A lot has changed for the Toronto Blue Jays recently following an MLB trade deadline fire sale, but one thing that’s remained consistent is Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s strong play.
The first baseman was named American League Player of the Week, MLB announced on Monday, earning the award for the sixth time in his career and second in just over a month.
Guerrero Jr., 25, is third all-time amongst Blue Jays players, trailing only Carlos Delgado (nine times) and George Bell (eight times) for Player of the Week honours.
The recognition comes after the four-time All-Star racked up three home runs, eight RBIs, eight runs scored and seven doubles on .536 batting and 1.107 slugging through the last seven days.
Guerrero Jr. closed out the week by hitting a double in four consecutive games while during a 17-game hit streak. During that span beginning on July 14, the 2021 Silver Slugger is slashing .500/.560/1.078 with nine homers, 18 RBIs, 10 doubles and 20 runs scored.
Since the All-Star break, Guerrero Jr. has led the league in batting average (.492), slugging (1.051), OPS (1.68), and extra-base hits (17).
Meanwhile, Blake Snell of the San Francisco Giants took home National League Player of the Week honours, the first nod of his career, after no-hitting the Cincinnati Reds last week.
It’s the Giants’ first no-hitter since 2015 and the first of Snell’s career.
The 31-year-old struck out 11 batters and walked three en route to becoming just the fifth reigning NL Cy Young award winner to throw a no-hitter. Snell’s effort marked the 18th such performance in Giants’ history — tied for third-most for a team in MLB history with the Boston Red Sox.
Since returning from the injured list on July 9, Snell has carried a 0.55 ERA with 41 strikeouts, 10 walks and a .078 opponents’ average.