MLB WEEKLIE: 7/8

POWER RANKINGS

1..PHILLIES --

2. ORIOLES --

3. GUARDS --

4. DODGERS --

5. BREWERS +1

6. YANKEES -1

7. BRAVES +1

8. PADRES +1

9. TWINS +1

10. MARINERS -3

11. ASTROS +4

12. CARDS --

13. RED SOX --

14. ROYALS -3

15. METS -1

16. D BACKS +1

17. GIANTS +2

18. RANGERS +2

19. RAYS -3

20. PIRATES -2

21. REDS --

22. CUBS --

23. NATS --

24. B JAYS --

25. TIGERS --

26. ANGELS --

27. A'S --

28. ROCKIES --

29. MARLINS --

30. WHITE SOX --

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Brenton Doyle

STATS:

.524 / .600 / 1.286

1.886 OPS

386 wRC+

4 HR

5 R

9 RBI

1 WAR

Each and every week I have done the MLB Weeklie, there has been a better, and better performance from the player of the week. the wRC+ number has gone up each time, and Doyle was a standout pick. Most might wonder why it isn't Christian Walker, but he had a very poor series against the Padres this past weekend. It just goes to show, that they don't show you all the players that are doing really well. Miranda was also almost player of the week, but I haven't seen Doyle get the love he deserves.

Ben Rice

STATS:

.273 / .333 / .864

1.197 OPS

226 wRC+

4 HR

4 R

10 RBI

0.5 WAR

Ben Rice didn't have the statistical week that necessarily jumps out at you. Yeah he had 4 homers, but 3 of them came in one game. So why is he really the rookie of the week? Becuase he has been the lifeline of the Yankees since he has been called up, and such a solid piece on a team that felt like it was crumbling. There's also something so likeable about this kid that you just want to root for him, exciting start to his young career.

Tyler Anderson

STATS:

8 IP

10 K

3 H

0 ER

0 BB

0.67 FIP

A lot of decent starts, and a lot of guys who had a couple solid performances. (I promise you will get yours, Skubal) But Anderson had a phenomenal start that might just be the performance that lands him on a competing roster and gets the Angels some prospects. Had the best FIP of any pitcher and the single start was worth 0.5 WAR, feel pretty safe with this pick.

Wait, How Legit are the Cleveland Guardians?

The Cleveland Guardians sit with the 2nd best record in the American League, and are having an insane season. Last year, they finished with a losing record (76-86), and lost their legendary manager Terry Francona, and ended up with the number one overall draft pick for this year's draft. Things were looking bleak with not a fantastic farm system, and not a huge market to spend money with, yet here we are. What happened, and is it legit/sustainable?

I think instantly, you can look to the surge of Steven Kwan, breaking into an even bigger star than he was before. Prior to 2024, Kwan was known as a very solid contact hitter who doesn't strike out much, and won a Gold Glove in left field in his rookie year. However if you look at his numbers this year, and I told you they didn't belong to a slugger like Yordan or Judge, you wouldn't believe me. Kwan is rocking an absurd 171 OPS+, is 10th in SLG%, and has 3.6 WAR. According to wRC+ Kwan is the 5th best hitter in the entire MLB, only behind Judge, Soto, Ohtani, and Henderson. Actually absurd.

If you look at the rest of the Guardians bats, you may not recognize some faces, and that's okay. Before the season, I don't think Guardians fans would necessarily know either. 12 hitters have had over 100 plate appearances, and only 5 of them have an OPS+ over 100. Notably, they have had contributions from rookies like Schneemann and Noel. Also contributions from David Fry who has an absurd .920 OPS for a catcher. So, there are some heavy lifters of the offense with Kwan, Ramirez, and Fry, right? Well, the Guardians have the 9th best offense according to wRC+. This team knows how to use it's offense sparingly, and more importantly, knows how to platoon hitters, really well.

So we've talked about how the offense has strong hitters atop, and platoon hitters throughout, but surely that's not the reason a team has the second best record in the AL, so the rotation must be elite right? Well, the best pitcher in the rotation is Ben Lively. Yeah. Bibee has been solid as well, but the rest of the rotation has been below average. Injuries to Shane Bieber and Logan Allen will do that to you, but still insane that that's the rotation of a team with the second best record in the AL. If you haven't figured it out by now, their bullpen is why they are so good.

I mean, surely I don't have to explain why these are really good numbers. The Cleveland bullpen's ranks among the league are:

ERA (1st)

FIP (2nd)

K/9 (3rd)

BB/9 (5th)

HR/9 (1st)

BABIP (2nd)

ER Allowed (2nd)

HR Allowed (2nd)

SO (3rd).

So to conclude, yes it is sustainable. They have a good enough core of hitters to get the job done, and the best bullpen in the MLB. Not only will that get you to the playoffs, but it WILL when you playoff games.

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