The Buzz — Thursday, August 6

Angel Genao

The take Historic four-hit MLB debut, first ever for Cleveland franchise

He is the first player in Cleveland franchise history to log four hits in a big-league debut, and just the 22nd in the Majors since 1900. The 22-year-old arrived from Triple-A Columbus that same day, Cleveland's top prospect per ESPN, hitting .309 with 10 home runs in 72 games. The rest of the night was messier: a double-error at third base — he is primarily a shortstop who debuted at the hot corner — and a 6-5 loss in 10 innings after the bullpen let his seventh-inning RBI single slip away.

The bat showed up ready. The glove at third is what needs the work.

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Pete Crow-Armstrong

The take PCA two-homer 4-RBI game sparks NL MVP buzz

He entered leading all of baseball with 7.5 fWAR — Ohtani sat at 6.4 — and what he did against the Dodgers was confirmation, not revelation. Two home runs, a double, four RBIs in a 7-6 win that completed a three-game sweep and extended the Dodgers' skid to six straight. ESPN named him the NL MVP favorite afterward, but the case was already standing before the first pitch: .288 average, 26 home runs, 69 RBIs, 28 stolen bases, .938 OPS across 115 games.

He exchanged leadoff home runs with Ohtani in the first and matched him again later. The buzz is earned.

Pete Crow-Armstrong cards on eBay →(paid link)

Shohei Ohtani

The take Ohtani-PCA dual 2-HR game fuels NL MVP race

Two home runs — his 25th and 26th — and three RBIs in a 7-6 loss that stretched the Dodgers' skid to six. The leadoff shot was his 11th of the season, passing Davey Lopes for second in franchise history. The bat is still elite at .298 with a .956 OPS. But he has not pitched since July 3 with left knee soreness, and without the two-way edge, the MVP race is exactly where Crow-Armstrong's all-around game catches him.

Shohei Ohtani cards on eBay →(paid link)

Yordan Alvarez

The take Leads hitter ranks and Triple Crown race after baserun out

He is No. 1 in MLB.com's Hitter Power Rankings for the second straight poll, and the numbers underneath tell you why. Alvarez leads the majors in batting average at .329 and home runs at 35, and he paces the American League with 85 RBIs. A 1.082 OPS also tops baseball. That is a Triple Crown profile — which no player in either league has won since Miguel Cabrera in 2012 — and since July 1 he has hit .371 with a 1.189 OPS. The chase is live.

The baserunning play in the 10th against Toronto is getting the replay. His RBI single left the bat at 114.8 mph, but shortstop Andrés Giménez deked him into standing up on the slide. He missed second, the challenge failed, a tying rally with no outs became the first out, and the Astros lost 5-4. One play, magnified by who he is.

On August 1 against Texas, he scored the winning run from third on a wild pitch at 27.3 ft/s, nearly three feet per second above his season average of 24.9. The baserunning story is one bad night, not a pattern. The Triple Crown chase is the read.

Yordan Alvarez cards on eBay →(paid link)

CJ Abrams

The take Abrams jumps to No. 3 hitters after homer binge

Since July 6, Abrams has hit .344 with an MLB-best 10 home runs and a 1.137 OPS, second only to Alvarez in that span. That month pushed him from unranked to No. 3 in MLB.com's Hitter Power Rankings. Inside the run was a seven-game burst where he hit .567 with seven home runs — the first National with seven in seven since Schwarber in 2021 — and his 27th homer set the franchise single-season shortstop record, passing Ian Desmond's 25 from 2012.

The season line stands at .286, 28 HR, 85 RBIs (second in the NL), and a .911 OPS. The surge built on a real floor, and the ranking is earned.

CJ Abrams cards on eBay →(paid link)