Washington Nationals’ Anthony Rendon named NL Player of the Week

Asked after Anthony Rendon’s 4 for 5 game against the Chicago Cubs in the series finale in Wrigley Field on Sunday, in which the 29-year-old third baseman hit his 29th home run and took his 52nd walk of the season (vs 73 strikeouts in 444 plate appearances this season) if he could make a case for Rendon as the National League’s MVP, second-year Nats’ skipper Davey Martinez said he could.

“I’ll make a case for him right now, MVP, Gold Glove, my man, Anthony,” Martinez said.

Rendon went 14 for 29 (.483/.543/.793) overall on the trip to Pittsburgh and Chicago with a total of three doubles, two home runs, and five walks in 35 PAs and hits in all seven games, with multi-hit games in four of the seven.

Rendon also has a 12-game hitting streak, over which he’s 22 for 53 (.415/.458/.736) with five doubles, four home runs, and five walks in 59 plate appearances.

This afternoon, the infielder was named the NL’s Player of the Week.

Rendon led the NL in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage during the week, and, the Nationals noted in a press release on today’s NL PotW nod, he leads all NL third basemen and is currently ranked second among all NL players in multi-hit games (46), RBIs (104), AVG (tied, .329), and OPS (3rd, 1.024), while he’s currently third in slugging percentage (.617), on-base percentage (.407) and doubles (tied, 35).

The award is Rendon’s second career NL Player of the Week award, after he won his first in mid-July 2017.

Oh, and he’s also set to hit free agency this winter, having already set personal career highs in home runs (29), and RBIs (104), unless he and the Nationals agree to an extension before then.