International League Players of the Week Named
May 27, 2019 - International League (IL1) News Release
The International League announced today that Scranton/Wilkes-Barre infielder Breyvic Valera and Syracuse right-handed starter Chris Mazza have been named the League's Batter and Pitcher of the Week for the period covering May 20-26. Both players are the first members of their respective teams to claim an IL weekly award this season.
BREYVIC VALERA, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders IL BATTER OF THE WEEK The 1st place Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders have won five straight games thanks in large part to the hot hitting of Brevic Valera. Over the past week, Valera banged out twelve hits and led the International League with a .522 batting average, four homers, twelve RBI, and a .607 on-base percentage. The highlight came Friday night when his 8th inning grand slam propelled SWB to a 6-5 comeback win over Syracuse. Since the Yankees claimed him off waivers from San Francisco earlier this month, Valera is hitting .405 with nine runs scored and 16 RBI in a dozen games played with the RailRiders.
27-year-old Breyvic Valera is in his tenth season playing professionally. After spending the majority of his career in the Cardinals organization, since the beginning of last season he's played in the Dodgers, Orioles, Giants, and Yankees farm systems. He is a veteran of 37 games in the big leagues. Valera is a native of Montalban, Venezuela.
CHRIS MAZZA, Syracuse Mets IL PITCHER OF THE WEEK Chris Mazza has bounced back and forth this season between the Double-A and Triple-A levels, and on Friday in just his third start of the season for the Syracuse Mets, he delievered the week's strongest pitching performance in the IL. Mazza limited the visiting SWB RailRiders to one run on three hits and a walk over 7.0 innings of work, striking out six. He departed with a 4-1 lead, but when SWB exploded for five runs in the 8th against the Mets bullpen, Mazza was denied the opportunity for his first victory with Syracuse this season.
29-year-old Chris Mazza is in his eighth season pitching professionally. He was an original draft pick of the Minnesota Twins but was released in 2015. After time in the Marlins and Mariners organizations, the Mets acquired Mazza this past offseason in the Rule 5 draft. Mazza is a native of Walnut Creek, California.
International League Stories from May 27, 2019
- Stripers' Comeback Falls Short in 9-7 Loss to Norfolk - Gwinnett Stripers
- Clippers Drop Series Finale to Indianapolis - Columbus Clippers
- Keller to Make Major League Debut Tonight in Cincinnati - Indianapolis Indians
- Indians Club Three Homers as Vieaux Wins Triple-A Debut - Indianapolis Indians
- Bats Catch Fire in Comeback Win against Toledo, 10-6 - Louisville Bats
- VerHagen Shines in Memorial Day Loss - Toledo Mud Hens
- RailRiders see win streak come to an end despite early 5-1 lead - Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
- Knights Fall 10-0 to Bulls in Finale - Charlotte Knights
- Bisons End Roadtrip with 5-0 Defeat - Buffalo Bisons
- Holiday Treat: Wings Beat PawSox - Rochester Red Wings
- Mets Hammer RailRiders, 9-5, on Memorial Day - Syracuse Mets
- Eshelman dazzles in series split with Buffalo - Lehigh Valley IronPigs
- Travis Goes Deep in 7-3 Loss to Rochester - Pawtucket Red Sox
- Kang Set for MLB Rehab Assignment with Indy - Indianapolis Indians
- Game Information: Indianapolis Indians (27-19) at Columbus Clippers (27-20) - Indianapolis Indians
- Game Notes: Toledo Mud Hens (18-28) at Louisville Bats (19-30) - Louisville Bats
- Valera Honored by International League - Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
- International League Players of the Week Named - IL1
- Bisons Game Notes - Buffalo at Lehigh Valley (1:35 p.m.) - Buffalo Bisons
- SWB Game Notes - Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
- Morimando Is Magnificent, Late Offensive Surge Lead Bisons to Take Series Edge over Iron Pigs, 6-2 - Buffalo Bisons
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