You never know what an MLB week will bring.
The latest Team of the Week is light on household names — with a couple big exceptions, one of which is also my player of the week. But longtime listeners will know that some of my personal favorite players have made it back onto my list for the first time this season.
And for the second straight week, the Baltimore Orioles have multiple entries that don't even include young stars Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson (though Henderson is my co-host Alex Curry's Player of the Week), showing just how much quality depth is in Baltimore's loaded lineup.
With that said, let's dive into this week's team!
Editor's note: Ben Verlander's Team of the Week reflects players' performances from the previous Sunday through Saturday, and statistics listed below are taken from that period.
Catcher: Cal Raleigh , Seattle Mariners
.467 batting average, 2 HR, 4 RBIs, 1.486 OPS
He might be Seattle's beloved "Big Dumper," but on a national level, Raleigh is one of the more underrated catchers in the major leagues. Raleigh has the most home runs by an MLB catcher since the start of the 2022 season and has led his position in that category in each of the past two years. He currently ranks second among catchers in home runs this season with five, this after launching two more longballs this past week.
First baseman: Vinnie Pasquantino , Kansas City Royals
.389 batting average, 3 HR, 7 walks, 2 strikeouts, 1.616 OPS
"Vinnie P" is a big reason the Royals are playing such exciting baseball right now (and cracked my top-10 power rankings for the first time in a long time). He'll be a huge factor in how far the Royals ultimately go this season.
Second baseman: Ketel Marte , Arizona Diamondbacks
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