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It's time for out weekly look at the Indians' top players of the previous seven days, in which one man is chosen as greater than the rest. Be sure to vote for you choice in the poll included at the bottom of the post.
Previous winners:
The Candidates
This week's candidates offer an interesting offer a pair of big offensive weeks and a pair of good pitching performances.
Michael Brantley
Brantley put up a line of .263/.364/.632 in 22 plate appearances, with 2 stolen bases and 2 home runs. He had two hits and drove in four runs Thursday; if he'd had more help, the Indians would have swept their abbreviated series with Detroit. On Sunday Brantley homered and doubled, helping the Tribe avoid being swept by Toronto. Dr. Smooth continues to pick up big hits.
Lonnie Chisenhall
After missing most of the previous week for the birth of his second child, Lonnie went right back to work, with a line of .500/.533/.643 in 15 plate appearances, with 7 hits and a stolen base (matching his total from 2013). On Thursday he had the first 4-hit game of his career, with two of them coming off former Cy Young winner Justin Verlander.
Justin Masterson
Masterson had a hard time in his previous two starts, but bounced back with a very good game Friday night, allowing 2 runs in 6.1 innings, with 9 strikeouts and only 2 walks. A lack of run support and poor work kept him for a win, but it was good to see him looking like a front-end starter for the first time since Opening Day.
Zach McAllister
McAllister made his second strong start in a row on Wednesday, leading the Tribe to a 3-2 win over Detroit by allowing only 1 run in 6 innings and striking out 4 (including Ian Kinsler twice). Previous performance has no bearing on the Player of the Week Award, but it's worth mentioning that Old Rough and Ready leads the rotation in ERA and FIP.
The Winner
I find it difficult to go with a pitcher who made only one start, unless it was a fantastic game (or no one in the lineup had a good week). Over the course of a season, I don't think players should be rewarded/penalized much for the context of their production, because too much of that is out of their control. Over a short stretch of time though, I think it's worth acknowledging that some hits are better timed than others, and Brantley had some very well-timed hits. He's become the hitter most Tribe fans want up in key situations, and last week continued to show why. I'd love to pick Chisenhall for the second time in three weeks, and I think he's a very reasonable choice, but by a slim margin, I'm going with Brantley as Indians Player of the Week.
Congratulations, Michael!