MLB Week 3 Hot or Not: Harper and Judge mash while the Rox, Fish, and ChiSox fall down the totem poll

The best only get better, while the worst race to beat the 121-loss record

If watching the Chicago White Sox warrants too much hair-pulling and sighing, have no fear. Welcome to a new weekly feature covering hot and not-so-hot players and teams from every division in a weekly recap across MLB. You’ll get to read about some far-more exciting teams and players while also seeing some equally pitiful and embarrassing (if that’s even possible) performances from others.

To start the feature series, this week’s Hot or Not recap covers the third full week of the season from April 13-19.

---

AL West
Hot: Texas is staying ahead in a surprisingly tight division
The Rangers won four of their six games, jumping to first place in their division. While their lineup didn’t spark an excessive number of runs, Corey Seager batted nearly .500 and drove in three runs. Tyler Mahle also handed Texas a win on a silver platter in his six-inning, three-hit, nine-strikeout start over the Angels.

Not: Mike Trout is struggling
Trout was far from reliable last week. Although he hit two dingers and drove in four runs, he hit below the Mendoza line and struck out 14 times. The Angels are somehow second in the division, but not because of him. It might be time to seriously start worrying about the future Hall-of-Famer, as he looks far from OK.

AL Central
Hot: Tarik Skubal is dishing strikeouts
Skubal twirled a gem against Milwaukee, holding the Brewers to four hits, not allowing a walk or run over seven innings. He punched out nine batters with 91 pitches, 64 of which were strikes. The reigning AL Cy Young winner seems to be settling in after a rough couple of weeks.

Not: White Sox drop six straight
From pitching to hitting, the White Sox looked almost as bad as they did last year. They were outscored 40-11 and shut out twice. To make matters worse, Martín Pérez, one of the only two consistent pitchers for Chicago thus far, was put on the 15-day IL with elbow inflammation. The Sox went down easy last week, with no sign of improvement any time soon.

AL East
Hot: Aaron Judge … no explanation is needed
Judge has been superhuman to start the season, and especially in the third week. He only struck out four times while slashing .480/.581/.680 with a home run and five walks. Judge is already the favorite to win the AL MVP this year, and his sizzling bat has only strengthened his odds.

Not: Adley Rutschman didn’t do Adley-things
Oof, 2022’s runner-up for AL Rookie of the Year has been in a slump. Rustchman only knocked off two hits, including a HR, scored two runs, and drew three walks in 28 at-bats. Although the lineup was fine without him, the Orioles could’ve used Rustchman batting above .100.

---

NL West
Hot: Jung Hoo Lee has been a force for the Giants
The Japanese 26-year-old didn’t go down on strikes easily. Lee held a .400 batting average with three doubles, seven RBIs, and two walks. He also mashed two home runs off Carlos Rodón, securing the go-ahead run for a series win. Lee has helped the Giants usurp expectations and stay above .500 in an extremely competitive division.

Not: Colorado’s rotation is in midseason form
The Rockies can no longer blame the Coors effect for their poor starting pitching: Colorado’s starters had a 14.92 ERA, 7.11 BB/9 rate, and 3.55 HR/9 rate, ranking worst in the NL across the board. Starting pitchers averaged just 3.55 innings per outing and posted zero quality starts. Buckle up, Rox fans, Colorado may beat the White Sox for the most losses in the Modern Era.

NL Central
Hot: Chicago’s lineup keeps the runs coming
There’s no shortage of firepower on the North Side. The Cubs drove in 25 runs and hammered 10 homers, putting their batting average at .290 and slugging percentage at .521 for the week. The highlight of the week came with a 13-11 comeback win over the Diamondbacks after being down, 11-6, entering the bottom of the eighth.

Not: Carmen Mlodzinski
Mlodzinski rode the struggle bus in his two starts against the Guardians and Reds. He allowed 14 hits, four, nine earned runs, and four walks in 8 1⁄3 innings. Mlodzinski was responsible for half of the Pirates’ losses last week, and may be better returning to the bullpen if he continues to have poor starts.

NL East
Hot: Bryce Harper has been on a tear
Harper was a monster last week, with a .292 batting average and a .452 on-base percentage, with a sweep slot machine pull of seven runs, seven RBIs, and seven walks. He also hammered one of his three home runs this week 418 feet off 2022 Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara. Harper’s offensive production pushed the Phillies to 38 runs.

Not: Miami’s starting pitchers served up meatballs
There are plenty of issues with the Marlins, and starting pitching might be their biggest. The Marlins rotation held a combined 10.23 ERA while allowing 25 earned runs and six home runs, the most in the East and in the National League. But hey, at least they aren’t the worst rotation in the league.