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Twins 1B Alex Kirilloff, Braves 3B Austin Riley Win MLB Players of the Week

The two young sluggers combined for nine home runs just since last Monday, with Kirilloff launching three and Riley crushing six.

Sam Connon

Twins 1B Alex Kirilloff, Braves 3B Austin Riley Win MLB Players of the Week
Twins 1B Alex Kirilloff, Braves 3B Austin Riley Win MLB Players of the Week /
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Minnesota Twins first baseman Alex Kirilloff and Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley have won American League and National League Players of the Week, respectively, MLB announced Monday afternoon.

Kirilloff went 10-for-29 in seven games last week, powering the Twins to a 5-2 stretch that vaulted them into first place in the AL Central. The 25-year-old hit .345 with three home runs, 10 RBI, two doubles, a triple, four multi-hit games and an 1.187 OPS.

On the season, Kirilloff is now hitting a career-high .282 with a career-best .838 OPS.

Riley, on the other hand, went 10-for-25 over the course of the week, good for an even .400 batting average. The two-time All-Star posted 16 RBI and a 1.640 OPS thanks in large part to his six home runs in six games, plus a double and triple for good measure.

Before he went 0-for-4 on Sunday, Riley had hit at least one home run in five consecutive games. Riley opened the week with two home runs against the Arizona Diamondbacks, then rattled off four games in a row with additional long balls.

The Braves went just 3-3 last week, but they still hold the best record in baseball at 64-34.

Riley is now batting .270 with 22 home runs, 61 RBI and an .819 OPS in 2023. Since becoming an everyday player for the Braves in 2021, Riley is averaging 36 home runs, 101 RBI and 175 hits per 162 games.

Kirilloff and the Twins open their next series against the Seattle Mariners at 7:40 p.m. ET on Monday. Riley and the Braves, meanwhile, have Monday off.

The Braves will start a two-game road set against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. ET.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a Staff Writer for Fastball on the Sports Illustrated/FanNation networks. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's All Bruins, 247Sports' Bruin Report Online, Rivals' Bruin Blitz, the Bleav Podcast Network and the Daily Bruin, with his work as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk.

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