Jorge Soler, Aristides Aquino named W.B. Mason Players of the Week

Outfielder Jorge Soler of the Kansas City Royals has been chosen the W.B. Mason American League Player of the Week and rookie outfielder Aristides Aquino of the Cincinnati Reds has been named the W.B. Mason National League Player of the Week. The announcements were made earlier today on MLB Network.

Soler earned his first career AL Player of the Week Award and is the first Royals winner since his former teammate Eric Hosmer for the period ending September 11, 2017. Aquino also claimed his first career NL Player of the Week Award and is the first Reds player to take home weekly honors since Scooter Gennett last season for the week ending May 29th. In addition, Aristides became the first Reds rookie to accomplish the feat since Chris Reitsma on April 15, 2001.

In recognition of their Player of the Week Awards, Jorge Soler and Aristides Aquino will each be awarded a specially engraved watch courtesy of Artinian.

Jorge Soler, Kansas City Royals (@js12)

• Posted a slash line of .409/.552/1.273 with 10 runs scored, nine hits, a double, six home runs, 12 RBI, six walks and 28 total bases over seven games played.
• Homered in three consecutive games from Friday-Sunday, including his second multi-homer game of the week on Sunday against the Detroit Tigers (also August 6th).
• Following his performance yesterday, ranks second in the AL with 35 round-trippers on the season behind only All-Star Mike Trout (39). His 35 homers are already tied for third-most in a single season in franchise history. All-Star Mike Moustakas holds the Club record after logging 38 home runs in 2017.
• In yesterday’s contest against the Tigers, tallied five RBI and a double to go along with his two home runs. Became the eighth player in franchise history to post such a game and the first since Melky Cabrera on July 3, 2011 against the Colorado Rockies.

Aristides Aquino, Cincinnati Reds (@aristidesaquino)

• Across six games, batted .500 (11-for-22) with eight runs scored, a double, six home runs, 11 RBI, 30 total bases and a 1.364 slugging percentage.
• Homered in four consecutive contests from Tuesday-Saturday, including a three-homer game on Saturday against the Chicago Cubs. Enters play today in the midst of an eight-game hitting streak dating back to August 3rd.
• Following Saturday’s performance, clubbed seven round-trippers through his first 10 career games, matching Trevor Story (2016) for the most in a player’s first 10 contests since at least 1908. Joined Bobby Estalella (1997) as the only players in Major League history to record a three-homer game within his first 10 career appearances.
• Aquino’s home run on Thursday against the Cubs was tracked at 118.3 mph by Statcast, which was the hardest-hit ball of any kind by a Reds player since Statcast began in 2015, and tied Pete Alonso and Gary Sánchez for the hardest-hit ball this season (see it here).
• Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros also launched three home runs on Saturday. It marked the first time in Baseball history that two rookies logged a three-homer game on the same day.

Other noteworthy AL performances last week included All-Star starting pitcher Mike Minor (2-0, 0.00 ERA, 15.0 IP, 18 SO) of the Texas Rangers; Alvarez (.455, 7 R, 4 HR, 10 RBI), All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman (.500, 10 R, 5 2B, 7 RBI) and first baseman Yuli Gurriel (.471, 3 2B, 3 HR, 12 RBI) of the Houston Astros; All-Star Jake Odorizzi (1-0, 0.77 ERA, 11.2 IP, 13 SO) of the Minnesota Twins; pitcher Ryan Yarbrough (1-0, 0.68 ERA, 13.1 IP, 13 SO) of the Tampa Bay Rays; shortstop Tim Anderson (.520, 6 R, 13 H, 2 2B) of the Chicago White Sox; starting pitcher Chris Sale (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 8.0 IP, 13 SO) of the Boston Red Sox; outfielder Mike Tauchman (.417, 7 R, 5 HR, 10 RBI) and third baseman Gio Urshela (.450, 8 R, 5 HR, 10 RBI) of the New York Yankees; starting pitcher Chris Bassitt (1-0, 1.38 ERA, 13.0 IP, 12 SO) of the Oakland Athletics; and Jorge’s teammates Hunter Dozier (.367, 9 R, 7 XBH, 7 RBI) and Mike Montgomery (1-1, 1.50 ERA, 12.0 IP, 19 SO).

Other noteworthy NL performances were All-Stars Ronald Acuña Jr. (.419, 12 R, 6 HR, 10 RBI), Ozzie Albies (.500, 10 R, 16 H, 7 RBI) and Freddie Freeman (.429, 8 R, 3 HR, 9 RBI) of the Atlanta Braves; outfielder Michael Conforto (.350, 5 R, 3 HR, 8 RBI) and third baseman/outfielder J.D. Davis (.429, 8 R, 3 2B, 3 HR) of the New York Mets; outfielder Nicholas Castellanos (.400, 9 R, 4 2B, 4 HR) and second baseman/outfielder Ian Happ (.391, 6 R, 4 HR, 10 RBI) of the Chicago Cubs; and third baseman Brian Anderson (.367, 4 2B, 3 HR, 6 BRI) and second baseman Starlin Castro (.469, 15 H, 6 XBH, 9 RBI) of the Miami Marlins.

PLAY OF THE WEEK

Home Run-Robbing Catch by Mike Tauchman of the New York Yankees

August 6__th at BAL – Watch It Here

Outfielder Mike Tauchman of the New York Yankees earned his first career Play of the Week honor, and the second for the Yankees this season, following Aaron Hicks’ award on July 29th. In the bottom of the fourth inning during Tuesday’s tilt against the Baltimore Orioles, Tauchman tracked down a fly ball and leaped at the wall to rob Pedro Severino of a home run. Additional Play of the Week candidates included Jonathan Villar’s diving stop up the middle before firing over to first base; Tyler Naquin and Francisco Lindor’s relay to retire the would-be game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning in a critical contest against the Minnesota Twins; Kole Calhoun’s fully-extended diving catch to rob Xander Bogaerts of an extra-base hit; Fernando Tatis Jr.’s slick, spinning snag and throw across the diamond to retire the runner; and the Twins’ second triple play of the season to help them escape a bases-loaded jam.