St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Carlos Beltran has been named the National League Player of the Week for the period ending May 13th. The announcement was made earlier today on MLB Network.
In six games last week, Beltran hit .360 (9-for-25) while leading the National League with six home runs, 13 RBI, eight runs scored, 30 total bases and a 1.200 slugging percentage. The Manati, Puerto Rico native collected hits in five of the Cards’ six games last week and homered in four of them.
On Friday, he tied a career-high with four hits (done 22 times — last on 5/2/2012 vs. PIT), clubbing two homers, a double and a triple with four RBI in a losing effort as visiting Atlanta won the 12-inning affair, 9-7. Beltran’s 13 total bases on the day set a new career-best, eclipsing his previous high of 12, accomplished May 12, 2011 as a member of the New York Mets. The 13 total bases were the most in a single game by a Major League switch-hitter since Chipper Jones accomplished the feat on August 14, 2006 at Washington.
Only two National League switch-hitters have collected more total bases in a single game: fellow Cardinals outfielder Mark Whiten (16 on 9/7/1993 at Cincinnati) and Cincinnati third baseman Pete Rose (14 on 4/29/1978 at New York Mets).
On Tuesday, Beltran drove in all six Redbird runs as the Cardinals defeated the Diamondbacks, 6-1, in the second game of a three-game set at Arizona. It was the 35-year-old’s fifth career six-RBI performance and his second of the 2012 campaign after collecting a career-high seven RBI on May 2nd vs. Pittsburgh. He is the first Cardinal to have both a six-RBI and a seven-RBI game in a single season since Albert Pujols in 2009.
The 13-year veteran currently leads the National League with 13 home runs and is tied for the league-lead with 32 RBI. This is his ninth career weekly award and sixth as a National Leaguer.
Other noteworthy performances last week included Beltran’s teammates Rafael Furcal (.667, 14 H, 4 R, 2 SB, .696 OBP) and Allen Craig (.348, 4 HR, 9 RBI, 5 R); Cincinnati’s Joey Votto (.429, 4 2B, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 1.048 SLG), who became the first player in the live-ball era to finish a three-homer game with a walk-off grand slam; Andre Ethier (.455, 4 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 5 R) of the Los Angeles Dodgers; Washington’s Adam LaRoche (.450, 3 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, .900 SLG, .577 OBP); Pittsburgh’s Andrew McCutchen (.524, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 5 R, 1.000 SLG); Miami’s Giancarlo Stanton (.360, 2 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI) and Carlos Zambrano (1-0, 0.56 ERA, CG, SHO, 16 SO, 16.0 IP); David Wright (.481, 4 2B, HR, 7 RBI, 13 H, .517 OBP) of the New York Mets; and San Diego’s Dale Thayer (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 3 SV, 4 SO, 3.0 IP).
In recognition of his National League Player of the Week Award, Carlos Beltran will be awarded a watch courtesy of Game Time, the leader in licensed sports watches, available at MLB.com.