May is officially here and if it’s anything like April then were in for another great month of Major League Baseball. As we continue to roll into this month, fans are starting to see who will be the front runners in all division races as well as individual awards.
With that being said, here are this week’s standout players of the week.
Shin-Soo Choo: Texas Rangers outfielder Shin-Soo Choo has put together a nice week of baseball and has earned himself standout player of the week honors. Like most of you, I thought the deal that Choo signed in the offseason with the Rangers might have been a little too much for a career .290/.392/.467 guy and who is on the downside of his career, but if this week is any indication on how the rest of the year may go if Choo stays healthy then the Rangers paid the right price. In six games played this week by Choo, he put together a .500 batting average, .667 OBP, .688 SLG, and has added on home run and 3 RBI. Shin-Soo Choo is this week’s AL standout player of the week.
Troy Tulowitzki: While Shin-Soo Coo has been hot this week in the AL, Colorado Rockies SS Troy Tulowitzki is continuing his hot start to the 2014 season with another outstanding week of baseball. It seems like when I do these articles, Tulowitzki’s name is always up there and it’s hard to argue that he should be the player of the week every week for his start to this season and is the front runner for the MVP right now. This week of baseball I believe has been his best and his numbers prove it, .619 batting average, .692 OBP, 1.048 SLG, 1.0 WAR, and has added two home runs and eight RBI. Troy Tulowitzki is this week’s NL standout player of the week.
Drew Smyly: While Shin-Soo Choo has had a hot week at the plate and Troy Tulowitzki is on another planet right now, Detroit Tigers pitcher Drew Smyly after a really slow start to season after being named the fifth starter has been a nice surprise for the first place Tigers as their fifth starter this season. In Smyly’s first start to the season, after the first two games he pitched out of the bullpen due to postponed games, he got roughed up pretty good in a Tigers blowout loss to the Los Angeles Angels where he was gone after three innings of work. However, his last two starts have been a bright spot for Smyly and has shown some hope for Tiger fans that the fifth slot is in good hands with him. In his last two starts against the Chicago White Sox and the Kansas City Royals Smyly had given up a total of six hits, two earned runs, three walks, and total of 13 strikeouts all in a total of 13 innings of work. If this trend continues, the Detroit Tigers will once again to run away with the central division yet again.
Cleveland Indians: As the season is progressing, The Detroit Tigers is once again looking like the class of the Central division and most people thought the Cleveland Indians would make a run at dethroning the Tigers and so far the Indians season has not been the case. As of right now the Indians are in last place and not playing great baseball, something I thought I never would see out of a Terry Francona managed team. However, the season is not over its only May and this team still should be considered dangerous and can put together some wins as the season goes on. With that being said, the Indians start still can’t be overlooked for as a team at the plate their just plain awful with .236/.302/.362 line and only the Cubs, Diamondbacks, Padres, and Astros are below the Indians in team batting stats. Just let that sink in for a minute or two that a playoff team is doing just as good as the Cubs and Astros. While the Indians are struggling at the plate, their pitching isn’t any better for as a team they have a 4.08 ERA, .253 batting average against them, and a 1.37 WHIP. Let’s just hope for Cleveland fans the Indians can turn this season around or it’s another year without a championship in any sport.
Even though the Cleveland Indians are off to a bad start, I can say that if any team can turn a season around it’s the Cleveland Indians and I would never give up on Terry Francona and what he can do as a manager. On the other side, Troy Tulowitizki should be the favorite as the NL MVP right now. He start is straight up big time and I firmly believe that he can continue his pace and he will be adding another trophy to his trophy case come seasons end.
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