PCL Names Player & Pitcher of the Week
May 24, 2010 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1) News Release
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Round Rock Express third baseman Chris Johnson and Iowa Cubs starting pitcher Andrew Cashner have been named the Pacific Coast League's Player and Pitcher of the week for May 17-23, the league announced Monday.
Johnson, 25, batted .458 (11-for-24) for the week with three doubles, one triple, three home runs, nine runs batted in and a league-best 11 runs scored. He went 4-for-4 with a triple, homer and four RBI on May 20 against Reno, and hit safely in all six games the Express played during the week.
The right-handed hitter started his season in the big leagues with the Houston Astros, hitting .227 in eight games before landing on the disabled list with a strained intercostal muscle in his right side. Since joining the Express on May 10, Johnson is hitting .380 with 11 extra-base hits, the most in the PCL in that time.
Johnson becomes the first Express hitter to win a weekly award since Cody Ransom was honored on August 6, 2007, a gap of more than 1,000 days.
Cashner, the No. 4 prospect in the Chicago Cubs' organization according to Baseball America, was the PCL's only 2-0 pitcher during the week, allowing just one run on eight hits in 13 innings pitched over two contests. The 6-foot-6 right-hander dominated the Colorado Springs Sky Sox on May 22, firing seven shutout innings in the I-Cubs' 1-0 victory. In the game, Cashner struck out seven, allowed just two singles and did not walk a batter.
The 23-year-old Conroe, Texas native has been in Triple-A for just three starts, compiling a 3-0 record with a 0.95 ERA in his brief time in Iowa. He began the season with Double-A Tennessee, where he was 3-1 with a 2.75 ERA in six starts. Cashner is in just his second full minor league season after being selected No. 19 overall in the 2008 draft out of Texas Christian University.
• Discuss this story on the Pacific Coast League message board...
Pacific Coast League Stories from May 24, 2010
- Sacramento Drops Nashville, 8-3, in Opener - Nashville Sounds
- Aces Drop Wild Game to 'Tops, 9-8 in 11 Innings - Reno Aces
- Z's Shut Out Beavers - New Orleans Baby Cakes
- Stone Baffles Beavers, Ends Zephyrs Skid - Portland Beavers
- Express Take Series Opener with Las Vegas, 9-6 - Round Rock Express
- Cubs Shut Out by Salt Lake, 1-0 - Iowa Cubs
- PCL Names Player & Pitcher of the Week - PCL1
- Brian Stokes To Rehab With Bees - Salt Lake Bees
- Round Rock Express Game Notes - Round Rock Express
- Johnson Named PCL Player Of The Week - Round Rock Express
- OKC RedHawks Game Notes - Oklahoma City Baseball Club
- Brett Anderson Schedule To Make Rehab Apperance - Round Rock Express
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
