Hazelbaker, Gorski Take Weekly Honors
Published on July 13, 2015 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1) News Release
ROUND ROCK, Texas - Jeremy Hazelbaker of the Memphis Redbirds and Darin Gorski of the Las Vegas 51s have been awarded the Pacific Coast League's Player and Pitcher of the Week for the period of July 6-12, the league office announced today.
Jeremy Hazelbaker collected a league-best 12 hits along with 13 RBIs in his first full week back in Triple-A since June 2014. The right fielder also led the PCL with eight extra-base hits, 25 total bases, and ranked third in OPS with a 1.341 mark. He hit safely in six of the seven games he played for a .429 batting average. The Indiana native also had three games in which he produced three RBIs, including Monday in a win at Colorado Springs. Hazelbaker hit two home runs this week, with the final one serving as go-ahead shot in the third inning Sunday to lead the Redbirds to a 12-3 victory over Nashville. The 27-year-old is batting .459 with 16 RBIs since being called up to Memphis from Double-A Springfield on July 3.
Hazelbaker started the 2015 season in the Los Angeles Dodgers' system, playing 14 games with Double-A Tulsa, before signing a minor league deal with the St. Louis Cardinals on May 13. The Cardinals are the third organization he has been with in his seven-year career, having originally been drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the fourth round of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft out of Ball State University. The Player of the Week honor is the fourth of his career, and his first since 2014 when he was a member of the Chattanooga Lookouts in the Southern league.
Darin Gorski owned the four-best WHIP in the PCL this week with a 0.71 mark, while also accumulated 11 strikeouts over seven scoreless innings. Ten of those strikeouts came Tuesday in a win against Albuquerque, setting a new-season high for the lefty. He allowed just three hits and one unearned run during the game, and struck out five batters in a row between the second and third innings. Gorski made one other appearance this week, as a reliever Saturday against Salt Lake. He tossed one scoreless inning, limiting the Bees to two base runners. The Eastern Pennsylvania native is tied for team-lead with seven wins this season.
The 27-year-old has been in the New York Mets' farm system since 2009, the same year the organization drafted him in the seventh round out of Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. This is the second Pitcher of the Week award he has received in his career, with the previous occurring in 2013 while he was with the Binghamton Mets in the Eastern League. Gorski is the third 51s' pitcher to receive a weekly honor from the PCL this season, joining Noah Syndergaard and Duane Below. The last time Las Vegas had three Pitchers of the Week in one season was 2006 when Chad Billingsley, Aaron Sele, and Hong Chih-Kuo were honored.
Pacific Coast League Stories from July 13, 2015
- Fresno Grizzlies Set to Entertain Valley Fans During Upcoming Homestand - Fresno Grizzlies
- Hazelbaker, Gorski Take Weekly Honors - PCL1
- Jeremy Hazelbaker Named PCL Player of the Week - Memphis Redbirds
- Zephyrs Defeat Round Rock 7-4, Head to All Star Break - New Orleans Baby Cakes
- Isotopes Beaten by Chihuahuas in Series Ginale Before All-Star Break - Albuquerque Isotopes
- Round Rock Drops Series Finale to New Orleans, 7-4 - Round Rock Express
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