Trout, Alonso named Players of the Week
Major League Baseball recognized last week's top performers with its American League and National League Players of the Week presented by W.B. Mason, announced Monday afternoon. Mike Trout was named the AL Player of the Week, while Pete Alonso earned the honor for the NL.
Trout batted .483/.559/.862 (14-for-29) last week with seven runs scored, two doubles, three home runs, 10 RBIs and a stolen base. He contributed seven of those RBIs, a career high, in Wednesday's victory over the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Trout homered twice, including a grand slam, and he knocked in another run with a bases-loaded single in the ninth. It was the first seven-RBI performance by an Angels player since Torii Hunter on July 4, 2010, against the Royals.
“It was a good night," Trout said with a smile. "Obviously, feel pretty good up there right now. This is the best I’ve felt all season, just getting a pitch to hit and not missing it. Just barreling the ball.”
This is Trout's second Player of the Week Award this season (he also won in early April) and the fifth of his career.
Alonso, meanwhile, toppled a Mets franchise record that's held since 1983. Not even halfway through the season, Alonso has more homers (27) than any other Mets rookie in history.
Alonso's 27th was hit last week, when he batted .427/.548/1.042 (10-for-24) with seven runs, three doubles, four homers and eight RBIs. His home run Sunday against the Cubs not only broke Darryl Strawberry's record but also extended his NL rookie record for home runs before the All-Star break and put him one shy of Mark McGwire's all-time record for most by a rookie before July 1 (28 in 1987).
"He's doing something amazing. He's almost got 30 homers, and we've still got two weeks [until] the All-Star break,” Cubs star Javier Baez said of Alonso. “I actually talked to him. I told him to keep having fun and keep doing what he was doing. I like the way he's playing the game and the way he's hitting the ball."
Alonso is the second Mets player to earn NL Player of the Week this season after Noah Syndergaard won it during the first week of May.