Jaxx's Peguero cranks three homers
Battling leadoff for the first time this season, Peguero slugged three homers and drove in four runs Wednesday to power the Diamond Jaxx to a 10-3 romp over the Mobile BayBears.
The 23-year-old left fielder hit the fourth pitch of the game from Mobile's Barry Enright (0-1) over the right-field fence. After lining out and singling, he led off the eighth inning with a shot over the right-center field wall, then capped his first four-hit game of the season with a two-run blast in the ninth.
Peguero has six homers in his last seven games and nine this season, tying him with Jacksonville's Mike Stanton for the league lead. Stanton hit three homers on Monday against Carolina.
Wednesday's performance gave Peguero a leg up on a second straight Southern League Player of the Week Award. He was honored Monday after hitting .333 (8-for-24) with three homers, six RBIs and five runs scored in six games.
Peguero also has homered out of the third, sixth and second spots in the lineup this season for West Tenn, which has won six of its last seven. He's riding an eight-game hitting streak and ranks among the top five in the league in batting (.378), hits (28), extra-base hits (13), runs (19), total bases (59), on-base percentage (.452) and slugging (.797).
Signed by the Mariners as a non-drafted free agent in 2005, Peguero was named California League Player of the Week three times last year. He batted .271, ranked second in the circuit with 31 homers and drove in 98 runs. He also struck out 172 times in 554 plate appearances.
"He has possibly the best power in the organization," Mariners director of Minor League operations Pedro Grifol told the (Everett) Daily Herald earlier this week. "He's not only had a good start, but his approach and his plate discipline have been exceptional thus far. It shows us that he's maturing as a player, as a hitter.
"It will be tough to keep up the numbers he's putting up, but we're extremely happy with the way his at-bats are coming along. ... He's the type of guy who has the ability to impact the Major League club in a very positive way with power and run production. It's our job to get him ready."