Bobby Witt Jr. of the Royals named American League Player of the Week presented by Chevrolet; Gavin Lux of the Dodgers named National League Player of the Week presented by Chevrolet

Kansas City Royals All-Star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., who debuted in the Midsummer Classic in his hometown area, has been selected the American League Player of the Week presented by Chevrolet, and Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Gavin Lux has been named the National League Player of the Week presented by Chevrolet. The announcements were made earlier today on MLB Network.

Witt earned his second Player of the Week Award after previously winning this season on May 28. He is the first Royals player to win multiple awards in a single season since Kendrys Morales won twice in 2016 on July 4^th and September 12. Along with his father, pitcher Bobby Sr., who won on July 3, 1994, the Witts are one of 14 father-son combos to each win at least one Player of the Week Award. Lux claimed his first career honor and is the third Dodgers player to win this season, following his All-Star teammates Shohei Ohtani (May 6^th and June 24^th) and Teoscar Hernández (June 10^th).

Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals (@bwitter7)

• The 23-year-old hit .818 (9-for-11) with a homer, three RBI, a double, a walk, four runs scored, a 1.182 slugging percentage and an .833 on-base percentage in three games last week.
• The Texas native led the Majors in batting average, OBP, OPS (2.015) and hits (9); ranked fourth in slugging; tied for fourth in runs scored; and tied for fifth in total bases (13).
• The 2024 All-Star had three consecutive three-hit games following his first Midsummer Classic, going 3-for-3 with a homer, two RBI and two runs on Friday; 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run on Saturday; and 3-for-4 with a run on Sunday. Following a three-game streak from April 12^th-15^th last year, Witt is one of 10 Royals players (13^th occurrence) with at least three hits in three straight games since 2000 and the third to accomplish the feat twice, joining Mike Sweeney and Johnny Damon.
• The second overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft was the runner-up to Teoscar Hernández in the T-Mobile Home Run Derby last Monday night at Globe Life Field, becoming the first Royals player to ever reach the Derby Finals. Witt’s 50 home runs overall were the most of any competitor in this year’s Derby. He became just the fourth shortstop to appear in the Finals, joining Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. (1991) and Miguel Tejada (2004), who both won, and Hanley Ramirez (2010), who was the runner-up to Hall of Famer David Ortiz.
• Overall, Witt is batting .337/.382/.575 on the year with 17 homers, 66 RBI, 26 doubles, nine triples, 29 walks, 79 runs scored, 22 stolen bases and a .957 OPS. He is three home runs away from joining the 20/20 club for a third straight season and would become the first player in Major League history to reach 20/20 in each of his first three seasons. He is aiming to become just the 33^rd player ever with three straight 20/20 seasons.

Gavin Lux, Los Angeles Dodgers (@therealgavinlux)

• The 26-year-old hit .556 (5-for-9) with two homers, three RBI, two doubles, three runs scored, a stolen base, a 1.444 slugging percentage and a .556 on-base percentage in three games last week.
• The Wisconsin native led the NL in total bases (13); tied for the NL lead in homers and extra-base hits (4); and tied for second in hits.
• The 2020 World Series Champion with the Dodgers tied his season-high with three hits on Sunday against the Red Sox, hitting an RBI double in the first inning and a solo home run in the fourth inning. Along with his solo home run on Saturday, Lux homered in back-to-back games for the first time in his career.
• The 20^th overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft had two hits on Saturday, marking one of four multi-hit games since July 11^th. His four extra-base hits over the two-game stretch were his most ever in a two-game span.
• Lux is hitting .225 this season with five homers, 27 RBI, 10 doubles, two triples, 19 walks, 31 runs and a .609 OPS in 81 games. Since July 9^th, he is batting .385 (10-for-26) with three homers, six RBI, two doubles, a walk, four runs, a .507 OBP and a 1.215 OPS.

Other noteworthy AL performances last week included outfielder Randy Arozarena (.462, 3 HR, 4 RBI, 2 2B, 3 R, 1.308 SLG) and starting pitcher Taj Bradley (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 GS, 7.0 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 5 SO) of the Tampa Bay Rays; outfielder Miguel Andujar (.615, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 2B, 3 R, .923 SLG, .615 OBP), outfielder Lawrence Butler (.636, 5 RBI, 2 2B, 1 3B, 3 BB, 3 R, 1.000 SLG, .714 OBP), designated hitter Brent Rooker (.364, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 1 2B, 2 BB, 3 R) and rookie shortstop Max Schuemann (.500, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 2 2B, 3 BB, 6 R, 1.125 SLG) of the Oakland Athletics; Witt’s teammate starting pitcher Seth Lugo (1-0, 1.00 ERA, 1 GS, 1 CG, 9.0 IP, 3 H, 0 BB, 6 SO) of the Royals; Boston Red Sox All-Star outfielder Jarren Duran (.500, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 3 2B, 2 BB, 5 R, 1.250 SLG), who was named the 2024 Ted Williams All-Star Game MVP; outfielder George Springer (.417, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 1 2B, 4 R, 1.250 SLG) of the Toronto Blue Jays; and Houston Astros All-Star designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (.455, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 BB, 2 R, 1.000 SLG), who hit for the 10^th cycle in team history on Sunday.

Other noteworthy NL performances for the week included rookie outfielder Jackson Chourio (.556, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 1 2B, 3 R, 2 SB, 1.000 SLG) of the Milwaukee Brewers; outfielder Alec Burleson (.429, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 2 R) of the St. Louis Cardinals; starting pitcher Dylan Cease (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 GS, 7.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 10 SO) of the San Diego Padres; All-Star closer Kyle Finnegan (0.00 ERA, 3 G, 3 SV, 2.1 IP, 0 H, 1 BB, 2 SO) and rookie outfielder Jacob Young (.500, 1 RBI, 1 2B, 1 BB, 3 R) of the Washington Nationals; starting pitcher Brandon Pfaadt (0.00 ERA, 1 GS, 7.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 7 SO) of the Arizona Diamondbacks; shortstop Oneil Cruz (.385, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 3 2B, 3 R, .846 SLG) and starting pitcher Luis Ortiz (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 GS, 7.0 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 2 SO) of the Pittsburgh Pirates; All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman (.333, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 4 R, .833 SLG) of the Los Angeles Dodgers; and outfielder Eddie Rosario (.364, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 2 R, .909 SLG) of the Atlanta Braves.

Electric Play of the Week presented by Chevrolet

Long Run and Over-the-Shoulder Catch by Josh H. Smith of the Texas Rangers

July 19^th at Globe Life Field – Watch It Here

Third baseman Josh H. Smith of the Texas Rangers earned his first career Play of the Week Award and the first award by a Rangers player since Eli White on June 6, 2022. Other Rangers to win the award include Adolis García (4/25/2022); DJ Peters (8/23/2021); and Delino DeShields (8/29/2019). With the Rangers trailing, 4-1, in the top of the fifth inning, Adley Rutschman hit a soft flyball down the line as Smith tracked the ball into short left field and slid to make an over-the-shoulder catch for the out. Additional Play of the Week candidates included James Outman’s leaping catch near the wall; Josh Rojas’ barehanded play; Ryan Mountcastle’s diving catch; Daulton Varsho’s full-extension leaping catch; and Christian Walker’s unique unassisted putout.