If the season was only seven weeks long, Aaron Judge would be the American League’s Most Valuable Player. He rolled the dice and if things continue to go his way, he will be baseball’s highest-paid player by season’s end.
For the second time this season, he takes the top spot on our #HighFive List.
Aaron Judge
Aaron Judge has his Yankees off to their best start since 1998 when they went on to win 114 games and swept the San Diego Padres in the World Series.
Judge, whose 14 home runs lead the Majors, takes the top spot on our #HighFive list once again and deservedly so. He is leading baseball’s best team in average, on-base percentage, runs, hits and OPS while only trailing fellow MLBbro and #HighFive member Giancarlo Stanton for the team lead in RBI.
“It’s fun with this team,” Judge told reporters after his 4-for-5 with two home run performance on Tuesday. “We want to play two games a night if we could.”
That was Judge’s third career four-hit game. He now has his average sitting at .306 with 30 runs batted in and an OPS of 1.049 to go along with those 14 homers.
His Yankees will welcome Tim Anderson and the White Sox into the Bronx for a three-game series this weekend.
2. Hunter Greene
I have seen plenty of heartbreaking moments in baseball over my twenty plus years on Earth, but there are not many I can think of other than the look on Greene’s face after his team allowed no hits and still found a way to take the loss Sunday against Pittsburgh.
No pitcher in the Majors has thrown more pitches in a game than Greene’s 118 on Sunday. If it had not been for a few untimely walks, he may have had a chance to throw a few more.
He struck out a career-high nine batters in the game, but also gave up a career-high five free passes to Pirate hitters, including two in the 8th that led to him being taken out just five outs away from history.
“It would have been great to have a different result,” said Greene in this postgame interview. “But it is what it is. This is my team, ride or die with them.”
The Reds are in rebuild mode this season, but one positive I can take away from Greene’s outing was the fact that manager David Bell actually gave him a chance to build strength and confidence for starts farther down the line in his career. Typically, we see young pitchers held back and catered too when they first enter the league, but Greene was ramping up for the day he officially becomes an ace.
On the season, Greene now has a 1-6 record with 44 strikeouts and a 6.21 ERA. His next start will be Saturday in Toronto where he will take on the Blue Jays.
3. Giancarlo Stanton
No visiting player had hit a home run over the new left-field wall in Baltimore’s Camden Yards. That was until Stanton stepped into the box and launched one in the 4th inning of Thursday’s game.
People have been waiting for Stanton to fall off from his hot streak that began last season and has carried into 2022.
A little over a week ago, Stanton had a stretch where he homered five times in five games. Through his last seven games, Stanton is 12-for-26 with a .462 (emphasis on the .462!) batting average with 13 RBI, a 1.000 slugging percentage, four home runs, a .548 on base percentage all while drawing five walks in the process.
4. Michael Brantley
Michael Brantley has set the tone for the Astros’ lineup during their current hot streak as he leads the team in batting average and on base percentage this season.
Brantley is batting .321 over his last seven games with five RBI, a .504 on base percentage and one home run, which came during Houston’s Monday night massacre of the Boston Red Sox.
His three-run home run was one of five dingers the Astros hit in an inning, making them just the eighth team in Major League history to accomplish the feat.
This weekend, Brantley’s Astros return to H-Town for the Silver Boot Series against Marcus Semien and the Texas Rangers. If all goes according to the plan, the lefty will matchup against Taylor Hearn Sunday afternoon.
5. Jazz Chislohm Jr.
Euro-stepper Jazz Chisholm Jr. is doing everything humanly possible to be the face that represents the Marlins franchise.
Swag, charisma, skill – the “Bahamian Blur” has brought it all to Loan Depot Park, and now he is putting up the numbers at the plate to make his case.
Chisholm currently leads the team in batting average, home runs, RBI, runs scored, hits, triples, stolen bases, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and on base plus slugging percentage.
Those are “main event” type numbers that we rarely see a player put up for his team, but we have known since last season Chislohm is different. If he stays on this wave, he has a chance at taking the crown for best second baseman in baseball.
Over his last seven games, Chisholm is batting .286 with two home runs and four RBI. This weekend, he’ll have a chance to take on the reigning World Series champion Atlanta Braves.
Aaron Judge is continuing his case to be the highest paid player in baseball when this off-season comes around.
He told the media he wouldn’t talk about his contract once the season started but his early season MVP campaign is speaking volumes. He takes the top spot in Week 4 of our #HighFive list after hitting five home runs and carrying the Yankees to an 11-game winning streak.
1. Aaron Judge
Funny how the Yankees went on the longest winning streak in the Majors this season after a two-home run game from Aaron Judge a few weeks ago ignited the team. Since then, Judge, who entered Thursday tied for first in MLB with two other players (nine home runs), has been one of the best players in baseball.
He was named Rob Parker’s Homeboi Highlight this week after homering in four out of five games and posting a batting average over .400.
In all, Judge has hits in 12 out of his last 14 games and has his Yankees sitting with the best record in the American League East and tied for the best record in the Majors with their crosstown rivals, the Mets.
Judge and the Yankees had their winning streak snapped Wednesday after the home plate umpire decided to call a few strikes that were near his ankles, but despite that Judge has driven in 13 runs, scoring seven, had a .867 slugging percentage with a .333 batting average over his last seven games.
2. J.P. Crawford
J.P. Crawford joined Aaron Judge as the only two MLBbros named to Major League Baseball’s April Team of the Month. He hit .360 with nine RBI and three home runs that were followed by some top-notch bat flips.
Crawford currently leads the American League with a .452 on-base percentage and ranks in the top five for both Wins Above Replacement and OPS.
Crawford had his 11-game hitting streak snapped a few days ago, but immediately began a new one the following day going 2-for-4 and scoring a run, in a game that Dusty Baker clinched his 2,000th win as a manager.
Over his last seven games, Crawford is batting .400 with a .600 slugging percentage and five runs scored. He’s on pace to have a 30-homer season and potentially a Silver Slugger award in his trophy case next to his Gold Glove.
3. Mookie Betts
Like our own Dante Miles said, it was only a matter of time before Betts got out of his early season slump. He’s given Dodger fans a glimpse of what MVP Mookie brings to the table.
He has collected nine hits in his last seven games including two home runs. One come last night against their rival Giants that had one of their fans nearly in tears after he caught it.
Entering Thursday, Betts was tied for the Major League lead with 23 runs scored this season which is a good sign knowing he has yet to reach his full form in the batters box. He is batting .346 with a .577 slugging percentage and three RBI over his last seven games.
What’s Poppin’ features a bro that’s heating up LA with his hot bat.
Mookie Betts has broken out of his slump. He’s had 8 hits in his last 7 games and came up with a big RBI single in a win against Detroit.
Josiah Gray went into the Bay and tore it up during his start last Sunday against the San Francisco Giants. Gray bounced back after taking his second loss of the season. He tied a career high with 10 strikeouts in a big way, firing six scoreless innings of one hit baseball.
Gray did not give up a hit through the first 4.2 innings. He was able to keep the Giants off the board despite giving up a season-high four walks. He only struck out three batters, but one came on a nasty slider with the bases loaded to kill what could have been a major rally.
Gray earned three wins for the Nationals as he continues to earn his stripes this season.
On the season, Gray has a 3-2 record with 31 strikeouts and a 3.12 ERA. His next start will be Saturday night under the bright lights of Los Angeles against the Angels.
5. Giancarlo Stanton
Last week he became the seventh-fastest player ever to reach 350 home runs with a first inning bomb against Baltimore.
Along with making history at the plate, Giancarlo Stanton began the week showing he is no liability in the outfield by making one of the most impressive catches we have seen this season.
Giancarlo Stanton has put on a show en route to 350 home runs 🔥
Monday came around and Stanton made one of the best catches we have seen this entire season when he robbed Blue Jays third baseman Matt Chapman with a leaping catch at the wall.
Stanton once again leads the league in average exit velocity at 97.4 MPH and has the highest max exit velocity recorded when he hit a 119.8 MPH liner earlier this season has been just as important as Aaron Judge to the Yankees lineup during their most recent hot streak.
Over his last seven games Stanton is batting .321 with two home runs, four RBI and an on-base percentage over .400.
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.
Taijuan Walker has silenced many of his haters this season by taking the city that never sleeps by storm. He has the seventh-lowest ERA in the Major Leagues and struck out a career-high 12 batters during his start this week against the Chicago Cubs.
Through the first three months of the season, Taijuan Walker has been the steal of the off season. The Mets were the only team to offer him a contract, which is for 2 years and $20 million with a player option for the third.
“Everything’s worked out well for everyone,” Walker told reporters. “I’m glad the Mets were my only offer.
Taijuan Walker's 2.12 ERA is the second-lowest in history by a Met in his first 12 starts with the franchise.
The lowest: Al Leiter, who produced a 1.70 ERA over his first 12 starts in 1998.
In Tuesday’s start against the Cubs, Walker struck out a career-high 12 batters and lowered his ERA to 2.12 which is good for seventh in the league. It was his third start this season without allowing a walk and he has caught fire since returning from the Injured List.
In the four starts since his return, Walker has thrown 24 innings and struck out 31 hitters.
His Black Knight rotation mate Marcus Stroman has been the Andre 3000 to Walker’s Big Boi. In his last two starts, Stroman has thrown 13 innings with 15 strikeouts and only one earned run.
Taijuan will get the Fathers Day start for the Mets as they travel to the nation’s capital to take on Josh Harrison, Josh Bell and the rest of the Nationals.
2. Mookie Betts
We have high expectations for Mookie, being that he is the best player in all of baseball. He got off to a slow start this season for his standards, but during the past week, Betts showed flashes of his MVP-caliber skills.
He’s hit .318 with three home runs, four RBI, eight runs, five walks and a .727 Slugging Percentage in his last seven games.
Bett’s has four multi-hit games this month and on Tuesday night against the Phillies, it was the 7th inning of a 3-3 game when Mookie stepped to the plate and blasted a solo home run.
It was the first time he hit a homer with Dodger stadium completely full.
Mookie travels to Arizona this weekend to take on the Diamondbacks who will be rocking their city connect uniforms on Friday night.
3. Marcus “Rock Any Park U” Semien
Marcus Semien has kept his hot bat from the month of May going in June. The reigning American League Player of the Month is batting .263 with three home runs this month, including a leadoff bomb Wednesday night against the Yankees’ Garrett Cole.
Through his last seven games, Semien is hitting .286 with three home runs, six RBI, seven runs and a stolen base. He is on track to start at second base for the American League All-Star team and is in the middle of what is a career year leading up to his free agency this offseason.
Bobby Bradley has been rocking out since joining Cleveland on June 5th as they have been riddled with injuries and he has given them exactly what they have been missing: power at the first base position. Thursday Bradley hit his fourth home run in just 10 games this season. He is now batting .375 with four home runs and 11 RBI.
Bradley has also helped the Indians stay afloat in a wide-open American League. Since his call up they have a record of 8-2 and sit in second place in the American League Central, four games behind Tim Anderson’s White Sox while being only a game back of Michael Brantley and the Houston Astros for the final Wild Card spot.
After finishing a four-game sweep of the Baltimore Orioles Thursday, Bradley will travel to Pittsburg to take on Ke’Bryan Hayes and the Pirates.
5. J-Up
Justin Upton was named Rob Parker’s Home Boi Highlight after batting .360 with 10 runs scored and two home runs last week. He recently moved to the leadoff spot in the Angels lineup and raised his batting average from .120 to .232.
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