In American Association Daily, the Minor League Sports Report names their Pitcher and Player of the Week for Week 7 of the 2019 American Association season. This week Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks infielder T.J. Bennett is named as the Player of the Week while Felix Carvallo from the Gary Southshore RailCats is chosen as the Pitcher of the Week. Bennett hit .448 in seven games while Carvallo posted a 0.00 ERA in three appearances.

Player of the Week – Week 7: T.J. Bennett, Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks

Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks infielder was chosen as the Player of the Week in the American Association. Bennett hit .448 in seven games as the RedHawks went 6-1. He scored six runs and drove in nine. He was tied for the league lead in RBI for the week. Bennett had hits in all seven games this past week, including two in all but one of those contests.

The week began with a four game set in Sioux Falls against the Canaries, a series that the RedHawks swept. Bennett was 2-4 in all four games, scoring five total runs while driving in three. He added a double and a homerun.

Fargo-Moorhead then welcomed the St. Paul Saints in a battle of the top two teams in the North Division. After going 1-5 in the opening loss to St. Paul, Bennett went 2-4 in each of the next two games. He drove home two in Game 2 of the series, and was a huge factor in the rubber match, adding his fifth homer of the year to go along with four RBI.

The RedHawks trailed in that game 4-3 heading into the bottom of the seventh, but that deficit was quickly erased when Bennett crushed a 1-2 pitch for a three run homer to give his team the lead for good. They would go on to an 8-6 win, pulling them within a half game of the Saints.

T.J. Bennett is the third Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks player to receive honors this season. He joins Tim Colwell, who was named Player of the Week in Week 4, and Bret Helton who was selected as Pitcher of the Week last week.

Pitcher of the Week – Week 7: Felix Carvallo, Gary Southshore RailCats

Felix Carvallo was named the Pitcher of the Week in the American Association. The Gary Southshore RailCats left-hander was 1-0 with two saves and a 0.00 ERA in three appearances.

Carvallo made his first appearance of the week on June 24, coming into a game tied at two in the ninth inning. Neither team could score, sending the game into extra innings. He issued a walk to start the ninth, then retired the next nine batters he faced. Gary Southshore would score in the top of 11th and the lefty would return in the bottom half of the frame to retire the side in order, including striking out the final batter of the game to earn the victory.

Four nights later, the RailCats scored three in the first, but would be held scoreless for the remainder of the contest. The Kansas City T-Bones chipped away at the lead, pulling within one entering the eighth inning. That is when Carvallo came on. He retired the side in order in the eighth, then retired the first batter in the ninth before giving up a single. With the tying run at first, the lefty got a popup then got a comebacker to the mound to end the contest.

The next night Felix Carvallo would be called upon again. The RailCats held a 6-3 lead over Kansas City going into the eighth, but the left-hander would shut the door. A one out single and an error brought the tying run to the plate, but Carvallo would get a flyout and a ground out to end the threat. An inning later, he gave up a one out single, but Kansas City would generate no additional offense, as the left-hander earned his third save of the season.

In seven innings this past week, Felix Carvallo allowed three hits and one walk. He struck out four. He recorded an opponent batting average of .120 and a WHIP of 0.57.

Carvallo is the first Gary Southshore RailCats player to receive either Player or Pitcher of the Week honors this season.

2019 Players of the Week

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 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