International League Player Of The Week
Published on June 16, 2008 under International League (IL1) News Release
The International League announced today that Pawtucket second baseman/outfielder Joe Thurston and Syracuse pitcher John Parrish have been named the League's Batter and Pitcher-of-the-Week for the period from June 9-15. Each player is the third member of his respective club to win an IL weekly award in 2008.
JOE THURSTON, Pawtucket Red Sox IL BATTER OF THE WEEK Joe Thurston has been one of the top players in Triple-A Baseball since 2002, as evidenced by his three trips to the Triple-A All-Star Game and his 2006 election to the International League Postseason All-Star Team. Now, for the first time in his career, he is the IL Batter of the Week. Thurston homered in three straight games June 10-12 and drove in 12 runs for the week, tied for most in the IL. It was an unusual outburst of power for Thurston, who entered the week with just three homers on the year. Thurston also contributed in more traditional ways for the 2-hole batter, hitting .345, scoring a League-high 8 runs, and swiping two bases. He has been a major contributor all year for the PawSox, helping the team to a 42-30 record - good enough for a playoff spot if the season were over today.
28-year-old Joe Thurston was signed by the Red Sox as a free agent last December. He entered the 2008 season with a .286 average in 285 International League games with Columbus, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and Ottawa. He also played 453 games with Las Vegas of the Pacific Coast League. He is a .259 hitter in the Major Leagues, having played 55 games with the Dodgers and Phillies. Thurston is a native of Fairfield, CA.
G AVG H AB R 2B 3B HR RBI SLUG BB SB Week: 7 .345 10 29 8 1 0 3 12 .690 3 2 Season: 63 .312 78 250 46 12 1 6 36 .440 17 11
JOHN PARRISH, Syracuse Chiefs IL PITCHER OF THE WEEK John Parrish solidified his place among the International League's best pitchers this week with a pair of victories to improve his record on the year to 10-0. In addition to leading the IL in wins, he is now 8th with a 2.83 ERA. Parrish turned in his best outing of the season Monday on the road against IL North leading Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, shutting out the Yankees for 8.0 innings, allowing just three hits and three walks while striking out seven. It was his longest outing of the year. Yesterday at Toledo he performed admirably in a tough situation for a starter. Chiefs manager Doug Davis opted not to start Parrish due to threatening weather conditions, but once it reached the 3rd inning Parrish was inserted into the game for his first relief appearance since April 16. He struck out seven Mud Hens in 5.0 innings while allowing three runs, good enough to earn his IL-best 10th victory of 2008. The southpaw led the League with 14 strikeouts this week.
30-year-old John Parrish is in his first season in the Toronto organization after signing as a free agent in January. Parrish previously played in the International League with Rochester from 2000-01. He is a veteran of 161 Major League games with Baltimore and Seattle, going 12-12 with a 4.63 ERA. Parrish is a native of Lancaster, PA.
G GS CG SHO W-L ERA IP H R ER BB K SV Week: 2 1 0 0 2-0 2.08 13.0 9 3 3 5 14 0 Season: 14 10 0 0 10-0 2.83 76.1 65 33 24 34 86 0
International League Stories from June 16, 2008
- Tides whip Yankees, 10-0 - Norfolk Tides
- Long Balls Lift Tribe To 8-3 Win Over Clippers - Indianapolis Indians
- Braves Blank Knights - Gwinnett Stripers
- Monday's Durham Bulls/Buffalo Bisons game suspended in third inning - Buffalo Bisons
- Tribe to celebrate IL anniversary this week - Indianapolis Indians
- Parrish Breaks Franchise Record - Syracuse Mets
- Mud Hens host drug awareness program - Toledo Mud Hens
- Bisons Notes - Buffalo Bisons
- International League Player Of The Week - IL1
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