Manuel Margot of Tampa Bay Rays receives AL player of the week honors; Milwaukee Brewers star baseman Rowdy Tellez captures the NL player of the week award - May 10th, 2022
Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Manuel Margot and Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Rowdy Tellez were announced as the American and National League Players of the Week for the first week of May. Both players provided awe-inspiring displays of power for the week and helped their clubs jump in the standings for their respective divisions. Both players have had long roads to success, and they haven't been easy.
Manuel Margot earned his honor by hitting .500 over a five-game span in which he drove in a whopping twelve RBIs.
What's arguably more impressive is the fact that three of those runs came after the seventh inning in high leverage situations. The clutch displays from the young outfielder have earned him the nickname Manuel Mar-go-ahead runs. Manuel Margot arrived in Tampa Bay as part of the trade that sent right-handed pitcher Emilio Pagan to the San Diego Padres. While his offensive production was a welcome surprise for the Rays, Manuel Margot was more known for his stellar defense. He produced three defensive runs saved last season while splitting time with Kevin Kiermaier in center field.
Manuel Margot had a huge weekend for the Rays in his 13 plate appearences posted a:
.818 ISO
.747 wOBA
423 wRC+
.538 OBP
1.237 SLG
3 home runs
Definitely someone that the organization believes in, as he got his extension this spring, and he’s continuing to prove them right. https://t.co/cV9VI9o9jN
"Manuel Margot had a huge weekend for the Rays in his 13 plate appearences posted a: .818 ISO, .747 wOBA, 423 wRC+, .538 OB, 1.237 SLG, 3 home runs...Definitely someone that the organization believes in, as he got his extension this spring, and he’s continuing to prove them right." - @ RaysMuse
He is the first Ray to win Player of the Week since Brandon Lowe in August 2020.
Rowdy Tellez is the second Milwaukee Brewer in a row to win the honor.
With shortstop Willy Adames providing the thump in the lineup over the previous week, it's a great time to be a Brewer. Rowdy Tellez batted .381 over the week including a record setting performance in which he drove in eight runs in a single game. Of the nine hits Tellez accumulated last week, seven of them were for extra bases. His performance has helped lift the Brewers past the St. Louis Cardinals to first place in the National League Central.
Let’s check in on Rowdy Tellez https://t.co/A2nnGmsnIO
After being selected in the 30th round of the 2013 Major League Baseball draft by the Toronto Blue Jays, Tellez would slug only 34 home runs during his three seasons in Toronto. The Brewers acquired Tellez in the 2020 offseason and had him in a bench role for the majority of the 2021 season. Tellez's biggest impact that year came in the playoffs, where he mashed a two-run home run off of Atlanta Braves ace Charlie Morton to help the Brew Crew win the game.
The Brewers would go on to lose the series against the eventual World Series champion Atlanta Braves.