Eastern League Names Pitcher and Player of the Week
Published on June 6, 2011 under Eastern League (EL1) News Release
PORTLAND, ME - The Eastern League is pleased to announce the winners of the Eastern League Player of the Week Award and Eastern League Pitcher of the Week Award for the period of May 30th through June 5th:
Portland Sea Dogs outfielder Chih-Hsien Chiang has been named the Eastern League Player of the Week for the period of May 30th-June 5th. The 23-year old played in eight games for the Sea Dogs last week and hit .424 (14-for-33) with three doubles, one triple, three home runs, eight RBI, eight runs scored, two walks, one stolen base and a .848 slugging percentage. Chiang, who is a native of Taitung, Taiwan, had four multiple hit games last week and finished off the week by hitting a home run in three consecutive games. He kicked off his home run streak by going 4-for-5 with a triple, a solo homer and two runs scored in a 7-2 win at Altoona on Friday night. The 6'2", 170 lb. slugger led all Eastern League players in slugging percentage (.848), OPS (1.306), extra-base hits (7) and total bases (28) last week. He also finished tied for first in hits (14), runs scored (8) and home runs (3), tied for third in triples (1), tied for fourth in RBI (8), tied for sixth in doubles (3) and ranked seventh in batting average (.424). Chih-Hsien, who currently leads the league in slugging percentage (.626) and OPS (.980) and is hitting .313 in 40 games this season, was signed by the Boston Red Sox as a non-drafted free agent on October 20, 2005.
Ryan Verdugo, a left-handed starting pitcher for the Richmond Flying Squirrels, is the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week for the period of May 30th-June 5th. The 6'0", 195 lb. southpaw made one appearance for the Flying Squirrels last week and had a record of 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 8.0 innings pitched. Verdugo, who is a native of Pasadena, California, made his only start of the week on Thursday night at Bowie and surrendered just two hits and one walk while striking out 10 batters over a career-high eight innings of work in a 4-0 win over the Baysox. The 24-year old has allowed two earned runs or less in all but one of his 10 starts for the Flying Squirrels this season and he is currently ranked sixth in the league in strikeouts (59) and seventh in ERA (2.50). Ryan, who combined for a record of 8-1 with one save, 94 strikeouts and a 1.87 ERA as a reliever with the Augusta GreenJackets of the Class-A South Atlantic League and the San Jose Giants of the Class-A California League last season, was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the ninth round of the 2008 draft after going 9-4 with 85 strikeouts and a 4.12 ERA in 96 innings pitched during his junior season at Louisiana State University.
Eastern League Stories from June 6, 2011
- Five Homeruns Not Enough in Reading - Trenton Thunder
- Thunder Add Jason Place, Romine to 7-Day DL - Trenton Thunder
- Verdugo Named El Pitcher of the Week - Richmond Flying Squirrels
- Two New Players Will Join Rock Cats Today - New Britain Rock Cats
- Rock Cats Open Special Six-Game Homestand On Tuesday Night At New Britain Stadium - New Britain Rock Cats
- Chiang Named Eastern League Player of the Week - Portland Sea Dogs
- Eastern League Names Pitcher and Player of the Week - EL1
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