Greg Bird & Jerad Eickhoff Named International League Players Of The Week

Published on August 10, 2015 under International League (IL1) News Release

The International League announced today that Scranton/Wilkes-Barre first baseman Greg Bird and  Lehigh Valley pitcher Jerad Eickhoff have been named the League's Batter and Pitcher of the Week for  the period from August 3-9.  Each player is the third member of his respective club to claim an IL  weekly award this season.  Bird joins fellow RailRiders Rob Refsnyder (May 11-17) and Cole Figueroa  (May 25-31), while Eickhoff follows Brian Bogusevic (May 4-10) and Jesse Biddle (July 16-19) of the  IronPigs.

GREG BIRD, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders        IL BATTER OF THE WEEK

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's Greg Bird hit .348 over the past week, with five of his eight hits going for  extra-bases, while pacing the International League with 10 RBI and a .783 slugging percentage.  His  most productive game came Wednesday night in Columbus, when Bird turned in his third career  multi-homer effort and added his first triple of the season in a 7-2 RailRiders rout of the Clippers.   Bird collected RBI in five of his six games played this week, including Sunday when he drove in three  runs in a 9-1 win at Toledo.  Since his promotion to the RailRiders from Double-A in early July, Bird is  among the top ten in the IL in extra-base hits, home runs, RBI, and slugging.    22-year-old Greg Bird is in his fifth season as a professional player after being selected by the Yankees  in the 5th round of the 2011 draft.  This is his first season playing above the Double-A level.  Before  his promotion, Bird was hitting .258 with six home runs and 29 RBI for Double-A Trenton.  Bird is a  native of Aurora, Colorado.

JERAD EICKHOFF, Lehigh Valley IronPigs     IL PITCHER OF THE WEEK

In his first two starts since being acquired by the Phillies organization from Texas as part of the trade  deadline deal for Cole Hamels, Jerad Eickhoff is 2-0 and has allowed just one run over 14.0 innings.   He led Lehigh Valley to a 5-1 win in Toledo in his debut on Tuesday, going 6.0 innings and striking  out seven.  He followed that with an even more impressive performance Sunday evening in  Columbus where he tossed 8.0 shutout innings, scattering five hits and a walk while punching out  four as the IronPigs rolled to a 9-0 victory.  Before the trade, Eickhoff was 9-4 with a 4.25 ERA for  Triple-A Round Rock and was among the top five in the Pacific Coast League in WHIP, batting  average against, wins, and strikeouts.    25-year-old Jerad Eickhoff is in his fifth professional season and his first pitching above the Double-A  level.  In 2014 with Double-A Frisco, he went 10-9 with a 4.08 ERA.  Eickhoff is a native of Evansville,  Indiana.

International League Stories from August 10, 2015

• G-Braves Crush Knights, 12-3 - Gwinnett Stripers
• Alvarez's Bomb Backs up Jones' Strong Effort - Norfolk Tides
• Gamel's Heroics Plate a Victory for RailRiders - Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
• Gamel's Inside-The-Parker Gives 'Riders Walkoff Win - Pawtucket Red Sox
• Pair of Five-Run Frames Help Braves Beat Knights - Charlotte Knights
• Tonight's Bisons/Red Wings Game Postponed Due to Rain - Buffalo Bisons
• Bats Host Card Set Giveaway, Frazier Bobblehead Night, Autograph Day - Louisville Bats
• Minor League Baseball Announces July Player of the Month Award Winners - Buffalo Bisons
• MiLB "Home Run King" Mike Hessman Returns to Victory Field - Indianapolis Indians
• Durham Bulls Game Notes - Durham Bulls
• Catch Summer While It Lasts - Toledo Mud Hens
• SWB Game Notes - Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
• Bisons Notes - Rochester at Buffalo (7:05 p.m.) - Buffalo Bisons
• Twins Reinstate Buxton, Option to Triple-A - Rochester Red Wings
• Meet the Brewers Tonight at Bisons Game - Buffalo Bisons
• Bird Named Batter of the Week - Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
• Greg Bird & Jerad Eickhoff Named International League Players Of The Week - IL1
• Bark in the Park, Merge Records Night Highlight Two-Game Set - Durham Bulls
• Berrios Named Batavia Downs Player of the Week - Rochester Red Wings
• Bag up Hunger on Kroger Food Drive Friday, August 14 - Toledo Mud Hens

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