Tag: player of the week

Red Sox’ Rafael Devers earns American League Player of the Week honors

Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers has been named the American League Player of the Week for the week of September 11-17, Major League Baseball announced on Monday.

In seven games against the Yankees and Blue Jays, Devers went 8-for-20 (.400) with four home runs, five RBIs, five runs scored, seven walks, and two strikeouts. He was also hit by a pitch on two separate occasions in the process of reaching base in 17 of his 29 plate appearances.

Though the Red Sox went just 1-6 in that stretch, Devers is hardly to blame. After going deep twice in Boston’s final series of the year against New York at Fenway Park, the left-handed hitting slugger homered in the final two games of its series with Toronto at Rogers Centre.

On Saturday, Devers launched a two-run blast off Blue Jays starter Chris Bassitt to give his side a 2-0 lead going into the bottom of the sixth inning. The Red Sox then went on to fall to the Jays in the bottom of the 13th as a result of a softly-hit, walk-off infield single off the bat of Whit Merrifield that Devers himself could not field cleanly.

On Sunday, Devers came through in the clutch once more, this time crushing a game-tying solo shot to the opposite field off Erik Swanson with two outs in the top of the ninth. Yet again, however, the Red Sox were walked off on by the Blue Jays as Matt Chapman played hero with a game-winning triple off Garrett Whitlock in the bottom half of the frame.

Following Sunday’s performance, Devers now finds himself batting .276/.355/.521 with 34 doubles, a team-leading 33 home runs, 98 RBIs, and 87 runs scored, three stolen bases, 57 walks and 115 strikeouts in 142 games (614 plate appearances) for Boston this season. The 26-year-old is slashing a stout .350/.458/.650 in 16 games since the calendar flipped from August to September.

Among qualified big-league third basemen coming into play on Monday, Devers ranks third in homers, second in RBIs, fifth in runs scored, fourth in batting average, third in on-base percentage, second in slugging percentage, first in OPS (.876), third in isolated power (.245), second in hard-hit rate (54.5 percent), first in wOBA (.369), and second in wRC+ (130), per FanGraphs.

With 172 homers for his major-league career, Devers is currently tied with Hall of Famer Jim Rice for the most home runs by a Red Sox player before turning 27 years old. He also became the 22nd player in franchise history to record 400 career extra-base hits over the weekend and is the first to do so before his 27th birthday.

Devers, who turns 27 late next month, is the third Red Sox player to earn American League Player of the Week honors this season, joining Masataka Yoshida (May 6) and two-time winner Adam Duvall (April 1, August 26). In the National League, Devers’ fellow countryman — Padres outfielder Juan Soto — took home the award.

With hits in seven of his last nine games, Devers will look to keep things rolling as the Red Sox open a three-game series against the Rangers at Globe Life Field on Monday night. Devers is batting second and starting at third base for Boston. First pitch is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Rafael Devers: Mark Blinch/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Niko Goodrum earns International League Player of the Week honors

Red Sox minor-league infielder Niko Goodrum has been named the International League Player of the Week for the week of June 19-25, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Goodrum had a strong week for Triple-A Worcester in its latest series against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs at Polar Park. Starting all six games, the switch-hitting 31-year-old went 10-for-21 (.476) at the plate with four doubles, one home run, four RBIs, eight runs scored, two stolen bases, seven walks, and six strikeouts to close out the first half of the minor-league season. That one homer came on Tuesday, which also happened to be his daughter’s second birthday.

On the 2023 campaign as a whole, Goodrum has batted .279/.443/.428 with nine doubles, one triple, seven home runs, 34 RBIs, 47 runs scored, seven stolen bases, 63 walks, and 60 strikeouts in 63 games (280 plate appearances) for the WooSox. His 22.5 percent walk rate ranks first among qualified International League hitters, per MiLB.com’s leaderboards.

Goodrum has put up these numbers while seeing playing time at four different positions for Worcester. The versatile 6-foot-3, 220-pounder has logged 243 innings at first base, 171 1/3 innings at second base, and exactly 100 innings at third base. He also made one start in right field back on May 18.

A veteran of six major-league seasons between the Twins, Tigers, and Astros, Goodrum signed a minor-league contract with the Red Sox in December. Though he did not make Boston’s Opening Day roster out of spring training, he has fared well in Worcester and has made a positive impact in the clubhouse as well.

Bobby Dalbec said as much in a recent conversation with MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith, noting that Goodrum pulled him aside in between a doubleheader earlier this season and “kind of showed me something on my swing path and it was very clear to me.”

WooSox manager Chad Tracy, meanwhile, had glowing reviews for Goodrum’s approach at the plate when speaking with MassLive.com’s Katie Morrison-O’Day back in late April.

“He’s a pro, very professional,” Tracy said. “He swings at strikes, gets deep in counts, manages at-bats, foul things off. You’re watching a guy who has played in the big leagues for a while. He’s got a plan of what he’s trying to do when he goes in there and sticks to it.”

According to SoxProspects.com’s Chris Hatfield, Goodrum can opt out of his contract on July 1 (this Saturday) if he has not yet been added to the Red Sox’ active roster. Given how he has performed as of late, the odds have him opting out in order to find a better opportunity elsewhere have likely increased.

(Picture of Niko Goodrum: Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Red Sox catching prospect Johanfran Garcia named Florida Complex League Player of the Week

Red Sox catching prospect Johanfran Garcia has been named the Florida Complex League Player of the Week for the week of June 19-25, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Garcia went 8-for-15 (.533) at the plate with three doubles, two home runs, five RBIs, five runs scored, three walks, and six strikeouts in four games for the FCL Red Sox last week. Both of those home runs came in a 10-4 win over the FCL Braves down in Fort Myers last Monday, marking the first multi-homer game of his professional career.

On the 2023 campaign as a whole, the right-handed hitting Garcia has batted .340/.444/.604 with four doubles, two triples, those two home runs, 12 runs driven in, 12 runs scored, one stolen base, seven walks, and 15 strikeouts across 13 games (63 plate appearances) with Boston’s rookie-level affiliate.

Defensively, Garcia has served as the FCL Red Sox’ primary catcher in front of the likes of Brooks Brannon, Diego Viloria, Rivaldo Avila, and Johnfrank Salazar. The 5-foot-10, 196-pound backstop has logged 56 innings behind the plate thus far and has thrown out three of six would-be base stealers. He gunned down a runner at third base in the ninth inning of Monday’s contest against the FCL Orioles (which was later suspended due to rain) at JetBlue Park.

Garcia, 18, originally signed with the Red Sox for $850,000 as an international free agent coming out of Venezuela in January 2022. The Valencia native is the younger brother of minor-league outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia (who signed with the club three years prior) and is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 33 prospect in Boston’s farm system.

Considering that he does not turn 19 until December, it feels safe to assume that Garcia will spend the rest of the summer in the FCL. As things stand now, he is viewed as a bat-first catcher who has the potential to stick behind the plate moving forward.

(Picture of Johanfran Garcia: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer earns South Atlantic League Player of the Week honors

Top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer has been named the South Atlantic League Player of the Week for the week of May 1-7, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Mayer went 16-for-31 (.516) at the plate with six doubles, three home runs, 12 RBIs, eight runs scored, one stolen base, zero walks, and four strikeouts in all six of High-A Greenville’s games on the road against the Asheville Tourists last week.

After going 2-for-5 with a pair of singles in Tuesday’s series opener at McCormick Field, Mayer finished a triple shy of the cycle as part of a four-hit effort on Wednesday. The left-handed hitting shortstop then had one hit on Thursday, two hits on Friday and three hits on Saturday before closing out the weekend with another four-hit performance on Sunday afternoon.

As noted by SoxProspects.com’s Chris Hatfield, McCormick Field is considered to be one of the more hitter-friendly ballparks in all of Minor League Baseball given its favorable dimensions. That being said, it was nonetheless an impressive week of work for Mayer.

Though his first full season in Greenville got off to a slow start, Mayer has picked things up as of late. He is now batting a stout .337/.414/.582 (161 wRC+) with 10 doubles, one triple, four home runs, 23 RBIs, 17 runs scored, four stolen bases, 13 walks, and 24 strikeouts over 23 games (111 plate appearances) with the Drive in 2023.

Among qualified South Atlantic League hitters, Mayer ranks eighth in batting average, 14th in on-base percentage, 10th in slugging percentage, ninth in OPS (.996), 17th in isolated power (.245), 23rd in strikeout rate (21.6 percent), and ninth in wRC+ (161), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Mayer has unsurprisingly seen all of his playing time on the field to this point in the season come at shortstop. The 6-foot-2, 188-pounder has logged 193 innings at short thus far and has committed six errors in 72 defensive chances.

Mayer, 20, is regarded by most publications as the No. 1 prospect in Boston’s farm system. As far as top-100 rankings are concerned, Baseball America has him at No. 13 while MLB Pipeline pegs him as the seventh-best prospect in the sport.

A native of Chula Vista, Calif., Mayer was originally selected by the Red Sox with the fourth overall pick in the 2021 amateur draft out of Eastlake High School. Though he grew up a Yankees fan, Mayer forwent his commitment to Southern California and signed with Boston for a lucrative $6.664 million that July

As the Sox’ highest-selected player since 1967, Mayer entered the professional ranks with plenty of hype surrounding him. In a relatively small sample size of 140 minor-league games between the Florida Complex League, Low-A Salem, and Greenville, Mayer has shown why he is worthy of such attention.

Mayer, who does not turn 21 until December, is bilingual and has shown leadership qualities in the clubhouse. He has the ability to connect with both English- and Spanish-speaking teammates on and off the field, which only adds to his value within the organization.

As the Drive prepare to open a 12-game homestand at Fluor Field on Tuesday, more people have begun to wonder when Mayer will make the jump from Greenville to Double-A Portland. For Mayer himself, he is focused on the present as well as the challenge at hand.

“For me, I’m going out there and playing and I’m being where my feet are,” Mayer recently told The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier. “I’m not really going to be thinking about Fenway when I’m in Portland. If I’m in Portland, I’m thinking about being in Portland.

“Obviously, my goal is to be a big leaguer. I want to be there as soon as possible,” he added. “There’s a lot of great players in this organization. So it’s not as easy as just saying, ‘Oh, I want to be in the big-leagues this year.’ But I’m really excited. I worked my tail off in the offseason. I’m super excited for this season.”

Liu named Eastern League Pitcher of the Week

After tossing a seven-inning no hitter in Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Akron RubberDucks on Friday, Portland Sea Dogs right-hander C.J. Liu was named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week.

Liu, 24, becomes the second Sea Dogs pitcher to earn the honor this season, joining lefty Shane Drohan. You can read more about Liu’s stellar outing — and his 2023 campaign as a whole — by clicking here.

(Picture of Marcelo Mayer: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Masataka Yoshida named American League Player of the Week

Red Sox rookie outfielder Masataka Yoshida has been named the American League Player of the Week for the week of May 1-7, Major League Baseball announced on Monday.

In six games against the Blue Jays and Phillies last week, Yoshida went 12-for-25 (.480) at the plate with two doubles, two home runs, eight RBIs, seven runs scored, one walk, and zero strikeouts. The left-handed hitter is currently riding a league-leading 16-game hitting streak.

Following a 2-for-4 showing in Philadelphia on Sunday, Yoshida is now batting a stout .321/.403/.536 with six doubles, six homers, 24 runs driven in, 22 runs scored, two stolen bases, 13 walks, and 11 strikeouts in his first 29 games (129 plate appearances) with Boston this season.

Among qualified American League hitter coming into play on Monday, Yoshida ranks 14th in hits (36), fifth in batting average, sixth in on-base percentage, 11th in slugging percentage, seventh in OPS (.939), first in strikeout rate (8.5 percent), and ninth in wRC+ (155), per FanGraphs.

According to Baseball Savant, Yoshida has not swung and missed at a pitch since the start of May. Going back to April 20, when his hitting streak began, the 29-year-old out of Japan has slashed .438/.479/.750 with five doubles, five home runs, 18 RBIs, 14 runs scored, five walks, and six strikeouts over his last 16 games. His 16-game hitting streak is the longest active streak in the big-leagues and the third-longest of the season thus far.

Yoshida becomes the second member of the 2023 Red Sox to earn American League Player of the Week honors, joining fellow outfielder Adam Duvall, who won it for his performance during the first week of the season. Boston is now the first team this year to have multiple Player of the Week recipients.

On the other side of things, Braves catcher Sean Murphy took home National League Player of the Week honors. Fittingly, the Red Sox and Braves open a two-game series in Atlanta on Tuesday night.

(Picture of Masataka Yoshida: Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Adam Duvall named American League Player of the Week

Red Sox outfielder Adam Duvall has been named the American League Player of the Week for the week of March 30-April 2, Major League Baseball announced on Monday.

Duvall had a monster series against the Orioles to kick off the 2023 season. The right-handed hitting slugger went 8-for-14 (.571) at the plate with three doubles, one triple, two home runs, eight RBIs, 14 runs scored, zero walks, and three strikeouts in three games at Fenway Park.

Both of those homers came in Saturday’s 9-8 win over Baltimore. In the fifth inning, Duvall crushed a 414-foot two-run shot off O’s starter Dean Kremer for his first big fly in a Red Sox uniform. In the bottom of the ninth, with Boston trailing 8-7 and down to its final out, Duvall came through by clubbing a 387-foot, two-run walk-off home run off Felix Bautista that barely cleared the Green Monster.

By hitting one triple, two homers, and three doubles, Duvall became the first player to ever record six or more extra-base hits in their first three games as a member of the Red Sox. The 34-year-old’s eight RBIs are also tied for the second-most in the team’s first three games of a season.

This marks the first time in his 10-year big-league career that Duvall has earned Player of the Week honors in either the American or National League. The one-time All-Star and Gold Glove Award winner signed a one-year, $7 million deal with the Red Sox back in January after spending the better part of the last four seasons with the Braves.

Duvall will be batting fifth and starting in center field as the Red Sox welcome the Pirates into town for the first of a three-game interleague series on Monday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Adam Duvall: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ J.D. Martinez named co-American League Player of the Week

If that was it for J.D. Martinez’s time with the Red Sox, he certainly ended his tenure in Boston on a high note.

Both Martinez and Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge were named co-American League Players of the Week for the week of October 4, Major League Baseball announced earlier Thursday afternoon.

Judge hit his 62nd home run of the year on Tuesday to set a new American League record. Martinez, meanwhile, ended his fifth and possibly final season with the Sox in vintage fashion en route to earning Player of the Week honors for the 10th time in his illustrious career.

The veteran slugger slashed .353/.389/.794 with three doubles, four home runs, seven RBIs, nine runs scored, two walks, and eight strikeouts over his last nine games (36 plate appearances) dating back to September 26. Two of those four homers came in Wednesday’s 6-3 victory over the Rays at Fenway Park.

On the 2022 campaign as a whole, Martinez slashed .274/.341/.448 to go along with 43 doubles, one triple, 16 home runs, 62 runs driven in, 76 runs scored, 52 walks, and 145 strikeouts across 139 games spanning 596 trips to the plate.

In some ways, it was a tail of two seasons for Martinez. The right-handed hitting designated hitter posted a respectable .849 OPS in 81 games leading up to the All-Star break. After representing the Red Sox in the Midsummer Classic for the fourth time in five years, Martinez’s second-half debut was delayed by four days due to back spasms.

The 35-year-old returned to Boston’s lineup on July 26. He limped to the finish line from that point forward by slashing just .233/.301/.400 in his final 58 games. Those numbers would look a lot worse had he not picked it up over the last two weeks of the season.

Regardless of how this season played out, though, it’s hard to argue with the overall body of work Martinez put up over the last five years. The five-year, $110 million contract he signed with the Sox in February 2018 will go down as one of the best free-agent deals in franchise history.

Dating back to the start of the 2018 season, when he was first brought in by then-president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski to provide the Red Sox with a sizable boost, Martinez made four All-Star teams, won two Silver Slugger Awards, and won a World Series. His 130 home runs over the last five seasons are the 15th-most in all of baseball. His .889 OPS is the 12th-highest.

“I think he earned every penny of that contract,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said on Wednesday. “He was always here. He worked so hard on his craft. I’m glad he had a great day today. We’ll see what the future holds.”

It remains to be seen if Martinez, a pending free-agent, will be back with the Red Sox next season. The native Floridian is open to a reunion himself, though chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and Co. could elect to go in a different direction as far as the future of Boston’s designated hitter role is concerned.

“There’s always a pathway. That’s a Chaim question. My famous line,” Martinez said with a laugh. “That’s a Chaim question and you’ve got to go ask him. There’s always a path. Right now, I’m a free-agent. We’ll see where life takes me.”

(Picture of J.D. Martinez: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Former Red Sox prospect Jay Groome named Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week; left-hander has posted 3.48 ERA since being traded to Padres

Former Red Sox pitching prospect Jay Groome was named the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week for the week of September 12-18 on Monday.

In his last start for Triple-A El Paso, Groome scattered three hits and zero walks to go along with six strikeouts across six scoreless innings in a 13-0 win over the Round Rock Express.

Since joining the Chihuahuas’ rotation last month, Groome has posted a 3.48 ERA and 4.52 FIP with 36 strikeouts to 18 walks over eight starts spanning 41 1/3 innings of work. Opposing batters are hitting .277 with a .777 OPS off the left-hander.

A former first-round selection of the Red Sox in 2016, Groome was dealt to the Padres in exchange for veteran first baseman Eric Hosmer and fellow prospects Max Ferguson and Corey Rosier at the trade deadline.

At that time, Groome was regarded by Baseball America as the No. 13 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The 24-year-old southpaw is now ranked by the publication as the No. 10 prospect in San Diego’s farm system, which ranks sixth among pitchers in the organization.

Listed at 6-foot-6 and 262 pounds, Groome operates with a 90-94 mph fastball that touches 95-96 mph, a 76-80 mph curveball, a 79-82 mph changeup, and an 85-87 mph slider. The New Jersey native is already on the Padres’ 40-man roster and will have just one minor-league option remaining after this season.

Taking that into account, MLB Pipeline notes that the Padres could elect to use Groome out of the bullpen if they no longer believe he has starter potential.

(Picture of Jay Groome: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Izzy Wilson earns Eastern League Player of the Week honors for second time this season

For the second time this season, Izzy Wilson has been named Eastern League Player of the Week. He first earned the honors for the week of July 4-10 and did so again for the week of September 5-11, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

In Double-A Portland’s last series against the Binghamton Rumble Ponies at Hadlock Field, Wilson went 9-for-16 (.563) with four doubles, two home runs, six RBIs, six runs scored, two walks, and two strikeouts over five games.

On the 2022 season as a whole, the left-handed hitting outfielder is batting .207/.304/.400 with 14 doubles, three triples, 12 home runs, 41 runs driven in, 46 runs scored, 11 stolen bases, 39 walks, and 91 strikeouts across 91 games (334 plate appearances) with the Sea Dogs.

While those numbers may not seem all that impressive, Wilson has been a much better hitter as of late. In his last 45 games dating back to July 4, for instance, the 24-year-old has slashed a stout .293/.371/.592 (157 wRC+) to go along with 10 homers, 33 RBIs, 29 runs scored, and eight stolen bases in 169 trips to the plate.

Defensively, Wilson has seen the majority of his playing time with the Sea Dogs come in right field. The 6-foot-3, 185-pounder has logged a team-high 632 1/3 innings in right as well as 78 innings in center while leading the team in outfield assists with six.

Wilson was once regarded by Baseball America as a top-30 prospect in the Braves farm system after signing with Atlanta as an international free-agent in December 2014. The Sint Maarten native also spent time in the Rays and Angels organizations prior to inking a minor-league deal with the Red Sox back in January.

Considering that he does not turn 25 until next March, it should be interesting to see if Boston attempts to bring Wilson back on another minors pact for the 2023 season. He could potentially provide the club with intriguing outfield depth at Triple-A Worcester.

(Picture of Izzy Wilson: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox’ Xander Bogaerts named American League Player of the Week

Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts has been named the American League Player of the Week for the week of August 29-September 4, Major League Baseball announced on Tuesday.

In seven games against the Twins and Rangers, Bogaerts went 15-for-28 (.536) with five doubles, one home run, nine RBIs, eight runs scored, one stolen base, three walks, and just two strikeouts.

On the 2022 season as a whole, the right-handed hitter is batting a stout .317/.384/.469 to go along with 37 doubles, 12 homers, 63 runs driven in, 77 runs scored, eight stolen bases, 48 walks, and 104 strikeouts over 129 games and 544 plate appearances.

By going 2-for-5 in Monday’s loss to the Rays at Tropicana Field, Bogaerts tied a franchise record with his ninth consecutive multi-hit game. The 29-year-old became just the fourth player in Red Sox history to accomplish that feat and now owns the longest multi-hit streak in Major League Baseball this season.

Among qualified American League shortstops, Bogaerts ranks first in hits (153), first in doubles, first in runs scored, first in batting average, first in on-base percentage, first in slugging percentage, first in OPS (.853), first in wRC+ (140), and first in fWAR (5.7), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Bogaerts is on pace to have one of the better defensive seasons of his major-league career. Coming into play on Tuesday, the native Aruban has posted four Defensive Runs Saved and an Ultimate Zone Rating of 4.0 across 1,089 2/3 innings at shortstop. His four Outs Above Average also rank in the 90th percentile among MLB players, according to Baseball Savant.

Bogaerts last earned AL Player of the Week honors in 2018. He becomes the second member of the Red Sox to receive the honor this season, joining fellow infielder and double-play partner Trevor Story, who won the award back in May.

As he continues to chase his first batting title, it is worth mentioning that Bogaerts — who turns 30 next month — can and most likely will opt out of the final three years and $60 million of the six-year, $120 million extension he signed with Boston in April 2019.

Assuming he hits the open market, Bogaerts would undoubtedly be one of the most sought-after free-agents in baseball this winter. It remains to be seen just how interested the Red Sox are in retaining his services.

(Picture of Xander Bogaerts: Paul Rutherford/Getty Images)