The first half of the 2014 MLB season is officially in the books and this is going down as one of the most memorable seasons to date. We have seen no-hitters, a resurgence of players on second chances, power numbers, and straight up dominance from certain pitchers. Once the All Star break is over I look forward to an exciting second half and saying that here are this week’s MLB standout players of the week.
AL Standout – Sam Fuld
Minnesota Twins outfielder Sam Fuld had a nice week at the plate for the Minnesota Twins who sit in last place in the AL Central as the first half of the season came to a close. While the Twins have shown some promise this season and are still no way out of the AL Central race they do have a lot of work to do in the second half to truly contend. OIne can’t fault Fuld though, doing his part this week in trying to secure some runs for a team that needs some wins. With a .474 batting average, .607 OBP, .684 SLG, and one home run and four RBI, Sam Fuld is this week’s AL standout player of the week.
NL Standout – Chris Coghlan
Chicago Cubs outfielder Chris Coghlan had week that stood out above the rest in the National League. We all know the struggles the Chicago Cubs have had in recent years but with the week Coghlan had and the moves the Cubs made with the Athletics, the Cubs have one of the better farm systems in the game now. I believe we will see a resurgence of the Chicago Cubs in the next few years. However, that is a few years away and we’re talking about now and this year like the previous few have not been kind in the north side. Coghlan has shown this week that if you play hard anything can happen. With a .452 batting average, .541 OBP, .935 SLG, and three home runs and nine RBI, Chris Coghlan is this week’s NL standout player of the week.
Surprise – Phil Coke
Detroit Tigers fans all across the country and the world for that matter know the struggle it has been since relief pitcher Phil Coke has arrived in the Old English D. It has been a roller coaster to say the least and I always wonder how one pitcher can look so dominant one week and then should be demoted or released the next. However, over the last month Coke has been one of the better pitchers coming out of the Tigers bullpen and has being giving Tigers fans hope that he can be the Phil Coke of the 2012 postseason where he filled in on the fly into the closer position and sent the Tigers to the World Series.
Now I might catch a little flack on this because Phil Coke has been a roller coaster since his arrival. However the surprise has been over the last month how good he has been coming out of that bullpen that is seeing a resurgence after a huge meltdown that for one day cost the Detroit Tigers first place in the division. Coke has been a huge part in an improving bullpen that has brought the Detroit Tigers back in first place and have a nice comfortable lead going into the second half of the season.
Numbers don’t lie and most might say it’s a fluke but Phil Coke has shown promise of the last month that this Phil Coke roller coaster ride is coming to an end. Over the last month, Coke has a pitched in 11 games with a 2.45 ERA, 9/2 strikeout walk ratio, only given up 3 earned runs, 2.73 batting average, and a 1.27 WHIP. No these number don’t scream shutdown but for Phil Coke, Tigers fans will take it.
What a first half is has been for baseball and baseball fans. I do have to say as a fan this has been one of my favorite seasons to watch in my lifetime and now it’s time for the mid-summer classic. I hope everyone enjoys the All Star festivities this week and get ready for an exciting second half.
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