Abreu, Miller Named Players of the Week

ROUND ROCK, Texas - The Pacific Coast League announced today that Tony Abreu of the Omaha Storm Chasers and Shelby Miller of the Memphis Redbirds have been named the winners of the Player and Pitcher of the Week awards respectively for the period of July 30th through August 5th.

Abreu hit .458 and slugged .917 in six games for Omaha as he knocked in twelve runs, good for second in the league, while smashing two home runs and six runs scored. His biggest night came on Tuesday in Oklahoma City when the switch-hitter had three hits, including a double and a home run, as he collected five RBI and three runs scored in a 12-5 rout of the RedHawks in their series finale.

Born in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, Abreu signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers as an undrafted free agent in 2002. In 2005, he was a Florida State League All-Star as he hit .327, and in 2007 he made his Major League debut, notching his first hit on May 25th against the Chicago Cubs. In 2009, the infielder was part of a trade to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Jon Garland, and after the 2011 season signed with the Kansas City Royals. So far in 2012, Abreu is hitting .322 with 9 home runs for the Storm Chasers.

Miller put together back-to-back wins last week as he exhibited outstanding control, leading the league with 16 strikeouts while not issuing a single walk. On Monday against Round Rock, the right-hander went seven innings, allowing two runs on eight hits while striking out eight. Miller nearly mirrored that on Friday in Fresno, going seven innings while allowing two runs and striking out eight once again, but this time on just four hits, resulting in a 2.57 ERA and 0.86 WHIP on the week to go with his two victories.

Miller, born in Houston, Texas, was drafted in the first round of the 2009 draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. A top prospect, he went 7-5 with a 3.62 ERA in the Midwest League in 2010 at the age of 19. In 2011, he improved to 11-6 with a 2.77 ERA while striking out 170 batters between the Florida State League and the Texas League. Miller has started 22 games in 2012, compiling a 7-9 record with a 5.25 ERA for the Redbirds in his first stint in the PCL.