IL Awards Abad, Griffiths
Published on July 14, 2003 under International League (IL1) News Release
The International League announced today that Pawtucket first baseman Andy Abad and Norfolk pitcher Jeremy Griffiths have been named the League's Batter and Pitcher-of-the-Week for the period of July 7- 13. Abad is the first PawSox player honored during the 2003 season, while Griffiths joins current New York Mets players Jason Phillips (May 19) and Aaron Heilman (May 5) as Tides' selected.
Pawtucket's ANDY ABAD had six multi-hit games this past week, batting at a .645 clip to earn Batter-ofthe- Week honors. The left-hander opened the week with a pair of singles, a double, two runs scored and two RBI as the PawSox defeated North Division rival Scranton/WB 7-1 last Monday. In Tuesday's 6-1 win over Charlotte, Abad went 2-3 with two runs scored, then had three singles to drive in three runs in Wednesday's 14-2 thrashing of the Knights. The PawSox split a doubleheader with Charlotte on Thursday as the 31-year-old Abad went 0-2 in the opener (a 4-3 loss) and 4-4 in the nightcap (a 10-0 win). The four hits in the second game (two singles, a double, and a HR) were a season-high for Abad, who also drove in four runs and scored three times. Andy singled in Friday night's win and had his fifth multi-hit game of the week with a pair of singles in Saturday's loss at Rochester. The Jupiter, FL resident topped his Thursday performance yesterday, going 5-5 (4 singles and a double) with two runs scored as Pawtucket defeated the Red Wings 8-6. Abad's recent hot streak (he is hitting .538 in July) has moved him among the IL leaders in batting average (10th), RBI (3rd) and hits (T-3rd). He leads the Pawtucket club in those categories as well as at-bats, runs and walks.
Abad, who played in the Red Sox system from 1993-99, returned to the Boston organization in the offseason after spending the 2002 season with Calgary (Florida-PCL). He posted one of the best seasons of his career in 2001 with Triple-A Sacramento, batting .301 with 19 HR and 82 RBI and earning his first Major League promotion (one game with Oakland). The 11-year-pro, who played in Japan in 2000, was originally selected by Boston in the 16th Round of the 1993 June Draft out of Middle George Junior College. He appeared in 281 games for Pawtucket from 1997-99, batting .295 with 40 HR and 163 RBI.
Norfolk right-hander JEREMY GRIFFITHS made the most of his one start this past week, pitching seven scoreless innings of two-hit ball in a 5-0 win over Rochester last Monday. In earning his fifth win of the season, Jeremy fanned three Red Wings and walked none, retiring the first 12 batters he faced. That same day, the 25-year-old Griffiths was selected to the International League squad which will face the Pacific Coast League Team in Wednesday night's Triple-A All-Star Game in Memphis. Griffiths, a native of Fairview, OH, spent nearly all of June with parent Mets, going 0-1 in 4 appearances. He is tied for second on the Norfolk staff in wins and would rank third in the IL in ERA if he had six more innings.
Griffiths spent the entire 2002 season at Double-A Binghamton, earning the club's Pitcher of the Year honors as he closed the campaign with an impressive final 12 starts. In those last dozen appearances, Griffiths went 7-3 with a 2.18 ERA to finish the season with an overall mark of 8-6 with a 3.89 ERA and 126 Ks. The five-year pro was selected by the Mets in the 3rd Round of the 1999 June Draft out of the University of Toledo, where he was named Mid American Conference Pitcher of the Year in his final season.
International League Stories from July 14, 2003
- Rupe, PawSox Too Much For Wings - Rochester Red Wings
- IL Awards Abad, Griffiths - IL1
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