Walker, Devine Awarded Week 7 American Association Honors
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 of American Association Daily, the Minor League Sports Report and This Week in the Association name Milwaukee Milkmen OF Adam Walker as Player of the Week for Week 7. St. Paul Saints right-hander Mike Devine was selected as Pitcher of the Week.
Player of the Week: Adam Walker, Milwaukee Milkmen
The Minor League Sports Report and This Week in the Association named Milwaukee Milkmen OF Adam Walker as the Player of the Week for Week 7. Walker was third in the American Association in hitting last week with a .417 average. He led the league in homers (3) and RBI (9) and was tied for first in runs scored with six.
Walker had at least one hit in all six games last week, extending his hitting streak to seven games. He faced the very impressive Winnipeg Goldeyes pitching staff all week, but was not intimidated at all, going 10-24 with a double and a stolen base. Walker posted an impressive slugging percentage of .833 and had an OPS of 1.273, second best in the league.
Walker began the week with a 2-4 performance against the Goldeyes in a 6-2 victory. He scored a run, doubled, and drove in two others. The next night he was 1-3 with a homer and two RBI. That started a run of three consecutive games where the outfielder hit a homerun. He finished the series with a 1-4 performance, hitting his second homerun of the series. In the three-game set, Walker was 4-11 with three runs scored, two homers, and five RBI.
The Milkmen stayed at in Milwaukee, but Winnipeg was the home team for the next three games. Walker went 6-13 with the “visiting” team, scoring three runs and driving in four more. He began the series going 1-4 with a homer and an RBI. The outfielder then went 2-4 in a 3-2 victory. It was the only game during the week where Walker did not drive in a run. He finished the series, going 3-5 with two runs scored and three RBI in the Milkmen’s 11-3 victory on Sunday.
In all, Milwaukee went 4-2 during the week.
Walker is the second Milwaukee Milkmen player to be recognized as the top player for the week. Logan Trowbridge was selected in Week 5.
Pitcher of the Week: Mike Devine, St. Paul Saints
The Minor League Sports Report and This Week in the Association selected St. Paul Saints RHP Mike Devine as the Pitcher of the Week. Devine made one start during the week and it was a great one. He allowed just two hits and a walk in an 8-0 victory over the Chicago Dogs on August 20. The right-hander struck out 10, matching a season high.
Devine issued his only free pass with two down in the top of the first inning. He then retired eight straight batters before Joey Terdoslavich singled with one down in the fourth. However, he was erased when the righty got Victor Roache to hit into a double-play. That started a run of seven straight batters retired.
In the seventh, Devine found himself in trouble for the first time. Edwin Arroyo led off with a single and Terdoslavich reached on an error to put two on with no one out. No problem for the Saints starter, however. He struck out Roache, then got a pop out and a fielder’s choice to end the inning. Devine left after eight. He was just three over the minimum, throwing 112 pitches, 81 were for strikes.
This is the second time that Devine has been named as the Pitcher of the Week. He received the honor back in Week 2.
2020 Players of the Week
Week 1 – Damek Tomscha, Sioux Falls Canaries
Week 2 – Chesny Young, St. Paul Saints
Week 3 – Victor Roache, Chicago Dogs
Week 4 – Michael Crouse, Chicago Dogs
Week 5 – Logan Trowbridge, Milwaukee Milkmen
Week 6 – Wes Darvill, Winnipeg Goldeyes
2020 Pitchers of the Week
Week 1 – Mitch Lambson, Winnipeg Goldeyes
Week 2 – Mike Devine, St. Paul Saints
Week 3 – Frank Duncan, Winnipeg Goldeyes
Week 4 – Matt Tomshaw, Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks
Week 5 – Ryan Kussmaul, Milwaukee Milkmen
Week 6 – Tyler Herron, Sioux Falls Canaries
The Pitcher and Player of the Week are chosen by the staff of the Minor League Sports Report and This Week in the Association. The winners will be named each Monday during the 2020 American Association season.
By Robert Pannier