Dustin Peterson named IL Batter of the Week
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - Gwinnett Stripers outfielder Dustin Peterson has been named International League Batter of the Week for April 23-29, the league announced Monday.
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - Gwinnett Stripers outfielder
Peterson, 23, batted .391 (9-for-23) over a six-game stretch with four doubles, two home runs, three runs scored, eight RBIs and three walks. In that span, he led all IL batters in doubles (T-1st, 4), homers (T-1st, 2), RBIs (T-1st, 8), extra base hits (1st, 6), slugging percentage (1st, .826), OPS (1st, 1.288) and total bases (1st, 19).
Rated the Atlanta Braves' No. 16 prospect by MLB.com, Peterson is batting .276 with seven doubles (T-5th in IL), two homers, 14 RBIs (T-4th in IL) and one stolen base in 19 games for Gwinnett this season.
Peterson's prodigious week was highlighted by a game-winning grand slam at Rochester on April 24. With the game tied 1-1 in the seventh inning, Peterson launched a four-bagger to left field - Gwinnett's first grand slam on the road since Mauro Gomez on July 25, 2011 at Norfolk - to lead the Stripers to a 5-2 victory. He ended the game 3-for-5, falling a triple shy of the cycle.
He would repeat his performance the following day against the Red Wings, again going 3-for-5 with a double and hitting his second homer in as many games. The third-inning solo shot doubled his home run total from all of 2017 (1), in which he played 87 games for Gwinnett.
The Phoenix, Arizona native is the 15th player in Gwinnett club history to win the IL Batter of the Week award, and the first since
Peterson was also named to MLB Pipeline's Prospect Team of the Week.
Originally selected by the San Diego Padres in the second round of the 2013 June draft out of Gilbert (AZ) High School, Peterson was traded to the Braves on Dec. 19, 2014 along with pitcher