MLB Week 12 Hot or Not: Records were set! 

Jacob Misiorowski and Cal Raleigh break records as a heat wave sets in

As the temperatures rise, so does the level of competition. MLB’s 12th week was record-breaking and filled with excitement, as the All-Star voting amps up and midseason approaches. From June 15-21, feuds and drama reached boiling points on both coasts, while the Midwest teams kept their heads down and continued to grind.

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AL West
Hot: Cal Raleigh surpass Johnny Bench’s home run record in the first half of the season
Raleigh has been the best catcher in baseball all season, and that’s because of his slug. Big Dumper has a .639 slugging percentage with 29 home runs, and his 29th home run was record-breaking. His 419-foot bomb on June 20 passed Johnny Bench’s record for the most dingers by a primary catcher, and his 30th one on June 21 broke the record for most home runs by a switch-hitter before the All-Star break. Oh yeah, and on Sunday he hit yet another long ball. Simply put, Raleigh has been a monster this year.

Not: Brandon Walter fumbles against the Angels
Walter’s fourth season start against Los Angeles didn’t go as planned. After nearly pitching a shutout against Minnesota earlier in the week, Walter surrendered nine hits, seven runs, and two home runs to the Halos. Although he pitched six full frames and nearly 100 pitches, Houston’s No. 5 starter couldn’t tame the division rivals, who are becoming more competitive with every game they play.

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AL Central
Hot: Carlos Estévez claims baseball’s saves lead
The Royals closer dethroned Robert Suárez for the most saves in the league. Estévez took advantage of Suárez’s three-game suspension for intentionally hitting Shohei Ohtani on June 20 when Kansas City traveled to San Diego. With a 6-4 lead, Estévez narrowly secured his 22nd save of the year after giving up a solo home run to Manny Machado in the ninth.

Not: White Sox skid inches them closer to last in the league
The South Side is regressing again. They finally snapped their eight-game losing streak, but their weak offense still dragged Chicago’s record to 24-53. The White Sox recorded a -14 run differential with the lowest point of the week being Shane Smith’s six runs allowed in 4 ⅓ innings against the Cardinals, eventually forcing a position player pitching to finish their 12-2 loss. The White Sox are now only seven games ahead of the Rockies for last place in MLB.

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AL East
Hot: It’s the summer of Gunnar (Henderson)
Henderson’s bat has heated up this month. He batted .381 with five runs, three RBIs, and four walks last week. While he didn’t send any balls over the fence, Henderson’s patience and consistency at the plate kept him from striking out more than once in his 18 at-bats. While his April was quite slow, Henderson has sufficiently made up for lost time this month.

Not: Rafael Devers’ trade rattles Boston’s lineup
Trading Rafael Devers shook up Red Sox fans and players, too. Boston’s lineup delivered a paltry .171 batting average and .310 slugging percentage. Although the Red Sox pulled off four wins despite only scoring 16 runs in six games, it’s clear that the front office politics have sufficiently shaken up Boston. A win is a win, but Boston’s executives have a lot of work and explaining to do to their fans and themselves on how they shipped their third superstar to the West Coast.

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NL West
Hot: Eugenio Suárez can’t stop hitting home runs
Suárez is gaining ground on the home run leaderboard. Last week, he mashed five dingers, scoring a home run in four consecutive games. Two of them were hit against the Rockies in Arizona’s 14-8 triumphant slugfest. Suárez’s home run total now sits at 25, tied with Shohei Ohtani for third-most in the league.

Not: Dylan Cease’s poor outing against Los Angeles raises questions about his reliability
Cease has had a bumpy season, with mostly serviceable but not stellar outings, but last week he pitched his second-worst game of the season. While he managed to last five innings, Cease gave up six runs off of five hits and a walk to the Dodgers. His nine strikeouts shouldn’t go unrecognized, but his five-run fourth inning killed all momentum the Padres gained with their 1-0 lead. Cease’s pitching has been unpredictable, as seen by his polar opposite starts within one week against the Dodgers and Royals, and he should continue to be considered an unreliable starter.

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NL Central
Hot: Jacob Misiorowski sets a league record in his second MLB game
Brewers top pitching prospect Misiorowski couldn’t have asked for a better start to his baseball career. After allowing no hits in his debut, he held the Twins to one hit, two runs, and six strikeouts in Milwaukee’s outstanding 17-6 triumph. Misiorowski set a league record by not allowing a single hit in the first 11 innings of his career, and at this pace it likely won’t be the only record he sets.

Not: Pittsburgh’s offense sits in idle
The Pirates didn’t have enough gas in the tank to outscore the Tigers or Rangers. Hitters slashed .203/.262/.262, failing to score more than three runs in any game outside of a 8-4 victory in the Motor City. Although the offense was weak across the board, Oneil Cruz particularly struggled, going 3-for-21 all week. Beginning the season, the Pirates offense didn’t wow anyone on paper, and they have yet to impress on the field for more than a handful of games at a time.

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NL East
Hot: Chris Sale continues to stun batters
He’s now on the injured list with a broken rib, but the veteran southpaw pitched a gem against the Mets. He nearly pitched the entire game, shutting out New York in 8 ⅔ innings with only five hits and a walk forfeited, along with seven strikeouts. The 2024 NL Cy Young winner lowered his season ERA to 2.52 and raised his strikeout total to 114 with his eighth quality start this year.

Not: Francisco Lindor chills out
Lindor’s struggles are representative of the Mets’ seven-game losing streak. Lindor went nearly hitless last week, finally reaching base on something more than a walk on June 21. His cold streak seemingly appeared overnight, as the veteran shortstop’s slash line dropped from .282/.351/.485 to .267/.340/.463 within a week. Thankfully, Lindor came back with a boom at the end of the week.