Northern League Names Player and Pitcher of the Week

Published on August 10, 2009 under Northern League (NL) News Release


Designated hitter Juan Diaz of the Winnipeg Goldeyes was named Northern League Player of the Week, and Goldeyes pitcher Bill Pulsipher received the Northern League Pitcher of the Week honors for the period ending August 9th , 2009.

Diaz, who leads the league in home runs (24) and is tied for the lead league in RBI (75), batted .480 (12-for-25) with six runs scored, a double, five home runs, and a league-high 13 RBI in the week. He already has hit six home runs in August and has hit 11 in his last 14 games. In that span, he has collected 25 RBI.

The 6-4, 298-pounder, is a 13-year veteran with major league experience. He made his major league debut with the Boston Red Sox in 2002. He signed with the Goldeyes on April 21st after having played parts of the previous two years with the Joliet JackHammers. Diaz is nearly on his league-leading pace of '07 when he led the Northern League in home runs (28).

Diaz was initially signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1996 following his defection from Cuba, but Major League Baseball voided his contract in 1999 after it was ruled the Dodgers illegally signed him as an amateur. He also spent time in the Orioles, Twins, and Cardinals organizations.

Diaz becomes the first player to be a two-time award winner in the 2009 season after having received the Player of the Week (July 13th - 19th ) award on July 20th .

Pulsipher, who went 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA in the week, pitched five shutout innings on August 4th in his Goldeyes debut. In his next start five days later, he yielded only one run over seven innings on August 9th versus Schaumburg. He earned victories in both of his games notching two of the team's three wins of the week. Pulsipher becomes the third Goldeyes pitcher to receive the Pitcher of the Week honor in 2009: Bear Bay (June 1st ) and Ace Walker (June 15th and August 3rd ).

The left-hander made his pro debut in 1992 and was once considered a top prospect in baseball. Over parts of six seasons in the major leagues, he had a career 13-19 record with a 5.15 ERA. After making his major league debut with the New York Mets in 1995 as a 21-year-old, he also went on to pitch for the Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, and St. Louis Cardinals. He last appeared in the Major Leagues with the Cardinals in 2005.

Pulsipher was originally drafted by the Mets in the second round (65th overall) of the 1991 Amateur Draft out of Fairfax High School (Fairfax, VA). Prior to taking the 2008 season off, he had started the previous four seasons with the Long Island Ducks (Atlantic League). The 35-year-old veteran signed with the Goldeyes on August 4th after starting the season with Puebla (Mexican League).

The Northern League Player and Pitcher of the Week are sponsored all season by PA-SportsTicker, the Official Statistic and Information Company for the Northern League.

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Northern League Stories from August 10, 2009


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