Washington Nationals Minor Leagues Players Of The Week: (7/6-7/12)

(Photo Credit: MILB.com)

Hagerstown Suns (44-42)

Hitter Of The Week: 2B Bryan Mejia (.327, 3 HR, 10 RBI’s)

In his first 12 games with low-A Hagerstown, Mejia is already making a good first impression. The 21-year-old second baseman went 11-for-32 at the plate with two home runs, six RBI’s, and seven runs scored.

Mejia’s best game of the week occurred on July 8 against the Delmarva Shorebirds (Baltimore Orioles). He went 2-for-5 at the plate with two home runs and three RBI’s in a 4-1 win. Mejia hit .391 in the first six games of the season for Auburn before being promoted. Last season, he hit .259 with the Doubledays, had two home runs and 14 RBI’s.

Honorable Mention: CF Dale Carey (.242, 8 HR, 32 RBI’s)

Carey has had a constant presence on this slideshow throughout the season. This week, he had three multi-hit games against the Shorebirds. He went 6-for-20 at the plate with one home run and four RBI’s. Out of those six hits, four of them were for extra bases (three doubles, one home run).

Carey’s home run occurred on Saturday when he hit a solo shot in the third inning, but the Suns lost the game 6-2. The 23-year-old center fielder is hitting .250 with two home runs and five RBI’s this month and is hitting .265 since the All-Star Break.

Pitcher Of The Week: SP Luis Reyes (4-5, 4.93)

Reyes appeared in one game this week against the Shorebirds on July 8 and put up a solid outing. He went five innings, gave up no runs on one hit, struck out six, and did not walk a batter. The six strikeouts are the most that the 20-year-old right-hander has had this season since April 11 against Hickory.

With the five innings that he threw on July 8, he now leads the Suns in innings pitched with 76.2 innings. Despite logging a lot of innings, he has given up the most runs of any pitcher on the staff (42). However, he does have a 2.45 ERA in three starts this month, so July could be trending in a good direction for Reyes.

Honorable Mention: SP Drew Van Orden (5-2, 2.92)

Van Orden made two starts this week in the Suns rotation. He threw a combined 11 innings, gave up five runs, and struck out seven batters. On July 6 against Lakewood (Philadelphia Phillies), he went six innings, gave up three runs on seven hits, struck out six, and walked two. Then, on Sunday vs. Delmarva, he gave up two runs on four hits, walked three, and struck out one in five innings during a no-decision.

As you can see, the one issue Van Orden had this week was the five combined walks that he had. Van Orden’s 22 walks this season are third on the team. It has been a rocky second half for the South Atlantic League All-Star as he is 1-1 with a 5.85 ERA in four starts. However, he has thrown 71 innings, which is second on the team now that Williams is in Potomac.

Next: Short-Season