I'm a little surprised this is Bogaerts' first time ever winning the title. I'm sure I've considered him many times over the years, and I know he's been close many times this season. He finally put up some numbers I couldn't ignore. He had 15 hits in 28 at-bats giving him an incredible .536 average for the week and 1.402 OPS. He had 8 runs, 1 home run, 9 RBI, and a stolen base to boot.
Also, there's the whole handsome thing Xander has going on.
Congratulations, Xander Bogaerts! You are my MLBoyfriend of the week.
My mother, Jane, passed away just a couple of weeks before the MLB season was supposed to begin. This Mothers Day, I'm missing her terribly, and I don't have her beloved sport of baseball to keep me company. So, in her honor, I'm crowning her all-time MLBoyfriend.
First, let's give some honorable mentions to some worthy candidates for the title of Mom's MLBoyfriend.
Minnesota Classic: Tony Oliva
Mom was born and raised in Minnesota. Although she moved (all the way to Iowa!) well before the MLB franchise came to the state, she always had a soft spot for the Twins. Growing up, I heard a lot about great Minnesota players including Rod Carew, Harmon Killebrew, and, Tony Oliva. Later, I was a little surprised to discover that Oliva is not a household name even among serious baseball fans.
Oliva played all 15 years of his career with the Twins, and for eight of them, he was one of the best hitters in baseball. He was the 1964 American League Rookie of the Year, won 4 AL batting titles, went to 8 All-Star Games, and ended up with some very respectable career stats, Oliva remains Twins royalty. Last year, at age 80, he went on a road trip with the team as a special bench coach.
The Pretty Boys: Trevor Plouffe & Eric Hosmer
Plouffe & Hosmer
Mom appreciated talented players, but she also liked a little eye candy on the field--the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. For example, Trevor Plouffe was a good player who had a few solid years with Minnesota....
....However, it wasn't his numbers that made him Mom's favorite Twins player in the early 2010s.
Mom started watching most of the Kansas City's games because that's the team the local sports channel carried. Eric Hosmer quickly became her favorite of the Royals. He had good stats...
....But he gave really good face.
I named Hosmer as my MLBoyfriend a few years ago, and I strongly urge you to read that post to find out how Mom revealed her crush on him to me in the funniest emails I've ever received from anyone. Seriously, click here and check it out.
The Slugger: David Ortiz
Mom and Dad co-owned a team in our family fantasy baseball league. She was mostly a silent partner, but she insisted that they draft David Ortiz every season he played. Even though many of us (including Dad) doubted the choice thinking he was bound to go into decline. Mom knew what she was doing though. He was an excellent hitter right up to the end of his career.
Mom was quick to remind you that she spotted Ortiz early--his rookie year when he was playing as "David Arias" in Minnesota. She never really forgave the Twins for trading him.
Mom's #1 MLBoyfriend: Roberto Clemente
I emailed my siblings asking for suggestions for a list of Mom's favorite baseball players. My brother John replied, "Doesn't that list begin and end with Roberto Clemente?"
More importantly, Roberto Clemente was one of the greatest people ever to play baseball. His biggest legacies are his advocacy for civil rights and his humanitarian work. He literally died serving others. He was on his way to deliver relief supplies to Nicaragua after a devastating earthquake when the small plane he was on crashed into the ocean.
Roberto Clemente holding a baseball clinic for low-income
children in Puerto Rico.
MLB's Roberto Clemente Award is given to the player who "best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field". If you want to know more about why Roberto Clemente was a hero both on and off the baseball field, check out this short video that pieces together clips from a variety of sources. (Thankfully, someone else has risked copyright infringement, so I didn't have to.)
An incredibly talented baseball player who fights for social and economic justice was totally Mom's perfect man. Apologies to her husband of 63 years, my father, but even he would tell you that Roberto Clemente was her all-time favorite. I know it's trivial compared to everything else, but it certainly didn't hurt that he was really handsome.
Congratulation, Roberto Clemente! You were Jane Hogan's All-Time #1 MLBoyfriend. Certainly, this must rank as one of the greatest honors of your career.
Joc Pederson, Los Angeles Dodgers & Ian Kinsler, Boston Red Sox
On Saturday, October 27, I woke up, turned on some cooking shows and blogged about Max Muncy, my MLBoyfriend for the epic Game 3 of the World Series. Then, I turned on the news and suddenly felt a bit bad about posting about a cute baseball player. It was a feeling I had been struggling with throughout the week as the World Series competed for attention against so much terrible news of shootings and pipe bombs. This little blog seemed frivolous in the face of some much hate and violence. However, I remembered that I named an MLBoyfriend the day after the Pulse Nightclub Shooting. If those who try to spread fear keep us from enjoying things that bring us happiness, they've won. There is also precedence for me choosing an MLBoyfriend based his stance on a social issue such as LBGTQ+ rights or gun control. So....
My feelings towards Ian Kinslerare a bit more complicated. In his twelve seasons in the majors, he has spent seven with teams I hate, six with the Texas Rangers and this one with the Boston Red Sox.
Kinsler's stats are good--you don't last that long in baseball without putting up decent numbers.
Kinsler did have a costly error the infamous Game 3 of this World Series. Even when I'm cheering for the other team, I always feel a little bad for players who have the bad luck of having an error at the worst moment. So, Kinsler gets sympathy points. Plus he looked really good in his post-game interview discussing his role in Boston's loss.
Ian Kinsler has always been goodlooking, and, like a fine wine, he's getting better looking with age.
Congratulations, Joc Pederson! You are my 2018 World Series MLBoyfriend.
Congratulations, Ian Kinsler! You are also my 2018 World Series MLBoyfriend.
You two also have the honor of being the final MLBoyfriends of 2018, As with all my picks, I hate to see you go, but I love to see you walk away.
UPDATE 3/26/19: I wrote this before J.D. Martinez posted something very problematic on social media that is in direct opposition to my values. He has a right to express political opinions, but words have consequences. In this case the consequence is that I no longer think he's hot--in fact, he's the opposite of hot. NRA propaganda is deal breaker for me.
According to the (admittedly problematic) ESPN Player Rater, the top two players in fantasy baseball last week were #1. Mookie Betts and #2. J.D. Martinez--both of the Boston Red Sox. Both are also former MLBoyfriends. Betts won the title earlier this season; Martinez was crowned last season. I couldn't decide who was more worthy of a respeat, so I decided to go with the rare tie.
Mookie Betts put up some amazing stats last week. He had ten runs, one home run, five RBIs, two stolen bases, a .448 batting average, and 1.418 OPS.
The highlight of this great week was clearly Thursday, August 9. Mookie Betts accomplished the rare feat of hitting for the cycle. He hit a single, a double, a triple and a home run in one game which is a glorious thing to watch even if it was for the hateful Red Sox.
Betts did all this while remaining his usual adorable self.
So it seems that Mookie Betts should have this week's MLBoyfriend in the bag. However, there's a strong case to be made for J.D. Martinez...
Last week, Martinez had seven runs, four home runs, eleven RBIs, a .464 average, and 1.603 OPS.
For those keeping track, Martinez actually had more home runs and RBIs than Betts as well as a higher batting average and OPS. So why does Betts rank higher on the Player Rater? It was almost certainly Betts' two stolen bases (which system probably weights too heavily) that made the difference. Martinez arguably had the better week.
Martinez has something else going for him: He's on my fantasy baseball team, the Lake Washington Gillygoofangs. I clearly pay more attention to and place more value on his performance.
Also, I have a confession to make. I feel bad that I did not name J.D. Martinez my MLBoyfriend the week he hit four home runs in one game last year. If hitting for the cycle is the batting equivalent of pitching a no-hitter, then hitting four home runs in one game is pitching perfect game. Only eighteen players have done it in major league baseball history. Martinez is the last one to do on September 4, 2017. (Ironically, that week, I had the first ever co-winners of the MLBoyfriend title.)
Martinez also give Betts a run for his money in the cute department.
There are currently many articles and blog posts pitting Mookie Betts against J.D. Martinez in the race for American League MVP. I'm not going to fall into that trap. First, it seems strange to describe teammates as rivals especially when they consistent act as a fantastic duo on the field.
Also, as I mentioned in my post about Betts, they have a legit friendship. Who am I to split up such a fine bromance?
Click here to see a video of Martinez and Betts taking a friendship quiz.
And so, this week, we have the extremely rare tie in baseball. Congratulations Mookie Betts & J.D. Martinez! You are my Co-MLBoyfriends of the week!
