In American Association Daily, the Minor League Sports Report and This Week in the Association name their Pitcher and Pitcher of the Week for Week 16 in the American Association. The St. Paul Saints Jeremy Martinez is selected as the Player of the Week after hitting .579 in six games. The Texas AirHogs Zhang Tao earned Pitcher of the Week honors after tossing a no-hitter for 7.2 innings.  

Player of the Week – Week 16: Jeremy Martinez, St. Paul Saints

St. Paul Saints catcher Jeremy Martinez was named the Player of the Week for Week 16. Martinez had an impressive week, hitting .579 in six games. He also homered twice, scored four runs and drove in 10. The catcher had hits in five of the six games he appeared.

Martinez started off the week by coming into a game late as a defensive replacement. He did not have an official at-bat, but then went 4-5 with a run and three RBI the following night in Chicago.

The Saints then welcomed the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks and Martinez had a huge series, going 6-10 with three runs scored and seven RBI. After going 3-4 in the opening game victory, he helped lead a charge from seven runs down, hitting three run homers in back-to-back innings in a 12-9 Saints win. The next night Martinez went 1-2 with two walks. His RBI single put St. Paul on top in a four run frame where the Saints won, 4-3.

He sat our Saturday night’s contest, but returned on Sunday to go 1-4 in the Saints 4-2 victory.

Jeremy Martinez posted a .947 slugging percentage and a .619 on-base percentage. His 1.566 OPS led the league. He is the fourth Saints player to be selected as Player of the Week, joining Brady Shoemaker, Max Murphy and Josh Allen.

Pitcher of the Week – Week 16: Zhang Tao, Texas AirHogs

The Texas AirHogs Zhang Tao was selected as the Pitcher of the Week after tossing 7.2 innings of no-hit ball against the Milwaukee Milkmen on August 31. Tao allowed one hit and walked two, while striking out five in eight innings, his third straight win.

It was an amazing night for the young right-hander. Zhang retired the first 11 batters he faced, seeing his run come to an end when he gave up a two out walk to Manuel Boscan in the fourth. He then retired five straight before issuing his only other walk of the game. The right-hander was cruising through the first seven innings at just two over the minimum. He would retire the first two batters of the eighth, before Jose Rosario ruined the historic night with a two out double.

Of his 104 pitches, 67 went for strikes, and Rosario was the only Milkmen player to get beyond first base.  Zhang Tao is the second AirHogs pitcher to be named Pitcher of the Week, joining Kevin Hilton.

2019 Players of the Week

Week 15 – Clint Coulter, Sioux Falls Canaries
Week 14 – Keon Barnum, Chicago Dogs
Week 13 – Colin Willis, Gary Southshore RailCats
Week 12 – Victor Roache, Chicago Dogs
Week 11 – Tyler Hill, Winnipeg Goldeyes
Week 10 – Keon Barnum, Chicago Dogs
Week 9 – Josh Allen, St. Paul Saints
Week 8 – Max Murphy, Brady Shoemaker, St. Paul Saints
Week 7 – T. J. Bennett, Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks
Week 6 – Max Murphy, St. Paul Saints
Week 5 – Nate Samson, Sioux City Explorers
Week 4 – Tim Colwell, Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks
Week 3 – Victor Roache, Chicago Dogs
Week 2 – Tony Rosselli, Chicago Dogs
Week 1 – Zach Nehrir, Cleburne Railroaders

2019 Pitchers of the Week

Week 15 – John Brownell, Lincoln Saltdogs
Week 14 – Mitch Lambson, Winnipeg Goldeyes
Week 13 – Carlos Sierra, Sioux City Explorers
Week 12 – Reese Gregory, Lincoln Saltdogs
Week 11 – Michael Tamburino, Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks
Week 10 – Kevin Hilton, Texas AirHogs
Week 9 – Luke Westphal, Chicago Dogs
Week 8 – Angel Ventura, Milwaukee Milkmen
Week 7 – Frank Carvallo, Gary Southshore RailCats
Week 6 – Bret Helton, Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks
Week 5 – Mitch Lambson, Winnipeg Goldeyes
Week 4 – Taylor Jordan, Sioux City Explorers
Week 3 – Eddie Medina, St. Paul Saints
Week 2 – Eddie Medina, St. Paul Saints
Week 1 – Jake Matthys, St. Paul Saints

Notes About Player/Pitcher of the Week Winners

The Player and Pitcher of the Week are chosen each week by the Minor League Sports Report’s Robert Pannier and by Kevin Luckow of the Tenth Inning Stretch. Honorees are chosen based upon statistics, quality of opponent, and importance in relation to overall performance of their own team.

By Robert Pannier