Boston Red Sox outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. has been named the American League Player of the Week for the period ending May 15th. The announcement was made earlier today on MLB Network.
Bradley batted .469 (15-for-32) with six runs scored, two doubles, three home runs and 15 RBI over seven games to earn his first career AL Player of the Week Award. Among his AL counterparts, Jackie finished the period first in RBI, tied for first in hits, second in total bases (26), fifth in batting average, tied for fifth in home runs, seventh in slugging percentage (.813) and ninth in onbase percentage (.485).
On Wednesday, the University of South Carolina product went 3-for-5 with two runs scored, a double, two home runs and six RBI in a 13-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics. It was Bradley's second career multi-homer game and gave him five round-trippers in a nine-game stretch. The 40th overall pick in the 2011 MLB Draft totaled 13 RBI in Boston's three-game series against Oakland, the most by a Red Sox player in a three-game set since Nomar Garciaparra drove in 14 runs in a series against the Seattle Mariners in May 1999. Bradley became the first player in Red Sox history with six-or-more RBI in multiple games of a three-game series, and the first Major Leaguer since Geoff Jenkins of the Milwaukee Brewers (April 2001). In a home tilt on Friday night against the Houston Astros at Fenway Park, the left-handed-swinging outfielder went 3-for-4 with a double and RBI, becoming the only player in the Majors this season to record multiple hits and an RBI in five consecutive games. With a hit in Sunday's matinee against the Astros, the Virginia native has now hit safely in a career-best 21 consecutive games, MLB's longest streak of the 2016 season and longest by a Red Sox hitter since David Ortiz (27 games, 7/21/12 - 5/7/13). Entering play today, the powerful Red Sox offense paces the Majors in batting average (.298), runs scored (229), hits (406), doubles (101), RBI (218) and slugging percentage (.489).
Other noteworthy performances last week included Bradley's teammates Xander Bogaerts (.441, 9 R, 15 H, 8 RBI) and Travis Shaw (9 R, 5 2B, .515 OBP, 22 TB); Todd Frazier (.556 OBP, 1.000 SLG, 4 HR, 11 RBI) and Chris Sale (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 CG, 6 SO) of the Chicago White Sox; Adam Jones (.520, 1.080 SLG, 4 HR, 9 RBI) of the Baltimore Orioles; and Matt Andriese (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 CG, 1 SHO) of the Tampa Bay Rays.
In recognition of his American League Player of the Week Award, Jackie Bradley Jr. will be awarded a watch courtesy of Game Time, the leader in licensed sports watches, available at MLB.com.