Major League Baseball

MLB Weekly Roundup: Jackie Bradley Jr. busts out new tricks on amazing play

Updated Jul. 30, 2021 8:17 a.m. ET

By Ben Verlander
FOX Sports MLB Analyst

We are officially at the halfway point of the season.

That means one thing: All-Stars!

The All-Star voting has come to an end, so we know who will take the field to start the game on July 13 in Denver. I can't wait.

For now, let’s take a look back at some of the best things from the week that was and look forward to the top storylines of the coming week.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Is the dab officially back?

Joey Votto hit a home run this week for his 1,000th career RBI.

He got a curtain call from the Reds fans and didn’t let them down.

TEAM OF THE WEEK

Here come the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Dodgers won every game they played this week and are on a streak of nine in a row. They have moved into a tie for first place in the NL West and are looking like the team we all expected them to be.

Nine wins in a row is enough to earn the honor of team of the week.

SIX-TOOL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

One of the best plays of the season so far belongs to Jackie Bradley Jr.

It went under the radar this week when Bradley caught a ball in center field and threw all the way to first base to double off the runner who was on first.

That wasn’t the best part, though. The ball to deep center took Bradley back to the track, and he pretended the ball was going over the fence to deke the runner. Then, at the last second, he looked up, caught it and nailed the guy at first.

That's an incredible, heads-up play. Bradley also had a great week at the plate, and that's why he's the latest six-tool player of the week.

STORYLINES OF THE WEEK AHEAD

1) A’s at Astros

This series is a must-win for the Athletics. The Astros have taken over first place in the AL West, and three games separate the two teams heading into this three-game series.

2) Shohei Ohtani

What we are watching from Ohtani this season is historic. He has been named an All-Star for both hitting and pitching, making him the first player in history to accomplish that feat. The Angels play both the Red Sox and Mariners this week. At this point, every Ohtani game is appointment television in my book.

3) New York Yankees

Heading into this week, the Yankees find themselves 10 games back in the AL East. For this roster, quite frankly, that is unacceptable. And if the Yankees are going to turn things around, it needs to start now. They face the Astros and Mariners this week.

THIS WEEK ON THE POD

Atlanta Braves pitcher Shane Greene joins me this week on "Flippin' Bats," and we have an awesome discussion about his unlikely draft story. He explains why he was playing "Call of Duty" when his name was called, as well as what he went through the first couple of months of the season when he wasn’t on a roster.

Here’s to another great 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.