Offensive Players of the Week

International League
Denard Span, Rochester
.619 (13-21), 9 R, 3 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 6 BB, 2 SO, 3 SB, 1.190 SLG
After spending much of his April with the big club in Minnesota, Span has returned to Rochester on fire. The former first-round pick is hitting .419 in May, and he had five multi-hit games in six contests last week against Buffalo and Columbus. The left-handed hitter also belted his first three long balls of the season in as many days, matching his home run total from a season ago. His week included three stolen bases, as well, tying him for the league lead (14) in just 25 games played.

Pacific Coast League
Ian Stewart, Colorado Springs
.450 (9-20), 7 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 5 BB, 6 SO, 2 SB, 1.050 SLG
Stewart continued his torrid hitting for a second consecutive week, blasting three more homers and knocking in 12 runs in six games. The third baseman extended his hitting streak to 13 games while driving in at least one run in his last seven contests. That stretch was highlighted by his two-homer, six-RBI performance Thursday night in an 11-5 win at Fresno -- which replicated his line from eight days earlier in a 10-1 victory over Round Rock. Stewart now leads the league with 12 long balls and 42 RBIs.

Eastern League
Zach Daeges, Portland
.400 (8-20), 6 R, 5 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 8 BB, 5 SO, 0 SB, .800 SLG
Daeges hit safely in five of the Sea Dogs' six games, including a three-double, three-RBI performance in Sunday's 7-6 win at New Britain. Daeges drew eight walks during the week, lifting his on-base percentage above .500 on the season. The left-handed swinger has yet to realize he's not supposed to hit southpaws very well, as he's 11-for-25 with six extra-base hits this season against lefties. That includes his only home run of the season, which came on Saturday. He's not doing badly against right-handers, either, hitting them at a .346 clip on the year.

Southern League
Reid Gorecki, Mississippi
.423 (11-26), 6 R, 3 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 2 BB, 5 SO, 1 SB, .769 SLG
After being cut during Spring Training by the Cardinals, Gorecki has gotten off to a fast start for the Braves in Mississippi. He has a hit in all eight games he's played this season, going 7-for-9 in a two-game stretch in Chattanooga last week, with a long ball in each contest. His four hits in Friday's 12-1 drubbing also included two doubles and five RBIs. The 27-year-old outfielder is battling back from a wrist injury that limited him to just 34 games last season after an All-Star season for Springfield in 2006.

Texas League
Tony Blanco, Tulsa
.370 (10-27), 7 R, 2 2B, 0 3B, 5 HR, 12 RBI, 2 BB, 8 SO, 0 SB, 1.259 SLG
Blanco started the season in the California League, but after 11 hits in five games, he made the move up to Double-A Tulsa. It seems to be a good fit for the third baseman, who has been, well, drilling the ball since joining the Drillers. In six starts last week, Blanco hit five home runs and drove in 12. Three of those homers came in the first three games of a weekend series at Springfield, all Tulsa victories. Blanco has enjoyed hitting on the road thus far, batting .270 with those three long balls and 16 RBIs coming outside of Tulsa. He's been particularly tough on left-handers so far, with six hits in 11 at-bats, including two homers.

California League
Scharlon Schoop, San Jose
.400 (10-25), 5 R, 3 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 2 BB, 3 SO, 0 SB, .680 SLG
Schoop broke out of a slump in a big way last week, driving in 10 runs in six games. The shortstop raised his average to .250 with 10 hits, including going 3-for-3 Tuesday against Modesto. Schoop tripled his home run total with dingers in back-to-back games over the weekend in Stockton, including a grand slam in Saturday's 9-7 loss. Schoop's big week has added fire to a hot May, during which the Curacao native is hitting .311 with 11 RBIs and eight runs scored. This kind of hitting from Schoop will make San Jose's dangerous offense even more disturbing to Cal League hurlers, as the Giants are already tied for the league lead in runs scored.

Carolina League
Brandon Allen, Winston-Salem
.423 (11-26), 7 R, 5 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 2 BB, 2 SO, 2 SB, .808 SLG
Allen was already having a big week and a bigger game when he came to the plate in the bottom of the ninth Wednesday against Lynchburg. The first baseman was 4-for-4 with a homer and two doubles, lacking only the elusive triple for a cycle. Allen then ripped a changeup into the right-center field gap and legged out his second three-bagger of the season to complete the rare hitting feat in a 12-11 loss. It wasn't the only damage Allen did in the series against Lynchburg, as he had nine hits in the first three games to go along with six RBIs. The lefty's monster game, though, was emblematic of his versatility at the plate, as he leads the league in extra-base hits.

Florida State League
Todd Frazier, Sarasota
.321 (9-28), 7 R, 2 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 6 SO, 0 SB, .714 SLG
You may remember Frazier's name from the Little League World Series, when he led Toms River (N.J.) to the title back in 1998. A decade later, the shortstop is still making headlines. Frazier has made a smooth transition from Class A advanced, hitting four home runs in his first 39 at-bats with Sarasota following a promotion from Dayton. Three of those came in back-to-back games last week in Clearwater, as he went 4-for-8 in the two contests, with four RBIs and four runs scored. It appears as though success might just come easy for a player who emerged as a top prospect in the Pioneer League in his first pro season last year.

Midwest League
Thomas Pham, Quad Cities
.333 (9-27), 9 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 5 HR, 10 RBI, 3 BB, 9 SO, 2 SB, .926 SLG
Pham got off to a slow start for Palm Beach of the Florida State League, but has had no such trouble with Quad Cities. In just seven games for the River Bandits, the 20-year-old outfielder has blasted five home runs, good enough for a piece of the team lead. He also drove in 10 runs during the week, including all three in Sunday's 3-1 win over Burlington. Pham got Quad Cities on the board with a two-run double in the fifth inning then added an insurance run with a solo shot in the eighth. His week-long power surge helped lift the River Bandits to a 5-2 road trip.

South Atlantic League
Angel Villalona, Augusta
.385 (10-26), 3 R, 3 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 0 BB, 8 SO, 0 SB, .846 SLG
Villalona struggled in April, hitting just .213 with one home run. He made up for it last week, however, belting three long balls and driving in eight runs in six games at Rome and Columbus. The first baseman knows how to finish a series strong, as he capped a three-game sweep of the Braves Wednesday by going 3-for-6 with two doubles and two RBIs. He topped that, though, in the rubber game against the Catfish, notching four hits in five at-bats with a home run, a double and four RBIs. The big week lifted Villalona's sluggish average back up to .236 on the year.