Zander Darby Named Northwest League Player of the Week
Published on May 18, 2026 under Northwest League (NWL)
Eugene Emeralds News Release
Eugene Emeralds third baseman Zander Darby in Exploding Whales jersey
(Eugene Emeralds)
EUGENE, OR - Zander Darby was named the Northwest League player of the week for his performance against the Tri-City Dust Devils this past week at Gesa Stadium in Pasco, Washington. Darby appeared in 5 games and went 13-21 at the plate with a .619 batting average and a 1.632 OPS. He recorded at least two hits in four of the games and had two four-hit performances on Tuesday's 17-4 victory and Saturday's 15-8 victory. He tallied five doubles and his first triple of the season while scoring eight runs and seven RBI's.
He ended the week leading the Northwest League in hits, runs, total bases, doubles, extra-base hits, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS (on-base plus slugging).
Darby was a 12th round draft selection by the San Francisco Giants in the 2024 draft out of UC Santa Barbara where he spent three seasons with the Gauchos. Darby made his debut with the Ems in 2025 on July 29th. He appeared in 21 games to close out the year in Eugene. So far in 2026, Darby leads all qualified hitters in the Northwest League with a .355 batting average through his first 33 games and also leads the league in OPS with a 1.025. He is tied for first with 13 doubles with current Emerald Gavin Kilen and is tied with Vancouver's Carter Cunningham with 19 extra-base hits. He's second in the league with 43 hits and 73 total bases this season.
He is now the fourth Eugene Emerald to pick up an award this season. He joins the likes of Yunior Marte who won pitcher of the week in April and Charlie McDaniel who took home the April pitcher of the month award as well as following up Gavin Kilen who took home the same award as Darby last week. The Emeralds are now 30-9 in the 1st half and hold a nine game lead in the standings with only 27 games remaining in the first half. The Ems will open up a series this week against the Hillsboro Hops tomorrow night for a six game series. First pitch for the series opener is slated for 6:35 PM.
The Eugene Emeralds are the High-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants. The Eugene Emeralds are dedicated to providing the best in family entertainment and creating a fun, safe environment for everyone to enjoy watching a baseball game.
Images from this story
 Eugene Emeralds third baseman Zander Darby |
 Eugene Emeralds third baseman Zander Darby |
 Eugene Emeralds third baseman Zander Darby in Exploding Whales jersey |
Northwest League Stories from May 18, 2026
- Zander Darby Named Northwest League Player of the Week - Eugene Emeralds
- Hops Clinch Series Win Behind 16 Combined Strikeouts from Pitching Staff - Hillsboro Hops
- Sox Blast Two Homers, Split Canadians Series - Everett AquaSox
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.
Other Recent Eugene Emeralds Stories
- Ems Continue to Dominate Hops in Game Two Victory
- Ems Stay Perfect in Series Openers with Win against Hillsboro
- Zander Darby Named Northwest League Player of the Week
- Ems Close out Series with Victory in Pasco
- Rain, Wind & Hail Can't Stop Eugene's Offense as Ems Win Seventh Consecutive Series
