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
Baldelli also discusses his playing career and relationship with MLBbros Carl Crawford and The Uptons, as well as his managerial influences, “Live at the Ballpark” with Malik Wright.
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.
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.
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