Boston Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts has been named the American League Player of the Week for the period ending May 14th. The announcement was made earlier today on MLB Network.
Betts hit .375 (9-for-24) with eight runs scored, four doubles, three home runs, 11 RBI and a stolen base over six games to earn his second career AL Player of the Week Award, last winning on June 21, 2015. Among AL leaders, the 24-year-old finished the week first in RBI, total bases (22), extra-base hits (7) and slugging percentage (.917); tied for first in runs scored and home runs; tied for second in doubles; and sixth in on-base percentage (.483). This is Boston's first weekly award since Mookie's teammate Hanley Ramirez took home AL weekly honors last season (September 18th).
Betts began his award-winning week in grand fashion, going 4-for-4 at the plate with a pair of doubles, a home run and four RBI in Tuesday night's away tilt against the Milwaukee Brewers. The 2016 AL All-Star reached base safely in all five plate appearances in the contest, accomplishing the feat for the second time in his career, along with August 26th of last season against the Kansas City Royals. The homer was Mookie's ninth career leadoff round tripper, and he is now only one homer shy of Boston's all-time record for leadoff home runs (10), held by Jacoby Ellsbury. On Thursday, Boston's All-Star outfielder logged another multi-hit effort, including a double, home run and three RBI. The clutch go-ahead three-run home run came in the top of the ninth inning and was his second career go-ahead homer in the ninth inning-or-later (also August 1, 2016 at Seattle). With the explosive offensive output, Betts had gone 10-for-17 (.588) with three home runs, four doubles and nine RBI over four games from May 7th-11th. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the first time in Mookie's career that he amassed more than 10 hits and five RBI over any four-game span. Betts concluded his excellent week with another multi-hit game in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. The 2016 AL Gold Glove Award winner recorded a double, home run and three RBI, reaching the three-RBI mark for the fifth time this season, and the third time in five games.
Shortstop Carlos Correa (.455, 7 R, 4 XBH, 10 RBI) of the Houston Astros also posted an impressive week, hitting in each game he played in and logging multi-hit efforts in four of his six contests. Entering play today, the 2015 AL Rookie of the Year has posted an RBI in each of his last six games, entering play today. Additionally, Baltimore Orioles catcher Caleb Joseph (.524, 11 H, 5 XBH, 6 RBI) garnered weekly attention, becoming the first catcher this season to log three extra-base hits in the same game on Friday night against the Royals (2-2B, 1-3B). Other noteworthy performances last week included Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Chris Archer (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 8.0 IP, 11 SO) and outfielder Corey Dickerson (.483, 7 R, 3 2B, .531 OBP); starting pitcher Alex Meyer (2-0, 3.09 ERA, 11.2 IP, 14 SO) of the Los Angeles Angels; outfielder Brett Gardner (.409, 6 R, 2 2B, 2 HR) of the New York Yankees; and starting pitcher A.J. Griffin (1-0, 2.57 ERA, 1 CG, 1 SHO) of the Texas Rangers.
In recognition of his American League Player of the Week Award, Mookie Betts will be awarded a watch courtesy of Rockwell.