With the start of the opening week in the 2014 MLB season, we have been greeted with web gems and hot starts that made us all as fans jump for joy that baseball season is back. With that being said, there are two gentlemen that have started the 2014 campaign off hot and have been named MLB standout Players of the Week for both the AL and NL.
Opening Week Standouts
This week’s pick for AL earned the title by showing up with numbers that show a player is ready for a winning season. Josh Hamilton of the Los Angeles Angels won the coveted spot hands down. We can all say that Josh Hamilton’s first season with the Los Angeles Angles was horrendous, especially the money the Angels were paying him, so the one person who needed to start hot was him and he has done so. Hamilton’s numbers speak for themselves, .500 batting average, .571 OBP, and .889 slugging percentage. And to top that, Hamilton is looking like his old self with his power coming back by knocking out two home runs and five runs batted in. Therefore, this week’s player of the week is Angels outfielder is Josh Hamilton.
On the other side of the plate Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon of the National League has started as hot as any player can for the first week of the MLB season. Blackmon has excelled in the leadoff position for the Rockies, getting hits and getting on base just like a good leadoff hitter should. Blackmon’s numbers can make anybody player of the week; .542 batting average, .560 OBP, .792 slugging percentage and 1.352 OPS. Blackmon has also added one home run, six RBI, and two stolen bases. Therefore, this week’s NL Player of the Week is Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon.
Opening Week Surprises
While Josh Hamilton and Charlie Blackmon have proven to be the players of the week this time around Ian Kinlser came out of the gate as one of the biggest surprises so far in this young season. Already being labeled an overrated player based on his current contract and his past two lesser productive years in Texas, Kinsler has been a nice surprise for the Detroit Tigers at the start of their season in the leadoff position. Kinsler started opening day with a couple of moon shots that never left this infield, but followed up the next day going 3 for 5 and knocked in both runs for the Tigers including the game winner in the 10th sending the Detroit faithful home happy once again. Overall, Kinsler has started the 2014 campaign with a .304 batting average, .306 OBP, .435 slugging percentage and an OPS of .739. Good numbers Tigers fans want to see coming from their leadoff man.
Opening Week Disappointments
With good players there are always players that haven’t exactly lived up to what is expected of them. One person in particular you wouldn’t have expected to such a slow start to the game and I’m going to stay with the Detroit Tigers theme is Justin Verlander. Verlander was coming into the season with what was an outstanding spring training. He pitched 20 innings only given up eight hits, struck out 17 batters, and gave up no earned runs. However, on opening day he looked anything but the stud he is expected to be. He spent his opening game not locating his off speed pitches often enough and getting behind in counts early. This then led to his pitch count being extremely high which in turn led to a sixth inning exit. If you look at his numbers for the game – six innings pitched, three walks, three hits, and two strikeouts you can come to the conclusion that while they are not terrible numbers, they are up to the Verlander par that Tiger fans have come to expect, especially when second game starter Max Scherzer dominated over 8 scoreless innings.
Even though Justin Verlander had a rough start, the highlight of the week was Hamilton and Blackmon and the amazing starts they have generated in first week of baseball. In closing, week one is officially in the books and that only means one thing, our televisions are being taken over until October and that is a good thing.
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