15 games
1. Aaron Judge
As I was typing this list Thursday afternoon, to little surprise, Aaron Judge launched another home run, bringing his monthly total to eight.
On the backs of Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Juan Soto, the Yankees, who hold ownership of the best record in the American League, are looking like the Bronx Bombers of the early 2000’s.
Judge was named the American League Player of the Week and now has hits in 10 of his last 11 games as well as ranking in the top five in the American League for home runs, OPS, Slugging percentage, walks and doubles.
2. Marcus “Stro Show” Stroman
Marcus Stroman added another solid start to his 2024 resume to earn the two spot on Week 8 of our #HighFive list.
It is the second consecutive week Stroman claims the two spot, this time coming after throwing 7.1 innings of one-run baseball where he only gave up three hits and struck out six Seattle Mariners.
His ERA is now at 3.05 and batters are only hitting .226 off of him after 10 starts.
Stroman will take the mound next on Saturday when his Yankees travel across the country to take on the San Diego Padres.
3. “Late Night” LaMonte Wade Jr.
LaMonte Wade continues to be an on base machine for San Francisco as he takes the three spot on our #HighFive List.
Although he is still about two weeks away from reaching the amount of at-bats needed to qualify as a league leader, Wade’s .481 leads the rest of the Majors by a landslide (as of now Mookie Betts leads at .432).
Wednesday night’s matchup against the Pittsburgh Pirates was one of if not the best games of Wade’s career.
He recorded three hits and walked three times in the same game, a feat no San Francisco Giant besides Wade himself – who also did it last season and Barry Bonds in his 2001 National League MVP award winning season – have accomplished.
4. Byron Buxton
Byron Buxton returned from injury this week and did major damage for the Twins.
He reached base safely in each of the four games he started in since returning, including a two-homer day in D.C. against the Nationals which helped them snap a seven-game losing streak.
“We knew things had to change,” Buxton told reporters postgame.
“We had to come out with the confidence and energy that we had in the past.”
The Twins will take on the reigning World Series champion Texas Rangers for three-games over the weekend.
5. Josh Bell
The Miami Marlins are showing signs of life after a dreadful start to the year, winning seven of their last 10 games.
One player who has helped lead the way is first baseman Josh Bell, who is hitting .310 with seven RBI over his last seven games.
After slashing .167/.234/.275 in April, Bell has improved all of his hitting numbers over the month of May.
Last Friday night with the Marlins trailing by three with one out and two runners on base, Bell launched a game-tying three-run homer over the center field wall. Miami would later go on to win via walk-off.
Just days later, Bell wanted to feel that walk-off feeling for himself, so with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th in Monday night’s game, he shot a game-winning single to right field.
The Marlins will travel to Arizona this weekend to take on last year’s National League Champion D-Backs.
Aaron Judge took his first career ejection personally as he has been on a planet which few can reach ever since.
In his last seven games he is slashing .381/.535./.952 with five RBI, six walks and three home runs, one being a 467ft shot to the left field bleachers in Target Field to begin what ended up a 4-for-4 day at the plate.
The Yankees captain earns the top spot on Week 7 of our #HighFive List.
Aaron Judge
Ever since being ejected a few Saturday afternoons ago, Aaron Judge has gotten back to being one of the best hitters in the Majors.
He hit just .220 with six home runs through the entire month of April and already has five to go along with a .378 average more than halfway through May.
Despite the slow start, Judge finds himself near the top of the American League leaderboard in most hitting categories including leading the A.L. with 14 doubles and 34 walks while ranking in the top five for OPS, home runs, slugging and on base percentage.
Judge’s Yankees will host the Chicago White Sox for a three-game series this weekend.
Marcus “Stro Show” Stroman
Marcus Stroman bounced back from his worst start of the season and threw a gem against the Minnesota Twins Wednesday night to earn the second spot on our #HighFive List.
He got his third win of the year by throwing six shutout innings and allowing only two hits on two strikeouts and three walks.
“Mechanically, I thought I was battling a little at the beginning,” said Stroman. “But I thought as the game progressed, I started to feel stronger and stronger.”
Stroman’s record now stands at 3-2 and he lowered his ERA to 3.33.
As a staff the Yankees have the second lowest earned run average in the Majors at 2.95, slightly behind their longtime rival Red Sox.
His next start will be Monday against the Mariners in a series that could see the return of shortstop J.P. Crawford to Seattle’s lineup.
Mookie Betts
Mookie Betts takes the third spot on this weeks #HighFive after a week that included him moving solely into fifth on the all-time leadoff home run list with 50 and four multi-hit games.
That lead-off home run was Betts’ seventh of the year and came by way of a bro-on-bro crime against San Francisco Giants starter Jordan Hicks.
After going 0-for-5 last Friday night against the Padres, Betts has registered two hits in each of his last four games. He also finds himself ranked second on Major League Baseball’s “Hitters Power Rankings.”
His Dodgers will welcome the Cincinnati Reds for a four-game series this weekend were they will face fellow #HighFive member Hunter Greene Saturday night.
Hunter Greene
Hunter Greene calls Arizona home in the off-season so it was no surprise he looked comfortable in his start in Phoenix against the D-Backs earlier this week.
He got the win after going seven innings and giving up just two earned runs on five hits and six strikeouts.
His 72 strikes thrown out of 101 pitches were the most strikes he has thrown in any start during his career.
“I had to come through for the guys right there,” said Greene in his postgame interview. “We have been working hard so I was just trying to do my job. I have worked on my fastball and it will continue to get better throughout my career. I know how good it is and how good it can be so I just need to trust it.”
Greene’s ERA now stands at 3.27. His next start will come in his hometown of Los Angeles when he faces a star-studded Dodgers lineup this Saturday night.
Giancarlo Stanton
Giancarlo Stanton rounds out this week’s #HighFive as the Yankees became the first team to ever have three players make the same #HighFive list.
For years now nobody in Major League Baseball has hit baseballs harder than Stanton and that trend has continued into 2024.
MLB began releasing new data that can collect batters’ swing speed as well as barrel rate (hitting the ball on the sweet spot of the bat).
Stanton’s average swing hits 80 mph which is the highest in the Majors.
Over his last seven games he has a .310 average with three home runs and four RBI.
It is also important to note that Stanton has played in 39 of 41 games this year.
His best ability has always been availability, and if he is there to consistently provide protection for Judge and Soto, the Bronx Bombers will be a tough out.
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