2) Yankees Have you heard? Aaron Judge is pulling the ball again C.C. Sabathia Jersey. That means homers. Lots of them. The 2017 AL Rookie of the Year (and AL MVP runner-up) is tied for the MLB lead in dingers (nine) and is an MVP favorite, though some leg soreness that has put him on the injured list could present a problem for his award chances. With the Yankees, not only do you get Judge Derek Jeter Jersey (and you can't totally rule out DJ LeMahieu, although he's also on the IL with a left thumb sprain) as a top MVP candidate, but also Gerrit Cole as a Cy Young favorite. While he probably wouldn't win the award if voting were conducted today -- it likely would be Indians strikeout maestro Shane Bieber -- Cole remains a top contender. After finishing fifth in voting in 2018, Cole narrowly missed taking home the hardware last year, losing to then-Astros teammate Justin Verlander by a razor-thin margin. He's off to a strong start (4-0, 2.76 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 10.4 K/9) and will figure prominently in the voting again. 3) Angels In his eight seasons as a full-time Major Leaguer before this season, Mike Trout has three MVPs, four second-place finishes and one fourth-place finish. In a 60-game season, it isn't quite as likely that Trout will take home the prize, simply because it's harder for him to fully establish dominance relative to the rest of baseball in a more compressed year. A smaller sample size gives others a better chance, and one Trout injury or slump would be more damaging than usual. But he's certainly the AL favorite, and the tear he's been on since becoming a father for the first time on July 30 (four homers in his first five games after the birth) indicates another amazing season is likely. 4) Padres If you're starting a team from scratch, Trout would be just about everyone's first pick. Second? You couldn't go wrong taking Fernando Tatis Jr., who is tied for the MLB lead with nine homers. Tatis appears destined to win an MVP in his career, and by the looks of his early-season prowess Don Mattingly Jersey, it could be sooner rather than later. He's destroying pitches in the zone, laying off bad pitches, showing off his rocket arm and displaying the best bet flip in MLB. 5) Indians The most impressive pitcher during this young season has been Indians strikeout savant Shane Bieber. Through five starts, the righty is 4-0 with a 1.30 ERA and 54 strikeouts. He tied MLB's all-time mark with 27 strikeouts through his first two starts of the season. His stellar form follows a breakout campaign in 2019, when he finished fourth in the AL Cy Young race (15-8, 3.28 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 10.9 K/9). He is the top challenger to Cole. 6) White Sox The AL Rookie of the Year race looks like it could be quite a battle between Luis Robert and the Mariners' Kyle Lewis. Robert comes with a slightly higher pedigree (MLB Pipeline's No. 3 overall prospect, compared to Lewis' peak of No. 29), and he has been sensational thus far. He's a Statcast darling, hitting vicious liners, prodigious homers and tracking down balls in center field with ease. Lucas Giolito, last year's sixth-place AL Cy Young finisher, has struggled through the early part of the season with a 4.88 ERA, so it's likely up to Robert to win an award for the White Sox. That said, Robert is the favorite. 7) Reds Nick Castellanos is a superstar. While he might not be a household name -- he hasn't even made an All-Star team -- he's developed into one of the best bats in the game. It isn't often that a player goes from good to great in his late 20s, but that is what the Reds slugger has done. After a historic season of doubles a year ago, Castellanos is continuing his dominant hitting, but this time, he's crushing homers. He's tied for second in the NL with eight, thanks in large part to one of the best barrel rates in MLB. The Reds have several pitchers who could figure into the NL Cy Young mix as well. Trevor Bauer (2-0, 0.93 ERA, 32 strikeouts) and Sonny Gray (4-1, 2.05 ERA, NL-best 45 strikeouts) are both off to sensational starts. 8) Mets Jacob deGrom has won back-to-back NL Cy Young Awards, and there's nothing to suggest he isn't the favorite to become the first pitcher to win three in a row since Randy Johnson won four straight from 2001-04, assuming the neck ailment that made deGrom miss his most recent start doesn't worsen. deGrom is 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA and is showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, his velocity increase is unprecedented. NEW YORK -- Clint Frazier's time with the Yankees has been filled with ups and downs, prompting him to wonder if this latest recall to the big leagues would offer a chance to contribute. The way he's swinging the bat, the Yankees can't envision taking him out of the lineup. Frazier tied his career high with five RBIs, contributing a double Gary Sanchez Jersey, a three-run homer, a two-run single and a diving catch in right field as the Yankees reached the one-third mark of the regular season with an 11-5 rout of the Red Sox on Saturday evening at Yankee Stadium. "I've had a few years of getting in reps and getting the opportunity to play," Frazier said. "I feel comfortable coming into this role. It's only a few at-bats, but I'm satisfied with how I feel right now." Gary Sánchez homered for the third time in as many games and Gio Urshela also went deep as the Yanks posted their eighth straight win over the Red Sox -- their longest such winning streak since 1985. New York has won 13 of the last 14 games between the rivals since July 28, 2019, and is off to its best 20-game start overall since 2003 (17-3). Frazier was patrolling right field in place of Aaron Judge, who is on the 10-day injured list with a strained right calf. Judge could be joined on the IL by infielder DJ LeMahieu, who sustained a sprained left thumb on Saturday and was sent for imaging tests, including a CT scan and an MRI. "We'll absorb it," manager Aaron Boone said. "Any time you lose guys of that caliber, it's not a good thing, but the expectations in that room never change." The three homers were hit off Nathan Eovaldi, who surrendered eight runs and nine hits to his former club over 5 1/3 innings. Tyler Wade, who replaced LeMahieu at second base, added a run-scoring double off Heath Hembree that was charged to Eovaldi. Frazier appeared on the Yankees' Opening Day roster but was optioned to the club's alternate training site in Moosic, Pa., during the first week of the season. Behind closed doors, Frazier asked Boone and general manager Brian Cashman if he had a role on the team Gleyber Torres Jersey, which appeared to be stocked with outfield talent. Boone and Cashman encouraged Frazier to bring a positive attitude to the Triple-A ballpark, with Boone mentioning that Frazier would be "a play away" from returning to the Majors. That proved prescient during the season's third week, as Judge and Giancarlo Stanton have been shelved by injuries. "I tried to keep a good head on my shoulders while I was down at the alternate site, and not take for granted the reps that I was given there," Frazier said. "Overall, I wasn't pouting, because I was preparing to play for a team -- whenever or whoever that was. I took it serious down there." Frazier walked in the second inning, doubled in the fourth, belted a three-run shot to the right-field seats in the sixth and contributed a two-run single in the seventh. He is 7-for-11 (.636) with three doubles, two homers and eight RBIs in three games since being recalled. "I've noticed him driving the ball to center and right-center more than he usually does, and with authority," Boone said. "He looks great. He's in a great place. He's worked his tail off for the last couple of years to continue to give himself this opportunity. He's taking advantage of it." Three-peat Mired in an early-season slump, Sánchez worked extensively with hitting coaches Marcus Thames and P.J. Pilittere, aiming to find better balance. Sánchez is continuing to see results, mashing a two-run homer in the fourth. "For me, it was about putting the ball in play and swinging at a pitch in my zone," Sánchez said through a translator. "It's been a lot of work with the hitting coaches trying to get to the point where I can have good contact and put the ball in play." Sánchez has homered in three consecutive games for the sixth time in his career, having last achieved the feat from June 19-21, 2019. Heating up Yankees starter James Paxton held Boston to three runs over five innings, and though he was not as dominant as he was in his previous start against the Rays, the left-hander touched a season high with a 94.8 mph fastball to strike out Michael Chavis in the second inning. J.D. Martinez stroked a two-run single and Xander Bogaerts homered in a three-run third inning as Boston briefly claimed a lead. Sánchez's homer restored the advantage, and Paxton battled through the 83-pitch outing as he improved to 6-1 with a 3.41 ERA in 10 career starts against the Red Sox.
