Mookie Betts had a month of May for the record books and takes top spot Week 8 of our #HighFive List for the second time in a row.
1. Mookie Betts
Mookie Betts put up numbers during the month of May that have only been seen by seven players in Major League history including Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth.
He should win the National League Player of the Month Award after finishing with a .342 average, 12 home runs, 27 RBI, 31 runs, 10 doubles, 13 walks and a .411 on base percentage.
Betts’ power surge at the plate has led to a National League leading 16 home runs while his league leading 51 runs have him on pace for almost 170 this season.
Voting for the 2022 All-Star Game which will be held in Betts’ home ballpark of Dodgers Stadium opens early next week and it’s certain he will be in right field batting leadoff for the National League. The only question being whether or not he can lead all players in total votes.
This weekend Betts and his Dodgers host the New York Mets who have the best record in baseball for a four-game series.
2. J.P. Crawford
Entering Thursday J.P. Crawford only trails Mike Trout and his teammate Ty France for the highest Wins Above Replacement rating in the American League, as he is keeping his Mariner team above water.
Crawford is on pace to have the best season of his career, this coming off 2021 where he put up the best numbers he has produced in almost every hitting category including a .273 average, nine home runs and 54 RBI.
Crawford hit his fifth home run of the season Wednesday and is batting .375 with a .483 on base percentage over his last seven games.
This weekend Crawford travels to Texas to take on Marcus Semien and the Rangers in Arlington.
3. Ke’Bryan Hayes
Ke’Bryan Hayes’ three-run game winning home run in the 9th inning last week against the Padres was perfect timing for his first of the season.
Hayes is the face of the Pittsburgh Pirate franchise and has put up numbers to earn that title.
Entering Thursday his .293 average was fourth highest of all Major League third basemen and he is starting to get back on track on defense after starting the year with an uncharacteristic amount of errors.
This week Hayes and his Pirates made history by sweeping Mookie Betts and the Dodgers in Los Angeles for the first time since 2000.
He finished the two-game set going 4-for-9 with a stolen base and a run scored as his team has won four out of their last five ballgames.
Over his last seven games Hayes is batting .300 with five RBI and will travel to the desert to take on the Arizona Diamondbacks this weekend.
4. Triston McKenzie
In five starts during the month of May Triston McKenzie posted a 2.12 ERA and held batters to a mediocre .155 batting average and earned a record of 3-2.
Each start McKenzie threw at least six innings and gave up no more than three runs.
His best start of the stretch happened to be his last start where he went a season high 7.2 innings allowing just four hits and two runs on eight strikeouts last Saturday against the Tigers.
You have got to see what this bro has been doing.
Triston McKenzie has risen to ace stardom for the Guardians. He’s 3-1 in his last 4 starts and is scheduled to start Saturday in Detroit.
Another impressive bit from McKenzie’s month is that four of his five starts were all on the road as he begins to show some signs of comfort in his third career season.
McKenzie’s next start will be another road test, this time in Camden Yards against reigning American League Silver Slugger and starting All-Star outfielder Cedric Mullins.
5. Nick Plummer
Nick Plummer came up big in Primetime this week and earns a spot on our #High/Five after the first week of his career.
Down by one in the ninth inning on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball against the rival Phillies, Plummer hit a game-tying home run on the first pitch of the at-bat, becoming the 14th Met to hit a home run as the first hit of their career.
For an encore the next day Plummer followed with a 3-for-4 game, hitting another home run to go along with a double and four RBI.
After the demotion of Dominic Smith earlier this week Plummer’s roster spot will be his to lose.
This weekend the Lathrup Village, Michigan native will play his first Major League game at Dodgers Stadium as he looks to outdo this weeks #High/Five leader Mookie Betts.
Triston McKenzie was on another level this past Sunday as he was just fingertips away from making history.
He almost threw the first perfect game Major League Baseball has seen in nine years.
The last one was tossed by Mariners Cy Young ace Felix Hernadez, who threw one against the Tampa Bay Rays.
That earns him the top spot in Week 19 of our #HighFive list.
1. Triston McKenzie
We have known since last season that Cleveland Guardians pitcher Triston McKenzie can be one of the most electric pitchers in the Majors when he’s on, and last Sunday he showed the Detroit Tigers exactly that.
McKenzie pitched a career high eight innings, allowing just a single hit and recorded a career-high 11 strikeouts as he vibed out on the Motor City mound.
“He was so chill, so under control, so confident, I loved it,” said Guardians catcher Austin Hedges when speaking on McKenzie’s demeanor on the mound.
Is anyone responsible for jinxing Triston McKenzie's perfect game bid?
— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) August 18, 2021
McKenzie has been sent up and down from Triple A multiple times this season; he never truly got the time to get reps in the Minors as he has been forced to learn on the fly due to injuries in the rotation.
After a few good starts leading up to his near bid at perfection, it seems he may have finally turned a corner.
McKenzie will look to build off his effort during his next start Saturday against the Los Angeles Angels.
2. Aaron Judge
It may finally be time to say it, the Yankees are back, and their resurgence has a lot to do with the play of their All-Star outfielder Aaron Judge.
Judge batted .400 this week with a .900 slugging percentage, nine RBI, nine walks, six runs, three stolen bases and three home runs including two in the great state of Iowa.
Had it not been for Tim Anderson’s heroics in the ninth inning of the “Field of Dreams” game, the sports world would have woken up to headlines of Aaron Judge being the biggest name in baseball.
Judge has seen his Yankees climb back into the thick of the playoff race over the last few weeks as they have won 10 of their last 11 series including taking two out of three against the White Sox and then sweeping their rivals, the Red Sox to begin the week.
This weekend Judge and the Yankees will welcome the Minnesota Twins to the Bronx.
3. Tim Anderson
Tim Anderson is Prime Time. He should be the face of baseball, and proved so after hitting the first ever walk-off home run in the great state of Iowa.
Anderson has recorded hits in nine consecutive games, including five multi-hit performances leading him to reach the seven spot in the race for the American League batting title.
Anderson and his White Sox will be tested this weekend as they take on last year’s American League champions, the Tampa Bay Rays.
4. Giancarlo Stanton
The other half of the Yankees Twin Tower of Power, Giancarlo Stanton has done his part to rally the Yankees back into contention and takes the fourth spot on this weeks #HighFive List.
Chisholm is among the first-ever Bahamian born players to grace the Majors and a fully healthy season might have been good enough for Jazz to win the National League’s Rookie of the Year Award.
During both Sunday and Monday’s games in Miami, Jazz hit home runs to the upper deck of the park.
The MLBbros decided to turn Week 12 of the season into a seven-day Home Run Derby. They hit a pair of grand slams while mixing in a few game-winning homers in between.
Michael Brantley, however, takes the top spot on our High Five list after batting .500 during the Houston Astros’ current 10-game winning streak and taking the top spot in the race for baseball’s batting title.
1.Michael Brantley
If the season ended today, Michael Brantley would take home Major League Baseball’s batting championship, and right now it’s not even close. His .356 average is .16 higher than the closest player.
On June 8, he returned to play after missing time with an injury and he’s lived up to his nickname, “The Professional” at the plate since.
In his last seven games, he is batting .400 with a.500 OBP, 12 hits, nine RBI, six runs and three walks.
Brantley has been the main catalyst in the resurgence of Dusty Baker’s Astros this season. During their four-game sweep of Tim Anderson and the White Sox last weekend, Brantley was 5-for-16 with six RBI, a double, triple and a three-run home run.
Michael Brantley is absolutely destroying baseballs this season. This 3 run bomb raises his average to .347 on the year pic.twitter.com/va9Xo5dePO
Brantley is also the American League leader in doubles and heads to the Motor City this weekend for a four-game set against the Tigers.
2. Tony Kemp
Tony Kemp played a lot bigger than his 5-foot-6 frame this week, earning the second spot on our High Five list.
In 35 games since May 8, when Kemp was hitting .190, he is 34-for-95 with a .358 batting average. He has seven doubles, two triples and four home runs in that span.
Two of those homers came last weekend in the Bronx. In the sixth inning of Friday night’s game, he hit what would end up being a game-winning three-run home run. He would then follow up with a first-inning shot the next day.
He has hits in seven of his last eight games and has worked him into an everyday spot in a dangerous Athletics lineup.
For the second time in 24 hours @tonykemp caught a Yankees pitcher slipping. The Oakland second baseman now has four homers on the year #MLBbroshttps://t.co/xvfTMx4Vg7
This weekend, he takes on the first-place San Francisco Giants in a battle for the Bay Area.
3. Shed Long Jr.
Two game-winning home runs have Mariners’ second baseman Shed Long Jr. in the third spot on our High Five list. It’s going to be hard to find someone who gave a better Father’s Day gift than Shed did.
His first home run of the season came by way of a walk-off grand slam in the 10th inning against the defending American League champion Tampa Bay Rays.
Long has eight RBI in his last seven games with a .609 Slugging Percentage. Injuries have played a major role in the Mariners’ season, including to Shed but he’s getting playing time now and making the most of it. Seattle will have a fun matchup this weekend as they play on the South Side of Chicago.
4. Cedric Mullins
I may never watch baseball again if Cedric Mullins is not an All-Star this season. He’s been doing everything he can to climb up the top of the fan vote, but with a few outfielders currently sidelined with injury, he could easily find himself starting the game in center.
In a weekend series against May’s American League Player of the Month Marcus Semien and the Blue Jays, Mullins added to his legend in the Charm City. He hit four home runs and had six RBI in a two-day span.
This month, Cedric is 26-for-73 with a .356 batting average, five doubles, seven home runs and 12 RBI. He now sits ninth in the Majors in batting average. His O’s will get their shot at revenge against Semien and the Blue Jays after they lost last weekend’s series.
5. J.P. Crawford
The Gold Glover takes the five spot on this week’s #HighFive list, but it has everything to do with his performance at the plate.
Last week, he was named our Home Boi Highlight after riding an eight-game hitting streaking with a .351 average with seven RBI, six runs and two home runs including a grand slam Saturday night in the Mariners Seattle Steelhead Negro League throwback jerseys.
Crawford’s hitting streak reached 10 games after going 2-for-4 with a double Wednesday night. During that span, he has four multi-hit games and eight runs batted in. All signs are beginning to point to him being named the Mariners’ representative for this year’s All-Star game in Denver.
Last year’s Gold Glove award winner at shortstop deserves his shine and his chance to showcase his talents on one of the biggest stages in baseball.
This weekend’s Mariners vs. White Sox matchup will feature two of the most exciting shortstops in the game, J.P. and former batting champion Tim Anderson who just celebrated his 28th birthday on June 23.
Week 7 of the MLB season is in the books and one of the top MLB Bro’s in Major League Baseball has finally answered our questions on whether or not he could step up and return to his MVP type form in the Bronx.
Yankee slugger Aaron Judge claims the top spot in this week’s #HighFive after his performance this week in light of his Twin Tower teammate Giancarlo Stanton being placed on the Injured List.
1. Aaron Judge
Aaron Judge sits at the top of our High Five list this week after batting .385 with four home runs and five RBIs this week. We questioned whether it was foul or fair that the Yankees needed to look into dealing Judge, but he quickly proved us wrong and earned a spot on our Rob Parker’s “Homeboi Highlights” this past Monday.
Judge is tied for third with 12 home runs and he hit at least one home run in all three games of the Yankees sweeping of the Baltimore Orioles including a two-homer game last Friday while winning AL Player of the Week.
Injuries have plagued the Yankees’ plans for a Murderer’s Row lineup. Now, with Aaron Hicks’ availability the rest of the season in question as well, Judge will need to continue to stay hot when he brings his bat back to the Bronx to take on Tim Anderson and the White Sox for a weekend series.
2. Michael Brantley
One of the most underrated hitters in all of baseball takes the number two spot on this week’s High Five list.
The Astros have faced three of their American League West rivals in the past eight games, and Brantley has been teeing off all of them.
Tonight marks José Ramírez's third career game with three doubles. It's the first for the Indians since Michael Brantley on May 3, 2018 against Toronto.
Brantley is batting .314 with four runs and five RBI during that span as his Astros have recorded a 7-2 record. He has been one of the most consistent hitters in all of Major League Baseball throughout his entire career and is earning every penny of the $32 million deal he earned from the Astros this past off season.
3. Jack Flaherty
This week Jack Flaherty moved closer to joining one of the rarest fraternities in all of baseball, Black Aces, after earning two more wins this week raising his major-league lead to eight.
In his last 12 innings, Flaherty has given up two runs on 13 strikeouts while allowing just four hits in each start.
Cardinals win, 8-5, and pick up a game in the division. They are 25-18. Jack Flaherty improves to 8-0 in his first nine starts. The only other Cardinal pitcher to do that in team history? Why, that would be Bob Gibson.
Once again he put his name in the Cardinals history book next to the late great Bob Gibson as the franchise’s only pitchers to win 8 of their first 9 starts in a season.
His next chance to raise his win streak to nine will come next Tuesday as he will meet in an interleague matchup against the White Sox and MLB Bro RBI Baseball 2021 Cover boy.
4. Marcus Semien
Blue Jays second baseman Marcus Semien makes his first appearance on the High Five list this season as he has proven to be one of the best off-season signings in all of baseball.
Semien put up near MVP numbers last for the Oakland Athletics at shortstop. He decided to take his talents to one of the youngest, most talented teams in the sport and move over to 2nd base.
His bat traveled with him from the west coast as he is batting .280 with 10 home runs and 26 RBI this year which leads all Major League second baseman.
In his last three games, Semien is hitting .538 with 6 RBI and two home runs including a three-hit performance Saturday against the Phillies.
5. Tim Anderson
The 2019 batting champion has continued his strong showing at the plate this season as he earns the number five spot on this week’s High Five list.
Tuesday Anderson saw his 12 game hitting streak come to an end. Despite that, he still hit .300 this week including having three multi-hit games. His White Sox are tied for the best record in the American League league despite losing multiple players to injury, including 2020 MVP Jose Abreu.
The former batting champ is still influencing the culture on and off the field.
#MLBBro Tim Anderson rocked these Mamba cleats in honor of Kobe Bryant and his Hall of Fame induction ? ??? https://t.co/V270J2ZIDc
Anderson’s biggest play this week came off the field when he came to the defense of his teammate Yermin Mercedes who was punished by their manager Tony La Russa for hitting a home run on a 3-0 count during a 15-4 blowout of the Twins.
The game wasn’t over! “Keep doing your thing big Daddy!,” said his Rookie of the Year candidate teammate.
T.A. has shown great leadership both on and off the field this season. With a lot of drama surrounding the South Side, Anderson will continue to be one of the best hitters in baseball.
The reigning American League Rookie of the Year got a late start after beginning the season on the Injured List. But now he’s heating up, going 8-for-20 with a .400 batting average the past week, entering Thursday night’s game.
For that, he makes his first appearance this season on our #HighFIVE list — and gets the top spot.
Lewis came to Texas and his bat was as hot as the weather. He recorded multiple hits in each of the Mariners’ three games during their weekend series against the Rangers, including three knocks in Friday’s opener.
As the Mariners begin to call up some of their top prospects this week, Lewis will need to grow up fast and even add the role of mentor to his job description.
If anyone knows how to successfully navigate the on-and-off the field issues a player can face during their rookie year, the recent hardware in Lewis’s trophy case would prove he’s the guy for the job.
2. Cedric Mullins (Baltimore Orioles)
Cedric Mullins has been one of the top players in the game through the first six weeks of the season.
After collecting a hit in seven straight games, including one of the most impressive triples you will ever see, we gave him the nickname “CM Storm” and he claims the second spot on our #HighFive list.
Mullins has begun to blossom this season. He ranks second in hits while leading all MLB center fielders with 98 putouts. Mullins also hasn’t committed an error this season. Amazing since he plays one of the toughest positions in all of sports.
3. Jack Flaherty (St. Louis Cardinals)
This week, Flaherty gained separation as he now leads Major League Baseball with seven wins. The next closest pitchers have five.
Congratulations @Jack9Flaherty he became the 1st pitcher to reach 7 wins this season after throwing 6 scoreless innings and striking out 6. This was his 5th straight quality start in a row. https://t.co/V2KLPlcKLx
Thursday made it five straight quality starts for Jack as he defeated the Brewers 2-0. He went six innings allowing no runs on just four hits while striking out six. In his two starts this week, Flaherty did not give up a single run in 13 innings. He struck out 12 batters and his Cardinals recorded shutout wins in each game.
He’s on fire and it might be time to start talking about the possibility of Flaherty becoming MLB’s first Black Ace (20-game winner) since David Price in 2012.
4. Taijuan Walker (New York Mets)
The Black Knight pitcher in New York always finds a way onto our list and this week will be no different. Walker sits in the third spot in this week’s High FIVE and has proven to Mets’ fans that he was one of the top free agent acquisitions this off-season.
Walker currently sits 13th in ERA for Major League Baseball after lowering his down to 2.20 on Wednesday after his start against Baltimore. In his last two starts, it seems that he’s finally found his stride as he is raking up strikeouts and going deep into games.
In the 14 innings, he pitched, he only gave up one run, while striking out eight batters. Importantly to Met fans, he’s only walked three batters. He had given 13 free passes in the four previous starts before.
The Mets are 6-1 in games started by Walker this season.
5. Tim Anderson (Chi-Town White Sox)
When it’s all said and done, MLBbro.com expects Tim Anderson to be right in the running for the second batting title of his career this season. T.A. has collected a hit in eight straight games and recorded six RBI during his streak.
Anderson hit a home run on the first pitch of the bottom of the first, and the White Sox held off the Twins (minus Byron Buxton) for a 4-2 victory Thursday at Guaranteed Rate Field. It was their sixth straight win and 14th in 18 games.
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