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Let me tell you something right up front. Having a real job sometimes really gets in the way of the important stuff like baseball. So after a two week hiatus the TCB Hitter of the Week is back. As always the disclaimer up front is that these are my choices for who the best hitters were this past week. If you have a different opinion by all means let me know. So without any more delay let's get to the...
Honorable Mentions
Luis Valbuena
Luis makes the list this week on the strength of his power. Not that he has hit poorly in general (compared to his teammates), as he has an average of .274 and an OBP of .333. But out of his six hits this week three of them were out of the park. Seeing how the runs are intermittent when we have runners in scoring position, that kind of instant offense is what is keeping the team in the win column.
When the team acquired him this offseason after his breakout 2014 campaign I think everyone was anticipating having a third baseman with 25 homer power. Luis now has 10 at the quarter season mark. We might have a lot more than expected on our hands here.
Colby Rasmus
A lot of the above regarding Valbuena can also be said for Rasmus. For the past week his slash line was .300/.333/.700. He ended up with two home runs and two doubles, including the 2-run blast in yesterday's game that gave them what ended up being important insurance runs.
At the time of Colby's signing I know the Astros front office was hoping for a bounce-back year, and so far it has paid off. At this point in the season his ISO is the highest of his career at .287, and his OPS+ is 129. Personally he is turning into one of those players I want to see in the lineup every day. Oh, and my kids say he has "awesome flow", which I assume has something to do with his hair.
WINNER
Preston Tucker
What an honor for the rook to bring home this prestigious award. All Tucker did this week is slash .389/.421/.611 and hit four doubles. I know there was a lot of excitement here at TCB when he got the call up, and even more when he hung around when George Springer came off the DL. He has not disappointed to say the least.
Preston has such a good plate presence. He does not look like a kid that is getting his first shot with the big club. He rarely (if ever) looks overmatched. I know there is usually an adjustment period for guys when they move up a level, so if this is his adjustment period I can't wait to see what he does once he gets acclimated. (This isn't too over the top, is it? Chris?)
Let me know your opinions. If there is someone you think I overlooked then make a case in the comments. It won't hurt my feelings.