New York’s Juan Soto named American League Player of the Week; Arizona’s Lourdes Gurriel Jr. named National League Player of the Week presented by Chevrolet

The following was announced by Major League Baseball on Monday, April 1st – New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto has been selected the American League Player of the Week presented by Chevrolet, and Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has been named the National League Player of the Week presented by Chevrolet.

Soto, playing in his first week with the Yankees, earned his third career Player of the Week Award and has now secured weekly honors as a member of three different teams, previously winning on August 17, 2020 as a member of the Washington Nationals and last year on September 18^th as a member of the San Diego Padres. Soto is the first member of the Yankees to be named AL Player of the Week since outfield teammate Aaron Judge won last year on September 25^th.

Every pitch from the Juan Soto 9th inning AB in all its glory. 🤩 pic.twitter.com/8s9MyS0ymx

— MLB (@MLB) March 31, 2024

Gurriel Jr., a member of the 2023 National League Pennant-winning Diamondbacks, claimed his second career honor after previously winning on September 8, 2020 as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays. Gurriel Jr. is the first Arizona player to claim weekly honors since Corbin Carroll won last year on June 22^nd.

MVPiña. pic.twitter.com/G5myUBmoSW

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) April 1, 2024

Juan Soto, New York Yankees (@juansoto_25)

• The 25-year-old hit .529 (9-for-17) with one home run, four RBI, one double, three walks, two runs scored and a .765 slugging percentage in his first four games as a member of the Yankees.
• A native of the Dominican Republic, Soto led the Majors with nine hits; ranked second in batting average and on-base percentage (.600); and ranked third among AL hitters in total bases (13).
• The three-time All-Star has collected a hit and an RBI in each of his first four games of the year, marking his longest hitting streak to start a season in his career. He is the first member of the Yankees to record an RBI and a hit in each of his first four games of a season since Jorge Posada in 2003.
• The 2020 NL Batting Champion hit a go-ahead solo home run in the seventh inning on Saturday, capping off a three-run frame in the Yankees’ comeback victory over Houston. Soto registered multiple hits on Friday, Saturday and Sunday against the Astros, featuring three-hit games on Friday and Sunday as he helped the Yankees complete a four-game sweep.
• On the back of his ninth inning go-ahead single on Sunday afternoon, Soto became the first Yankees player in the expansion era (since 1961) to record a go-ahead RBI in three of his first four games with the team.
• Defensively, Soto recorded his 24^th career outfield assist in the ninth inning of a 5-4 win on Opening Day. The right fielder unleashed a throw to get Mauricio Dubón at home for the second out of the inning, nabbing the potential tying run and earning him Play of the Week honors. Since Play of the Week was established in 2019, Soto is the first player to claim both honors within the same week.

Soto-Mania: Juan Soto smashes his first home as a New York Yankee on Saturday night against Houston – Image Credit: New York Yankees/MLB

Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Arizona Diamondbacks (@yunitogurriel)

• The 30-year-old hit .471 (8-for-17) with three home runs, 10 RBI, two doubles, two walks, six runs scored, a stolen base and a 1.118 slugging percentage in four games.
• A native of Cuba, Gurriel Jr. led the Majors in RBI and total bases (19); tied for the Major League lead in home runs and extra-base hits; and finished second among National League batters in batting average, slugging and OPS (1.644).
• The 2023 All-Star hit a home run in each of Arizona’s first three games, becoming the first player in franchise history to homer in each of his first three games to start the season. Across the Majors, he is the first player to homer in his first three games of the season since Danny Jansen of the Blue Jays hit a home run in each of his first three games in 2022.
• The outfielder helped the Diamondbacks score a single-inning franchise-record 14 runs in the third inning on Opening Day, driving home three runs in the frame on a pair of singles. He finished his day with a team-high five RBI after hitting a two-run home run in the first inning, setting a franchise record for the most RBI on Opening Day.

LOURDES. KEEPS. HITTING. pic.twitter.com/kIyzxo0Vrf

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) March 31, 2024

Other noteworthy AL performances last week included shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (.545, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 3 2B, 1 3B, 4 R, 1.273 SLG, .615 OBP) and starting pitcher Brady Singer (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 7.0 IP, 10 SO, 3 H) of the Kansas City Royals; Soto’s teammates infielder/outfielder Oswaldo Cabrera (.438, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 1 2B, 3 R, .875 SLG) and relief pitcher Clay Holmes (0.00 ERA, 3 SV, 3.0 IP) of the Yankees; and first baseman Yandy Díaz (.357, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 1 2B, 2 BB, 3 R) of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Other noteworthy NL performances for the week included infielder/outfielder Mookie Betts (.385, 3 HR, 3 RBI, 1 2B, 5 BB, 7 R, 1.154 SLG, .526 OBP), outfielder Teoscar Hernández (.313, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 2 2B, 5 R, 1.000 SLG) and starting pitcher Bobby Miller of the Los Angeles Dodgers; shortstop Orlando Arcia (.500, 3 2B, 2 R, .750 SLG, .538 OBP) of the Atlanta Braves; designated hitter Nick Martini (.500, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 1 2B, 3 R, 1.375 SLG, .556 OBP) of the Cincinnati Reds; and catcher Francisco Alvarez (.500, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 2B, 3 R, .900 SLG, .545 OBP) of the New York Mets.

Electric Play of the Week presented by Chevrolet
Run-Saving Play by Juan Soto of the New York Yankees
March 28th at Minute Maid Park 

A game-saving throw earns Juan Soto the first @Chevrolet Electric Play of the Week! 💪

And Soto becomes the first-ever Player of the Week to also win Play of the Week, which began in 2019. pic.twitter.com/hDfAxDWyfN

— MLB (@MLB) April 1, 2024

Right fielder Juan Soto of the New York Yankees earned his first career Play of the Week Award, and the first by a Yankees player since Gio Urshela was awarded the honor on October 4, 2021. With the Yankees ahead of the Astros, 5-4, in the bottom of the ninth at Minute Maid park on Thursday afternoon, Soto fielded a base hit by Kyle Tucker and threw to the plate to nab Mauricio Dubón as he tried to score the tying run. Catcher Jose Trevino applied the tag for the second out of the inning, helping the Yankees to claim an Opening Day victory. In tandem with his selection as the AL Player of the Week, Soto became the first player to win Player and Play of the Week within the same week (since 2019). Additional Play of the Week candidates included Alex Verdugo’s game ending sliding catch; JJ Bleday’s home run-robbing snag; Ceddanne Rafaela’s full-extension diving catch; and Gunnar Henderson’s diving stop and throw to first.