SL Weekly Awards: July 29 - August 4
MARIETTA, GA - The Southern League of Professional Baseball Clubs are excited to announce that Birmingham Barons outfielder Luis González has been named the league's Player of the Week, and Jackson Generals pitcher Emilio Vargas has earned Pitcher of the Week honors. Both awards recognize these players' performances for games
MARIETTA, GA - The Southern League of Professional Baseball Clubs are excited to announce that Birmingham Barons outfielder Luis González has been named the league's Player of the Week, and Jackson Generals pitcher
González, 23, is named Player of the Week after reaching base safely in six games for Birmingham and recording a trio of multi-hit offerings. The Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico native led all qualified hitters last week in slugging (.905) and OPS (1.425) while also ranking among the league leaders in batting (.429, 2nd), on-base percentage (.520, 2nd), hits (9, T-2nd), total bases (19, T-1st), and RBIs (8, T-1st).
Video: Barons' Gonzalez makes the grab
Across 37 games since the All-Star break, González is hitting .279 (39-for-140) with 19 runs scored and another 20 driven in. Nearing the close of his first Southern League season, González ranks second on the Barons and ninth among all hitters 51 RBIs entering play Monday.
The Chicago White Sox selected González in the third round of the 2017 MLB Amateur Draft out of the University of New Mexico. He is Chicago's no. 13 ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline.
Vargas, 22, earns Pitcher of the Week following a pair of shutouts for the Jackson Generals in which he combined to go 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA (0 ER/12.0 IP) while allowing only four hits and recording seven total strikeouts. The Moca, Dominican Republic native posted a 0.75 WHIP across his two starts last week while also holding opposing hitters to a .103 (4-for-39) batting average against.
Since recovering from injury and returning to the Generals starting rotation in early July, Vargas has posted a 2-2 record alongside a 3.16 ERA (11 ER/31.1 IP).
Video: Jackson's Vargas picks up 10th K
He started Game 4 of last year's BC® Powder Championship Series, throwing five frames while allowing only one run to help the Generals secure their third Southern League title in franchise history.