American Association Daily provides insights, features, and recaps of the action from around the American Association of Professional Baseball League, as well as player and coaching profiles and transactions. In today’s edition, This Week in the Association and the Minor League Sports Report name Lincoln Saltdogs infielder Alex Baeza as American Association Player of the Week for Week 11 of the 2024 season.

Saltdogs IF Alex Baeza Named Player of the Week

On Monday, This Week in the Association and the Minor League Sports Report Lincoln Saltdogs infielder Alex Baeza as the Player of the Week for Week 11 of the 2024 season. Baeza had an impressive week, hitting .375 with six runs scored and nine RBI.

The Saltdogs began the week in Kansas City, taking on the Monarchs in a three-game set. Baeza had an impressive series, going a combined 4-11 with three runs scored, a home run, and three RBI. After a rain out on Tuesday, the teams played a double-header on Wednesday and Baeza went 2-4 in the opener, hitting a double and a home run while driving in three. After going 1-5 with a run scored in the nightcap, he went 1-2 with a run scored and two walks in the final game of the series.

Next, the team traveled to Cleburne where Baeza was held hitless through each of the first two games, going a combined 0-8 with a walk. However, he had a huge performance on Sunday, going 5-5 with three runs scored and six RBI. The five-hit performance included two doubles, a triple, and a home run, as the infielder hit for the cycle in the victory.

For the week, Baeza was a combined 9-24 (.375) with three doubles, triple, and two home runs. His nine RBI was second-best last week, and he was tied for fifth in runs scored with six. The infielder was third in slugging (.833) and finished fifth in OPS (1.297).

Alex Baeza signed with Boise (Pioneer League) as an undrafted free agent in 2023, appearing in 72 games where he hit .341 with 15 home runs, 56 runs scored, and 72 RBI. He posted an impressive .442 on-base percentage and a 1.012 OPS. Baeza signed with Lincoln in the off-season and has been a solid performer for the Saltdogs. The infielder has appeared in 48 games, hitting .283 with 30 runs scored and 36 RBI. He has 16 doubles and 24 total extra-base hits.

2024 American Association Players of the Week

Week 1 – Narciso Crook, Chicago Dogs
Week 2 – Blake Rutherford, Kansas City Monarchs
Week 3 – Jaxx Groshans, Cleburne Railroaders
Week 4 – Max Murphy, Winnipeg Goldeyes
Week 5 – Brian O’Grady, Cleburne Railroaders
Week 6 – Josh Altmann, Lake Country DockHounds
Week 7 – Cornelius Randolph, Kane County Cougars
Week 8 – Hill Alexander, Cleburne Railroaders
Week 9 – Ryan Hernandez, Lake Country DockHounds
Week 10 – Josh Rehwaldt, Sioux Falls Canaries

By Robert Pannier