Major League Baseball

MLB weekly roundup: Six-tool players don't care about baseball's unwritten rules

Updated May. 24, 2021 10:39 a.m. ET

By Ben Verlander
FOX Sports MLB Analyst

Man, oh, man, the unwritten rules of baseball took the world by storm last week.

As we continue to shift into a different age of baseball, one that is more exciting and allows players to show more emotion on the field, we are having lots of conversations about what is right and what is wrong.

That came to a head last week in Chicago, with White Sox manager Tony La Russa in a serious disagreement with most of his locker room about one of the many unwritten rules of the sport.

It was old-school vs. new-school, which, it seems, we are seeing more and more in baseball these days.

Alas, the week went on, so let’s take a look at some of the best things from the week in baseball, as well as spotlighting some storylines for the week to come.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

With the Liberty Bell lit up and an ominous sky in the background, this incredible photo came from Philadelphia, where Bryce Harper walked into the on-deck circle in preparation for an at-bat.

SIX-TOOL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

The definition of a six-tool player is a guy who just has fun playing the game. A guy who loves to bat flip. A guy who loves to swing on a 3-0 count.

This week’s six-tool player did just that.

On Monday in Minnesota, Yermín Mercedes came up to the plate in a blowout game, and on a 3-0 count against a position player, he absolutely demolished a baseball beyond the center-field fence.

It caused quite the uproar around baseball, with even his manager speaking out against what Mercedes did. But you know what? Some of the unwritten rules of baseball are just dumb, and this is one of those.

Keep swinging away on 3-0 counts, Yermín. Get yours when you can.

TEAM OF THE WEEK

The NL West has caught fire, with three of the top four records in baseball coming out of that division. But no team has taken off quite like the San Diego Padres.

The Padres got their star player back on the field this week, and Fernando Tatis Jr. saw his batting average climb big-time — all the way to .309 on the season. He’s red-hot, and so is his team.

The Padres won every game they played last week, and they have won a nine in a row overall.

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WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK

1. Jacob deGrom

I’ll be the first to admit that I was getting a little worried about the health of the best pitcher in baseball. Baseball is better when the best pitcher in the game is able to do just that: pitch. But don't worry, after missing some time, Jacob deGrom will be reactivated this week, and he'll be back out there on the mound for the New York Mets.

2. Jesse Winker

It’s time the world starts to focus all (or at least a lot) of its attention on what Jesse Winker is doing in Cincinnati. Last week, he hit four home runs in two days, and he is hitting better than .350 on the season. Take some time to watch Winker play baseball for the Reds this week. You won’t regret it.

3. Dodgers at Astros

What a series this will be this week in Houston. Quite simply, these two teams flat-out despise each other. With lots of personalities and lots of bad blood on both sides, Dodgers vs. Astros will be tense, and it will also be fantastic baseball, with two of the best teams in the sport going head-to-head.

THIS WEEK ON THE POD

Fresh off a no-hitter, Reds starter Wade Miley joins me this week on "Flippin' Bats."

We talk about why pitchers are so dominant right now and the mental battle that can come with struggling and being able to pitch only once every five days. Also, we discuss the hulk tattoo Miley's son put on his arm right before his no-hitter and whether he still has it and will wear it for future starts.

Here’s to another exciting week of Major League Baseball.

Ben Verlander is an MLB Analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the "Flippin' Bats" podcast. Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Verlander was an All-American at Old Dominion University before he joined his brother, Justin, in Detroit as a 14th-round pick of the Tigers in 2013. He spent five years in the Tigers organization. Follow him on Twitter @Verly32.