One week of baseball is a small window, but enough to see who’s playing well above or well below their own baseline. This note doesn’t hunt for the league’s best hitters, but rather those who diverged most from their personal average: an All-Star in a slump shows up here even if batting .300, and a rookie climbing from .200 to .400 does too. From August 3–9, Wilyer Abreu of Boston reached 1.585 OPS, nearly double his season mark (.811), while Yordan Álvarez collapsed to .495 after averaging 1.058.
The Hot: Well Above Their Level
| Player | Team | Week OPS | Season OPS | Difference | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilyer Abreu | Boston Red Sox | 1.585 | .811 | +.774 | 3 |
| Jac Caglianone | Kansas City Royals | 1.348 | .819 | +.529 | 2 |
| Jake McCarthy | Colorado Rockies | 1.352 | .828 | +.524 | 2 |
| Bryson Stott | Philadelphia Phillies | 1.236 | .763 | +.473 | 0 |
| Carson Benge | New York Mets | 1.208 | .757 | +.451 | 2 |
| Jakob Marsee | Miami Marlins | 1.088 | .646 | +.442 | 0 |
| Kyle Tucker | Los Angeles Dodgers | 1.144 | .705 | +.439 | 2 |
| Alec Burleson | St. Louis Cardinals | 1.275 | .837 | +.438 | 4 |
| Bo Bichette | New York Mets | 1.118 | .686 | +.432 | 1 |
| Ezequiel Tovar | Colorado Rockies | 1.006 | .588 | +.418 | 1 |
Abreu batted .438 in 23 plate appearances and drove in 9 runs. Caglianone and McCarthy both topped .470 average. Alec Burleson was the home run king with 4 on the week, though his average was modest (.250): raw power lifted him to 1.275 OPS, nearly 44 points above his line.
Latino Hitters on Fire: Abreu, Tovar, Chourio, and More
During August 3–9, Latin American players had their own hot streak. Wilyer Abreu (Venezuela) leads the charge with his explosive 1.585 OPS. Ezequiel Tovar, also Venezuelan with Colorado, climbed to 1.006 OPS after averaging .588 on the season. Jackson Chourio (Venezuela, Milwaukee) batted .250 with 4 home runs in 31 plate appearances, reaching 1.169 OPS. Ezequiel Durán (Dominican Republic, Texas) batted .381 with 1.169 OPS. José Altuve (Venezuela, Houston) reached .391 average and 1.005 OPS, while Iván Herrera (Panama, St. Louis) batted .385 with 1.044 OPS.
The Cold: Well Below Their Level
| Player | Team | Week OPS | Season OPS | Difference | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yordan Álvarez | Houston Astros | .495 | 1.058 | −.563 | 0 |
| Freddie Freeman | Los Angeles Dodgers | .399 | .841 | −.442 | 0 |
| Mike Trout | Los Angeles Angels | .427 | .831 | −.404 | 1 |
| Randy Arozarena | Seattle Mariners | .425 | .818 | −.393 | 0 |
| Corbin Carroll | Arizona Diamondbacks | .450 | .837 | −.387 | 0 |
| Hunter Goodman | Colorado Rockies | .492 | .861 | −.369 | 1 |
| Ben Rice | New York Yankees | .507 | .875 | −.368 | 1 |
| Drake Baldwin | Atlanta Braves | .462 | .808 | −.346 | 0 |
Here’s where the big names appear, but with an important caveat: they’re not bad, they’re just below what they usually do. Yordan Álvarez (Cuba, Houston) is the extreme case: batting .174 with .495 OPS, nearly 56 points below his season average (1.058 with 36 home runs). Freddie Freeman dipped to .182 with no home runs. Mike Trout barely reached .091, though he did add 1 homer. Randy Arozarena (Cuba, Seattle) is also in pause mode: .174 average, zero home runs. These are seven-day slumps; the best hitters snap out of them as fast as they fall in.
FAQ
Why does Freddie Freeman appear if he’s batting .300 for the season?
Because this week he batted .182, well below his line. This note measures the drop from personal average, not absolute level. Freeman is an All-Star, but this week he didn’t play like one.
What does OPS mean?
OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging) adds on-base percentage and slugging percentage. It’s a number that captures both the ability to reach base and the ability to hit for power. An OPS of 1.000 or higher is excellent; below .700 is weak.
Is one week enough to say someone is «hot» or «cold»?
Not really. One week is a small sample, but it’s useful for spotting trends. Real streaks usually confirm themselves over the next two or three weeks. These numbers are a snapshot, not a movie.
