MWL1 Quad Cities River Bandits

Scruggs Named MWL Player of the Week

Published on August 10, 2009 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release


Apparently, Xavier Scruggs knows how to make a good first impression.

The 21-year-old first baseman was one of seven players added to the Quad Cities River Bandits roster on August 3, a series of moves that included six new position players and completely revamped the River Bandits lineup. The early returns are in, and suggest that Midwest League pitchers have a new slugger to contend with.

On Monday, Scruggs was recognized as the Midwest League Player of the Week after taking the league by storm through his first seven games with the River Bandits. The San Diego native hit a blistering .556 (15-27) with four homers, 16 RBI and an astounding 1.185 slugging percentage. His first week included five multi-hit games and three games in which he drove in four or more runs, tying a Quad Cities season-high with five RBI on Wednesday and establishing a new one with five hits on Sunday. Scruggs homered twice in his Midwest League debut on August 3 and has yet to slow down. He led the league over the past week in home runs, RBI, hits, slugging percentage and extra-base hits (8) while checking in second in on-base percentage (.625) and third in hitting.

Scruggs became just the second River Bandits player to earn a weekly award from the league in 2009. On May 4, pitcher Kevin Thomas was named the Midwest League Pitcher of the Week after going 2-0 and allowing just two hits over 8.1 scoreless innings.

Scruggs, a 19th-round pick by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2008 draft, burst onto the professional radar as a junior at UNLV when he won the Mountain West Conference Triple Crown and was named conference Player of the Year after hitting .379 with 20 home runs, 65 runs batted in and a .749 slugging percentage. He collected six homers and 17 doubles during his 61-game pro debut last summer with the New York-Penn League champion Batavia Muckdogs, but missed his opportunity to start the 2009 season with the River Bandits after suffering a torn bicep muscle during spring training. The injury delayed the start of his season until June 19, when Scruggs returned to Batavia to homer seven times and drive in 26 runs in 41 games to earn a promotion to the Quad Cities.

UP NEXT: The River Bandits continue an eight-game road stretch with the finale of a four-game series at 6:30 p.m. on Monday night against the Burlington Bees at Community Field. Quad Cities will return to Modern Woodmen Park for an eight-game homestand on Saturday, August 15, kicking things off with DHCU Night featuring a Rascal bobblehead doll giveaway for the first 2,000 fans, post-game fireworks, and a post-game Dueling Pianos concert thanks to Nan's Piano Bar on a Rockin' Saturday.

ABOUT THE BANDITS: The Quad Cities River Bandits drew more than 103,000 fans in the first half of the season for only the third time in team history. Ticket sales, concessions, merchandise sales, sponsorships and even Kids' Zone revenues are all up over last season, which was one of the team's best in history! Banditwear, mini-plans, and individual game tickets are on sale for the 2009 season by calling (563) 3-BANDIT or heading to www.RiverBandits.com. But hurry - good seats are going fast!

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Midwest League Stories from August 10, 2009


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