International League names players of the week

Published on August 22, 2005 under International League (IL1) News Release

The International League announced today that Indianapolis' Ty Wigginton and Norfolk pitcher Brian Bannister have been named the League's Batter and Pitcher-of-the-Week for the period from August 15-21. Wigginton becomes the third member of the Indians to bring home an IL weekly award this season, following Ian Snell (April 25-May 1, May 9-15) and Brad Eldred (July 18-24). Bannister is now the first member of the Tides to be so honored since Brian Daubach (April 18-24) and Mike DiFelice (April 25-May 1) won in consecutive weeks early in the season.

As his Indianapolis Indians push towards a possible post-season berth, third baseman TY WIGGINTON helped his club win six out of seven games last week to extend their lead in the Wild Card race to four games over Columbus. Wigginton hit safely in all seven of his team's game this week, including multiple-hit efforts in six of them. Durham was in town for four games beginning Monday, and Ty immediately went to work on the Bulls' pitching staff. In the series opener he scored four runs on a 3-3 night that included a double and a home run. He was well on his way to dominating the series, ultimately going 8-15 with 2 HR, 5 RBI, and six runs scored in the four-game set. The next club unlucky enough to have to face Wigginton and the Indians was the Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, who started a four-game series with the Tribe Friday. In each of the first three games, Wigginton had two hits and a RBI. Perhaps his biggest contribution came yesterday when he scored three runs in a 5-4 Indianapolis victory. In a game the Indians trailed 4-0, Ty singled in the bottom of the 9th and came around to score the winning run. It capped an amazing seven-day stretch for the 27-year-old infielder in which he hit .519 (14-27) with 2 2B, 3 HR, 8 RBI, and 11 runs scored. During the week he led the IL in hits (14), runs (11), home runs (3), on-base percentage (.594) and slugging percentage (.926).

After spending the first two months of the season in Pittsburgh, where he hit .204 with 5 HR and 11 RBI, Wigginton joined the Indianapolis Indians in early June for his second stint in the International League. He previously played with Norfolk (2001-02) during his time with the New York Mets organization. He played 288 games with the Mets from 2002-04 before he was traded to the Pirates as part of the Kris Benson deal last July.

Norfolk right-hander BRIAN BANNISTER made his Triple-A debut when he joined the Tides in mid-July. The 24-year-old was 3-1 through five starts when he took the hill Monday in Columbus. It was a key game for Norfolk, who was close to clinching the IL South. Bannister provided his team with 5.2 scoreless innings of baseball, scattering seven hits and striking out six without a walk. Norfolk went on to win 8-1, improving Brian's Triple-A record to 4-1. Sunday's start was a much tougher one for Bannister and the Tides. With the division now locked up, they faced off against a team battling for their own post-season spot, the Buffalo Bisons. Brian turned in a quality start, going 6.0 innings and allowing just two runs on five hits and striking out nine. The bullpen took over in the 7th inning with the game tied at 2. Buffalo went on to win 6-4 in 11 innings, but Brian's performance was outstanding. He is now 4-1 with a 2.97 ERA in seven starts at the Triple-A level, and his 13 victories between Norfolk and Double-A Binghamton this year place him in the top ten in Minor League Baseball. In just his second full professional season, he has adjusted quickly to Triple-A batters. This week he posted a 1.54 ERA and notched 15 strikeouts while walking only 3.

Bannister was selected in the seventh round of the 2003 draft by the Mets, and played that summer with Brooklyn of the New York-Penn League, going 4-1 with a 2.15 ERA. Last year he jumped from Class-A St. Lucie to Double-A Binghamton, going 8-10 overall. He began the 2005 season at Binghamton, where he was 9-4 with a 2.56 ERA and 94 strikeouts before being promoted.

International League Stories from August 22, 2005

• Scranton posts 3-2 win over Tribe in series finale - Indianapolis Indians
• Knights split double-header with Toledo - Charlotte Knights
• Tribe infielder Ty Wigginton recalled by Pittsburgh - Indianapolis Indians
• Norfolk falls to Buffalo 3-1 Monday night - Norfolk Tides
• Ty Wigginton Named International League Batter Of The Week - Indianapolis Indians
• Red Barons update - Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees
• Stephens Stellar In 5-0 Shutout Victory - Ottawa Lynx
• R-Braves game notes - Gwinnett Stripers
• Bisons Notes - Buffalo Bisons
• Bannister named Pitcher of the Week - Norfolk Tides
• International League names players of the week - IL1

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