Cleveland Guardians 1B Josh Naylor has 100 RBI and he’s been a far superior hitter at home then on the road. With 13 of the Guardians’ last 18 games at home, Naylor and his squad is looking to roll into the playoffs as AL Central Division champs.
Six MLBbro’s were named to the 2024 All-Star Game, which is held in Arlington, Texas, home of the Texas Rangers.
Out of those six players, three will be appearing in their first All-Star Game of their careers. And these three players have the skillset to appear in more All-Star Games in the future.
Those three players are Josh Naylor, CJ Abrams, and Hunter Greene.
Naylor and Abrams were voted in as reserves and Greene was added on as a replacement.
These MLBbro’s have put together impressive seasons up to this point and deserved to be All-stars.
Today, they will be able to put their talents on display and show why they were named to the All-Star team.
Let’s take a look at how these three players have played throughout the 2024 season.
The Guardians are one of the top teams in the American League, and Naylor has played a key role in the team’s success.
There have been multiple games where he’s provided a big hit that sparked his team’s offense.
On the season, he’s hitting .246 with 22 home runs and 70 RBI through 90 games. Naylor is second on the team in home runs and RBI, behind Jose Ramírez.
Before the break, he finished with two multi-hit performances against the Kansas City Royals.
Last season, Naylor could have made his first All-Star appearance, but it didn’t work out. But he made sure this season, he would be playing in Arlington.
His performance throughout the remainder of the season will be key if the Guardians want to win the division.
Abrams started the season on a strong note, quickly making a name for himself as a player to watch this season.
His hard work has certainly paid off and he was destined to make an All-Star team ever since he joined the Nationals.
The 23-year-old shortstop has blossomed into a leader for the Nationals and his glove compliments his bat well.
https://mlbbro.com/2024/05/24/cj-abrams-puts-in-his-early-season-bid-for-all-star-selection/
Abrams teammates think highly of him and know that he is one of the best in the game.
“[The biggest stride he made to become an All-Star] is the diligence in his preparation and the way he carries himself to try to get better every day. It’s not a lot of times you see him just kind of at his locker — he’s always doing something, he’s working.” Josiah Gray said. “I think that’s propelled him from being an exciting player when he first came to the Nats in ‘22, to being an All-Star this year. I think we all can agree that the future is really bright and he’s destined for a lot of great things.”
Greene has improved each season since joining the Reds in 2022. He has already set a career-high in wins with six, and that number will continue to rise as the season continues.
In his last outing before the All-Star break, he set a season-high in strikeouts with 10 as he picked up the win against the Colorado Rockies.
On the season, he is carrying a 3.34 ERA with 126 strikeouts through 110.1 innings of work.
Greene will go on to have a lot of success in this league and he’s only getting better with time. The Reds have their pitcher of the future and he will definitely have more All-Star games on his resume.
“Rolls Royce” Lewis is off to the greatest start at the plate in the 123-year history of the Minnesota Twins franchise. Since returning from injury two weeks ago, he has been the best hitter in the Majors, posting a .429/.529/1.000 slash line with five home runs and seven RBI over his last seven games to claim the top spot on Week 12 of our #HighFive list.
It is a tragedy the 2017 first overall pick has only suited up in a Twins uniform for 85 games since debuting in 2022 thanks to a handful of injuries. Similar to their superstar Byron Buxton, who also has had trouble staying on the field, Lewis is a five-tool MVP candidate every time he steps out of the dugout; the only difference is Lewis has a higher ceiling.
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Lewis hit the 26th home run of his career Wednesday night, which is the most through the first 85 games in Twins history and eight more than the next closest player. “I do not do that slump thing,” Lewis told reporters postgame Wednesday after collecting an 0-for-5 Tuesday. “That is not a real thing for me. Everyday is a fresh start.”
Hunter Greene was all gas no breaks in his pitching duel versus the Pittsburgh Pirates Wednesday night.
He earned the two spot on the #HighFive list after going 6.1 shutout innings and striking out nine without walking anyone. The start was the 10th time this season Greene has had more than 15 whiffs (swings and misses) in a start, which leads the Majors, while his 98 strikeouts rank seventh in the National League.
He will take on the Pirates again next Tuesday night, this time in front of the Cincinnati faithful.
Giancarlo Stanton is the biggest X-Factor in the Yankees lineup and has played well since June began.
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This week he slashed .346/.414/.577 with two home runs, seven RBI while compiling a seven-game hitting streak. He has been one of the best hitters in the Majors with runners in scoring position this season and proved so with two big hits Wednesday against the Orioles.
First, with the Yankees down four he launched his 18th homer of the year — a three-run shot in the bottom of the seventh to make it a one-run game. Then, in the ninth with one out and a runner on second, Stanton singled in the tying run.
Thanks to being in a market as low on the totem pole as Cleveland is, Josh Naylor may not get the start at first base in the All-Star Game he rightfully deserves, but as long as he keeps mashing it at the plate, he will find his way to Arlington come July.
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After a great start to the year Naylor struggled in May, hitting just .186 despite launching eight home runs. However Naylor has fought his way out of the slump, hitting .360 with a .448 on base percentage and two home runs over his last seven games. Both those homers came Wednesday night in a win over the Seattle Mariners. “When you see a swing like that, it is one that deserves to be in Texas, it can change games,” said Josh’s brother Bo Naylor when asked to campaign him for the All-Star Game.
Similar to Giancarlo Stanton, Cedric Mullins is the X-Factor that will decide the ultimate success of the Baltimore Orioles this season.
Mullins, who hit his first home run since April 26th Thursday afternoon, is hitting .292 with three RBI and two steals in his last seven games.
In Wednesday’s extra inning victory over the Yankees, Mullins put his skill set on full display in the 10th inning.
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Not only did he drive in what would end up being the game-winning run, he also stole third and caused a wild throw into the outfield to add on another. “That is what he can do when he gets on base,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said postgame when speaking on Mullins.
“He gets a single, a lot of times it is a double. If he gets a double, he gets an opportunity to take third. There is a lot he can do on the bases for us.”
Don’t look now but the Cleveland Guardians are mere percentage points behind the red hot Atlanta Braves for the best record in baseball.
While the Braves have been the class of the National League East for most of the decade and are meeting expectations, the Cleveland Guardians have ascended to the top of the American League Central and are one game in the loss column in front of the New York Yankees for the overall lead in the American League.
But the question is… How does a Guardians team who has one of the lowest payrolls in the sport keep pace with a team like the Yankees, who easily spends much more? MLBbro.com would like to introduce the newest budding superstar, first baseman Josh Naylor.
It didn’t take long to jump into the spotlight, in fact he brought his brother Bo along when they hit home runs in the same inning a couple of weeks back.
Coming into this week, the 26 year-old Naylor is playing at an All-Star level while featuring a batting compilation of stats that has been better than stars like MLBbro Mookie Betts, Ronald Acuna Jr., and Shohei Ohtani.
Just look at the resume…
Take a listen…
With a .340 AVG, Josh Naylor is leading all of baseball since May 15, 2023 (min. 400 PA) 🤯@markdero7 and @TheMayorsOffice step into the Skybox to take a look at the @CleGuardians slugger's continued success. #MLBCentral pic.twitter.com/GfGlRJuzj8
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) April 23, 2024
After starting his career struggling against left handed pitching, our MLBbro has made adjustments in his approach at the plate which has brought him to superstar status and one of the best pure hitters in the game.
“Being selectively aggressive is key,” Naylor told the press. “Sometimes the first pitch you get is one of the better pitches you are going to see all day. You kind of trust in your ability that you can hit it. And you’re kind of confident enough in your swing, your body positioning, your balance, that you can get to this pitch… Maybe take your shot.”
Teammate Jose Ramirez will still command headlines, but he’s going to start sharing the spotlight especially after Naylor made a special Guardians fan’s dream come true.
No, the MLBbro.com staff is not crying… just allergies. Press play…
We're not crying, it's just the cold. 🥹❤️
Josh Naylor surprised a long-time Guardians fan, Carolyn, with flowers and a visit at today's pregame batting practice. Carolyn is currently in hospice care and was able to attend today’s game to watch her favorite team and favorite… pic.twitter.com/OGpyQUhkzp
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) April 24, 2024
Carolyn Steffens is in hospice care and is a Cleveland fan and probably now Josh Naylor’s biggest fan. Her daughter, Lora, reached out to the team to hopefully surprise her mother with the chance to meet her favorite player in potentially her last chance to see the team live at Progressive Field.
While everyone allowed Carolyn to believe that she would watch batting practice on the field, the MLBbro via Canada shocked her with flowers and a bat and in an even more gentleman-like move, brought out his starter jacket to cover her on one of the coldest days in years.
After spending some time with Carolyn and the family, Naylor posed for a photo for everyone to remember. Something that reminds us all that the MLBbro influence goes a lot farther than baseball.
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.
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