Arizona Fall League Names Players-of-the-Week
October 22, 2008 - Arizona Fall League (AzFL) News Release
Phoenix, Arizona - Scottsdale Scorpions infelder Drew Sutton (HOU) and Mesa Solar Sox starting right-handed pitcher Tommy Hanson (ATL) are the Arizona Fall League's week two player-of-the-week and pitcher-of-the-week, respectively.
Sutton - Sutton hit a robust .643 (9-14) last week in four games, including two home runs and fve runs batted in. He posted a .667 on-base percentage and 1.143 slugging percentage.
The Fall League's leading hitter at .600 (12-20) two weeks into its 17th season, the 6-3, 190-pound Sutton also leads in on-base percentage (.680) and slugging percentage (1.000).
The 25-year-old Jackson, Tennessee native and former Baylor star was the Astros' 15th-round selection in the 2004 draft. He hit .317 in 2008 at Double-A Corpus Christi with 20 home runs, 63 extra-base hits, 69 runs batted in, and 20 stolen bases.
Other player-of-the-week nominees were Phoenix Desert Dogs' outfelder Eric Young, Jr. (COL) and Peoria Saguaros infelder Daniel Murphy (NYM).
Hanson - The 6-6, 210-pound Hanson was nearly perfect last week, winning both his starts while allowing only one hit over 6.2 innings pitched. In his most recent start last Saturday, October 18 vs. the frontrunning 8-2 Peoria Saguaros, Hanson struck out eight of the frst nine hitters.
The 22-year-old Tulsa, Oklahoma native, who has allowed just one hit in 8.2 innings overall, is riding a streak of 8.1 consecutive hitless innings. He has not allowed a hit since a one-out single by Young in the frst inning of Hanson's frst start on Opening Day (October 7). His earned-run average is 0.00 and he is one of three Fall League pitchers with two wins. He owns 14 strikeouts against three walks.
Hanson, who played college baseball at Riverside (CA) Community College, was the Braves' 22nd-round selection in the 2005 draft. After starting 2008 at Advanced-A Myrtle Beach where he was 3-1 with a 0.90 earned-run average in seven starts, Hanson was promoted to Double-A Mississippi where he was 8-4 with a 3.03 earned-run average in 18 starts. He struck out 114 batters in 98 innings while allowing only 70 hits.
Two other right-handers - Scottsdale Scorpion Clay Buchholz (BOS) and Peoria Saguaro Tobi Stoner (NYM) - were nominated for pitcher-of-the-week.
Arizona Fall League - The Arizona Fall League, known throughout professional baseball as a "fnishing school" for Major League Baseball's elite prospects, is a six-team league, owned and operated by Major League Baseball, that plays six days per week (Monday-Saturday) in fve Cactus League stadiums (Mesa, Peoria, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Surprise) in the Phoenix metropolitan area. This year's schedule concludes with a championship game on Saturday, November 22 at Scottsdale Stadium.
The annual "Rising Stars Game" will be played on Friday, October 24 at 7:15 p.m. at Surprise Stadium.
For current Arizona Fall League information, including pitch-by-pitch gamecasts by Baseball Advanced Media, consult www.mlbfallball.com.
Arizona Fall League Stories from October 22, 2008
- Arizona Fall League daily report - AzFL
- Arizona Fall League Names Players-of-the-Week - AzFL
- Arizona Fall League Announce Rising Stars Rosters - AzFL
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