Major League Baseball

Reds rookie sensation Elly De La Cruz headlines Ben Verlander's team of the week

Published Jun. 26, 2023 2:53 p.m. ET

After another loaded week of MLB action, it's time to select my team of the week!

This week, we took in the Braves-Reds series from Cincinnati and are dropping new "Flippin' Bats" content from the weekend.

We saw some great plays from Reds star players who made my team of the week.

Catcher: Yainer Diaz, Houston Astros — .346 batting average, two home runs, five RBIs, 1.000 OPS

Martin Maldonado does a lot of the catching in Houston. He's the Astros' guy defensively, there's no doubt about it. There's nobody better at controlling a pitching staff than Maldonado. And I love the guy. But offensively, he's far from one of the game's most productive catchers.

If the Astros can get production out of Yainer Diaz like they did this week, they're going to be in really good shape and be able to do a few different things behind the plate. They'll be able to pinch-hit more in late-game moments. And the Astros should feel more comfortable with Diaz behind the plate if he's hitting like this.

First base: Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves — .333 batting average, four home runs, 7 RBIs, 1.464 OPS

In addition to the four home runs he hit last week, Olson hit a home run on Sunday. As you know, Sunday's stats don't count for my team of the week, so don't get mad at me for not including that home run. It'll count toward next week's team of the week. No pressure, Matt!

Second base: Luis Arraez, Miami Marlins — .546 batting average, one home run, 1.259 OPS

Arraez continues to hit .400 on the year! He was able to help his season-long batting average with his .546 batting average this past week. He also hit his third home run of the season and has two since he came on "Flippin' Bats," I might add, getting the bump. Some asked, "How could you possibly be hitting better than when you're already hitting .400?" People were saying, "Ben you're going to be in trouble. The guy's hitting .400, he possibly can't be hitting better."

Well, guess what? The guy has turned into Barry Bonds since he was on "Flippin' Bats." He didn't strike out a single time last week! If there's anyone in the game who can hit .400 all year long, it's going to be Luis Arraez. He continues to do it late into June which is the latest we have seen an MLB player hit .400 since Nomar Garciaparra.

Third base: Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds — .520 batting average, two home runs, 1.499 OPS

Cruz had three doubles last week and was a big reason why the Reds continued their winning streak through 12 games. More on him later!

Shortshop: Francisco Lindor, New York Mets — .368 batting average, two home runs, 7 RBIs, 1.290 OPS

Lindor needed to heat up. He is the heartbeat of the Mets. I say that, but the Mets still didn't have a very good week even with Lindor heating up which is not a good sign for the New York Mets. He tacked on another home run on Sunday. A great week; Lindor needed to heat up for not just the Mets but himself as the heartbeat of the team. He is paid to play very well. He also advanced to phase two of the All-Star Game voting.

[Thosar: Mets’ sinking ship has hit a new low after ugliest loss of the year]

Outfield: Juan Soto, San Diego Padres — .478 batting average, .613 on-base percentage, three home runs, 6 RBIs, 8 BB

Juan Soto is, in case you haven't heard, back to being Juan Soto. Look, Soto is fantastic. I honestly wish he would walk less. I know that's his thing but he has so much power, so much ability to see the plate well and drive the ball the other way and let it get deep. If I want Soto, I want to drive the ball but I heard him say his favorite stat offensively is walks. It's great, he is a great hitter, he has great plate discipline which will help him his entire career but I would love to see him swing at a few more first pitches and drive the ball. But taking eight walks in a week is extremely impressive.

Outfield: Jake Fraley, Cincinnati Reds — .368 batting average, four home runs, 9 RBIs, 1.053 slugging percentage

That makes two Cincinnati Reds on my team of the week because the Reds are playing like one of the best team in baseball.

Outfield: Eddie Rosario, Atlanta Braves — .533 batting average, two home runs, 6 RBIs, 1.698 OPS

He has had a great last two weeks, and he is hitting at the bottom. The Braves' lineup is just that good. Rosario had a fantastic week.

Designated hitter: Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds — .294 batting average, three home runs, 7 RBIs, 1.224 OPS

The man is back. I love it. He is the third Cincinnati Red on this list and rightfully so. Their win streak got to 12 this week. 12 wins in a row and Votto coming back and being a part of this is awesome. He has been through a lot with the Reds, but when asked about trades he has consistently said "I am a Red. I want to be a Red. I want to see it through for the long haul."

He is going to go to the Reds' Hall of Fame and one day he may end up in the MLB Hall of Fame. I hope he does, and he would do that as a Red. It was really cool to see him come back this season given he hadn't played all year and came back from his injury amidst a winning streak and the best-attended series in Great American Ballpark history. In his first game back he hit a homer, drove in three runs and they ended up winning that game because of that.

Starting pitcher: Joe Ryan, Minnesota Twins — nine innings pitched, nine strikeouts, zero earned runs, zero walks, three hits

You don't really see many complete-game shutouts anymore in the game of baseball, and we saw one from Ryan this week.

Closing pitcher: Evan Phillips, Los Angeles Dodgers — three saves, four innings pitched, four strikeouts, zero earned runs, one hit given up

Pretty close to perfect, and boy, do the Dodgers need it. They, outside of him, do not have many reliable arms in that bullpen. To have a guy they can turn to and get three saves on a week and be perfect out of the bullpen is vital for them and their success. The Dodgers, as their team currently sits, I don't believe, is capable of winning a World Series. They need bullpen help and more than just Evan Phillips. I watch a lot of Dodgers games and they will be leading a game until the starting pitcher comes out and next thing you know, an inning to two innings later, they are trying to scratch and crawl from behind which their offensive is capable of doing but having more arms like Phillips would really help them.

Player of the week: Elly De La Cruz

He has been in the big leagues for like 16 days and the Reds have won 13 games. You can point to Cruz coming up to when things really switched for the Reds. Historically, he is the third player since at least 1890 to hit for the cycle. He had played only 15 games in his career when he hit for the cycle. He and Mike Trout are the only two players in the history of baseball to be 21 or younger to hit for the cycle in a game and steal a base in that same game. Elly De La Cruz is a stud.

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