Yankees' Miguel Andujar Leading AL Rookie Candidate; Javier Baez Approaching 100 RBI For Cubs

Players of the Day for Saturday, August 25, 2018

American League

Andujar: Top rookie

Looking for the next AL rookie of the year?

Look no further than Yankee third baseman, Miguel Andujar.

The 23-year-old native of the Dominican Republic has been racking up hits, homers and RBI all season, outpacing other candidates with a .300 batting average, 21 homers and 70 RBI.

On Saturday, the Yankees took a doubleheader from the Orioles at Baltimore, winning the first game, 10-2, and the nightcap, 5-1. In the early game, Andujar drove in four runs, getting the Yanks on the board in the first inning with a ground out that plated Giancarlo Stanton from third. With the score tied 2-2 in the fourth, Andujar unknotted it with his 21st homer, a three-run dinger into the Camden Yards center field stands.

In the late game, Andujar collected a pair of singles, boosting his average to an even .300, tied for 10th in the league with Cleveland's Michael Brantley.

New York's two wins put them seven games behind the Red Sox in the AL East. New York has won three straight against the Orioles and will be looking for a sweep when they wrap up the series Sunday, 8:00 pm EDT. The Yankees have won seven of their last eight. Boston is just 4-6 in their last ten games, allowing the Yankees to creep closer.

Baez: 97 RBI leads NL

National League

Going almost without notice, Chicago's Javier Baez has been the leading RBI producer in the National League all season long and he added to his top numbers by driving in three runs in the Cubs' 10-6 win over the Reds at Wrigley Field Saturday.

Baez socked his 28th home run (6th in NL) in the fifth inning and singled in a pair in the seventh, completing the scoring for Chicago. Two Cincinnati homers in the eighth made the game closer but in the end could not prevent the Cubs from winning their fourth straight overall, and third in a row over the Reds.

Baez, 25, is emerging as one of the brightest stars in the league, having already set career marks in hits, runs, doubles, triples, home runs, RBI, and stolen bases. If his .297 batting average holds up through the end of the season, that will also be a high mark for the fifth-year player.

With St. Louis and Milwaukee both losing Saturday, the Cubs increased their NL Central lead to four over the Cardinals and 4 1/2 games over the Brewers.

Chicago will be seeking a sweep of the Reds when they take the field Sunday, 2:20 pm EDT.