Felix Valerio Again Named Low-A East Player of the Week

ZEBULON - The Carolina Mudcats, in conjunction with Minor League Baseball, are thrilled to announce that infielder Felix Valerio has been named the Low-A East Player of the Week for the week ending on August 15. Valerio earned his second Player of the Week Award of the season after totaling a Low-A East best .581 on-base percentage and after finishing tied for the league lead in hits, runs and stolen bases during the last week of games

In all, Valerio hit .458/.581/.708 with a 1.289 OPS, 11 runs, 11 hits, three doubles, one home run, five RBI, seven walks and six stolen bases over six games (all against the Down East Wood Ducks at Grainger Stadium in Kinston, NC) during the week of August 9 through August 15. Beyond leading the league in on-base (.581), hits (11), runs (11) and steals (6); Valerio also finished the week second in batting average (.458), OPS (1.289), doubles (3), walks (7), extra-base hits (4) and total bases (17).

Valerio, 20, was held without a hit in his first game played last week, but then went on to match a club record for runs scored the following night while going 3-for-4 with five runs, three walks, a double, two steals and a RBI on Wednesday, August 11. Valerio’s five run night tied him with five others on Carolina’s all-time single-game runs scored list. That list includes teammate Gabe Holt who also scored five runs in a single game earlier this season on May 25 versus Kannapolis. Matt Holliday (7/21/02), Billy Hall (5/12/04), Cameron Maybin (8/31/08) and Jeremy Lucas (7/19/14) also all scored five times in a single game for the Mudcats during their respective Minor League careers.

The Bonao, Dominican Republic born Valerio continued his award-winning week by going 3-for-5, 2-for-5, and 3-for-4 over three of his next four games. That stretch began with Valerio going 3-for-5 with a home run, a double, two runs scored and three RBI on Friday, August 13. He then went 2-for-5 with two runs and a double on Saturday, August 14 before finishing the week going 3-for-4 with a run and a stolen base on Sunday, August 15. Valerio totaled at least one stolen base in five of his six games played last week. He also scored at least one run in five of those same six games as well.

The Brewers acquired Valerio in a trade with the New York Mets on January 15, 2019. That trade saw the Brewers send Keon Broxton to the Mets in exchange for Valerio, RHP Adam Hill and RHP Bobby Wahl. Valerio is in his first season with the Mudcats, his second in the Brewers system and his third overall at the professional level.

The Mudcats have now earned a total of seven Low-A East Player or Pitcher of the Week Awards this season with Valerio earning the honor twice (weeks of June 7-13 and August 9-15). Former Mudcats outfielder Joey Wiemer earned the same honor just the week prior, giving Carolina consecutive Player of the Week awards for second time this season. Additionally, pitcher Brendan Murphy was named the Low-A East Pitcher of the Week for the week of July 12 through July 18. Former Carolina outfielder Joe Gray Jr. earned back-to-back Player of the Week awards for the weeks of May 24 through May 30 and May 31 through June 6. Pitcher Justin Bullock was the first Carolina player to earn the weekly award this season as he was the Low-A East Pitcher of the Week for the week of May 10 through May 16.

The Carolina Mudcats are the official Low-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. First established in 1991, the two-time Southern League Champion Mudcats are in their 31st consecutive season of baseball at Five County Stadium in Zebulon, N.C. The Mudcats are owned and operated by the Milwaukee Brewers.

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