Offense propels Cleveland Indians to dominating week

The Cleveland Indians rebounded from a rough week with one of their best of the season, winning five of six games, including a four-game sweep of the Angels. That sweep was enough for the Tribe to reclaim the best record and run differential in the American League. The Indians scored 44 runs in those six games, as their offense continues to exceed expectations.

Previous winners:

• April 4-10: Mike Napoli
• April 11-17: Jason Kipnis
• April 18-24: Francisco Lindor
• April 25-May 1: Carlos Santana (my pick), Tyler Naquin (reader vote)
• May 2-8: Francisco Lindor
• May 9-15: Jason Kipnis
• May 16-22: Rajai Davis
• May 23-29: Jose Ramirez
• May 30-June 5: Tyler Naquin
• June 6-12: Trevor Bauer
• June 13-19: Rajai Davis
• June 20-26: Francisco Lindor (my pick), Lonnie Chisenhall (reader vote)
• June 27-July 3: Carlos Santana
• July 4-10: Jason Kipnis
• July 11-17: Mike Napoli
• July 18-24: Tyler Naquin
• July 25-31: Jose Ramirez (my pick), Tyler Naquin (reader vote)
• August 1-7: Mike Napoli

The Candidates

Jason Kipnis

Kipnis hit .409/.480/.682 in 25 plate appearances, good for a wRC+ of 215. He hit safely in all six of the team's games, highlighted by a four-hit game on Friday against the Angels, which included two doubles. Kipnis also stole two bases during the week, scored seven runs, and hit his 20th home run of the season, the first time in his career he's reached that mark.

Francisco Lindor

Lindor hit .375/.423/.500 in 26 plate appearances, good for a wRC+ of 155. He had nine hits during the week, including three on Friday and three more on Saturday. Those were his 19th and 20th games of the season with 3+ hits, more than any other player in baseball. Lindor drove in six runs, scored seven, and had a home run and stolen base during the week, plus his usual allotment of nice defensive plays.

Mike Napoli

Napoli hit .526/.550/.842 in 20 plate appearances, good for a wRC+ of 281. He hit safely in all five of the games he played in, extending his hitting streak to 14 games, matching the best previous streak of his career. He had ten hits in total, including his first four-hit game in five years on Thursday. Among those four hits was Napoli's 29th home run of the season, putting him one away from becoming the first Indians hitter with 30 since Grady Sizemore in 2008.

Jose Ramirez

Ramirez hit .480/.500/.880 in 26 plate appearances, good for a wRC+ of 275. Ramirez has started at third base in every game for more than two weeks now, and seems happy to have a set position. He hit safely in all six games last week, extending his hitting streak to a career-best 18 games. He had 12 total hits, including four doubles and two home runs. He led the team with nine runs scored and seven runs batted in. He also stole a whopping six bases.

The Winner

So many big weeks to choose from, but it's a pretty easy call for me. Ramirez has been tremendous during the last three weeks, with a .444/.474/.722 batting line during that time, including four home runs and eight doubles. Ramirez has been solid all season, but this recent stretch has been something else. All that counts for this honor is the last seven days, but it seems worth mentioning that Jose Ramirez is currently second in the American League in batting average. His week was fantastic, and while I appreciate the other guys pitching in such strong performances, they're fighting for silver.

Congratulations, Jose!