Geraldo Valentin Named Association Player of the Week
August 29, 2016 - American Association (AA)
Joplin Blasters News Release
Geraldo Valentin was named the American Association's Pointstreak Player of the Week on Monday, the first time in franchise history a player has earned such an honor. The announcement was made Monday afternoon by Pointstreak, the official statistician of the American Association.
Valentin had a milestone week, which included him hitting safely in all seven of the Blasters' games. The veteran twice hit two home runs in a contest, raising his total to a franchise-best 18 homers. He hit a pair of homers in Tuesday's doubleheader opening loss to the Texas AirHogs in Amarillo. The Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico native played the 2014 and 2015 campaigns with Amarillo, and was playing his first game back in his former ballpark.
His week was spotlighted by his performance on Saturday night, where he posted four hits and recorded the 1000th hit of his professional career. Valentin hit two more home runs, and a third-inning bloop single accounted for 1,000 hits in professional baseball. He drove in two of Joplin's three runs in a 3-1 victory over the Laredo Lemurs at Joe Becker Stadium.
Over the four games, Valentin went 7-for-14 against Laredo as the Blasters took three of four from the playoff contenders in the final home series of the 2016 campaign.
The 2016 season has been arguably the best of Valentin's 11-year professional career, which includes time with affiliates of the Kansas City Royals, Miami Marlins, and Seattle Mariners. He has set career-highs in runs scored, home runs, runs batted in, and is nearing a career-best hits set nearly a decade ago. With five hits in the upcoming four game series against the Wichita Wingnuts, Valentin would break his career hits record, which was set with the then Wichita Wranglers of the double-A Texas League.
Valentin's 122 hits and .333 batting average are both among the league's best, and his totals in runs scored, RBIs, homers, and hits are single-season bests in the two years of Joplin Blasters baseball.
This is the second Blaster in two seasons to be honored with a weekly award. Nestor Molina, who is now with the San Francisco Giants' double-A affiliate, was the Pitcher of the Week in the final full week of July last season. The Pitcher of the Week this week was Lincoln's Lindsey Caughel.
The Blasters congratulate Valentin on the accomplishment, and on his historic week that preceded it.
American Association Stories from August 29, 2016
- Mittelstaedt Walk-Off Completes Comeback - Wichita Wingnuts
- Geraldo Valentin Named Association Player of the Week - Joplin Blasters
- Caughel Earns A.A. Pitcher of Week Honors - Lincoln Saltdogs
- Boldly Going Towards the Playoffs: Saints Determined Not to Nickel and Dime Fans with Popfly's, Polk - St. Paul Saints
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