Xavier Scruggs Named PCL Player Of The Week

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Memphis Redbirds first baseman Xavier Scruggs has been named the Pacific Coast League's Player of the Week for the August 11-17 period, marking the third consecutive week a Redbirds player has won the PCL award.

Scruggs batted .458 (11-for-24) with three home runs and a league-leading 11 runs RBIs in six games during the week. The first baseman also scored nine runs while posting a 1.000 slugging percentage and 1.519 OPS in Memphis' six wins. The first baseman collected a hit in every contest and is currently enjoying a season-best 12 game hitting streak (.458, 22-for-54), the longest active on the Redbirds.

Scruggs homered twice while driving home a career-high six runs in the Redbirds' 17-7 victory at Albuquerque on Thursday. He also became the second Redbird this season to score four runs in a game, matching a career high for the second time.

Last night, the California native concluded his hot week in El Paso by finishing a homer shy of the cycle, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a walk.

Overall during his first season at the Triple-A level, the 26-year-old native is batting .283 (118-for-417) with 18 home runs, 26 doubles, and 81 RBIs in 120 games. He is tied for second in the PCL in RBIs and tied for sixth in runs scored (73). Since June 1, his 58 runs batted in are the most in the PCL. Defensively, he paces all PCL first baseman in games played (119), total chances (993), putouts (935), and double plays (97).

Scruggs is the fourth Redbirds player to win a weekly award this season, joining pitchers Tim Cooney (May 26 - June 1) and Tyler Lyons (July 28 - August 3), and outfielder Tommy Pham (August 4-10).

Lyons, Pham, and Scruggs become the first trio in Redbirds history to win PCL Player of the Week honors in three consecutive weeks.

Last week, Lyons and Pham were the third pair to win back-to-back weekly honors in Redbirds history, joining outfielder Dee Haynes and pitcher Nerio Rodriguez (May 5-18, 2003) and pitchers John Wasdin and utilityman Josh Phelps (July 21-August 3, 2008).

Memphis' four Player of the Week awards this season are one shy of the franchise record of five established by Scott Seabol, Anthony Reyes, Chris Gissell, John, Rodriguez, and Adam Wainwright in 2005.

It is the fifth time in Scruggs' seven-year career to win a weekly award and first at the Triple-A level.

Scruggs entered the season rated as St. Louis' No. 30 prospect and "Best Power Hitter" by Baseball America. He was drafted in the 19th round of the June, 2008 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.