Star shortstops ride massive performances to Player of the Week honors

A pair of shortstops on teams in the thick of the postseason bubble came up big last week, aiding their clubs as the Trade Deadline approaches in one week’s time.

The Nationals’ CJ Abrams and the Astros’ Jeremy Peña had major power surges, earning them the American League and National League Player of the Week Awards, respectively. Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner also put on his Superman cape for Play of the Week honors.

• All-time Players of the Week winners

Abrams recorded a hit in all six games he played this week, including multiple knocks in his past five. After Sunday’s two-homer outing, he’s also recorded five long balls in the span (seven in seven games, if you date back to July 18) to give him 27 on the season. That’s a Nationals record for a shortstop.

Abrams’ red-hot week was no different than his work for the majority of July, when he’s slashed .397/.420/.836 with nine home runs and 22 RBIs. By his 229 wRC+ -- a stat that puts overall offensive production on a 100-point scale -- he’s been MLB’s best hitter in the month.

One of the buzziest names ahead of next Monday’s Trade Deadline, Abrams earned the second Player of the Week nod of his career (July 15, 2023), fresh off the back of his second All-Star selection. Will he continue his career-best season in a Washington uniform?

Peña -- who has also been the subject of trade speculation but appears much more likely to remain on a surging Astros roster -- went toe-to-toe with Abrams. He homered in three straight games to start the week, collected three hits in three consecutive games then capped the week with a two-homer performance. Peña extended an eight-game hitting streak in the process.

After missing some time with injury, Peña has put together a .419/.447/.767 slash line with five home runs since July 10. He has an excellent .877 OPS on the year with 11 homers despite being limited to just 59 games.

Hoerner won Play of the Week earlier this year with a crafty between-the-legs flip for an out at first base. The two-time Gold Glover’s latest gem showed off not only his elite athleticism, but his baseball IQ, too.

Hoerner ranged to his right from second base to make an unlikely diving stop on a Nick Gonzales ground ball on Friday, reaching full extension just behind shortstop Dansby Swanson. Though Hoerner had no shot to throw Gonzales out at first, he kept Ryan O’Hearn from scoring from second in a 0-0 ballgame.

But Hoerner took things a step further, immediately firing to Alex Bregman at third base in a heads-up decision. O’Hearn was caught in a wide turn away from the bag, and Bregman ran him down for the third out of the inning. The Cubs ended up winning, 3-2, in extras, on the strength of sparkling defensive plays like Hoerner’s.