Washington Nationals Minor League Players Of The Week: (7/13-7/19)

(Photo Credit: MILB.com)

Potomac Nationals (44-48)

Hitter Of The Week: Khayyan Norfork (.263, 1 HR, 15 RBI’s)

This past week, the Nationals’ high-A affiliate had a tough time scoring runs. Despite the lack of offense, Norfork was still able to put up some good performances at the plate. He went 6-for-18 at the plate with his best performance coming against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Chicago Cubs).

In that game, he went 3-for-4 at the plate with a triple and a run scored, but Potomac lost the game 5-2. The 26-year-old is hitting .327 in 14 games this month with three RBI’s and a .353 on-base percentage.

Honorable Mention: C Spencer Kieboom (.250, 1 HR, 23 RBI’s)

The 24-year-old catcher only had a hit in one game this week (July 18 against Myrtle Beach), but he went 2-for-4 in that game with a double in Potomac’s 7-4 loss. The only other players who had RBI’s in that contest were Estarlin Martinez and Jayson Werth.

Kieboom could possibly use that two-hit game to his advantage because he has had a rough month of July. He is hitting .200 in 12 games with five RBI’s, but his five RBI’s are the most he has driven in during one particular month since April (11).

Pitcher Of The Week: SP Austen Williams (1-1, 1.64)

After an impressive stint at low-A Hagerstown, Williams has had a good showing in his first two starts for the Nats’ high-A affiliate. In 11 innings, he has given up two runs on six hits and struck out five batters. While he did get the loss in his start on Thursday against Myrtle Beach, he still put up a solid outing.

The 22-year-old right-hander went five innings, gave up one run (earned runs) on three hits, struck out three batters, and walked one. In his first two outings, opponents are hitting .158 against Williams. It is early, but one thing that stands out about Williams is his ability to go to the next level and put together a couple solid outings in a row, even though Potomac lost that game 1-0.

Honorable Mention: RP Justin Amlung (1-0, 2.13 ERA)

In a week where Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez did not have their best performances, our honorable mention goes to a reliever who had two solid games. In seven innings pitched, the 25-year-old Amlung gave up one hit over seven innings, struck out four, and did not walk a batter.

Since making his Carolina League debut on June 21, Amlung has not walked a batter in five of his six games and has held his opponents to a .143 average. The right-hander began his season at low-A Hagerstown, where he went 2-0 with a 2.16 ERA in 11 games.

Next: Low-A