Travs Duo Sweeps Weekly Texas League Awards
Two Arkansas Travelers, pitcher Juan Mercedes and outfielder Jared Oliva, were named Texas League Pitcher of the Week and Player of the Week respectively for September 2-8. The duo helped the Travs clinch a bid to the Texas League postseason over the weekend while taking five wins in six games
Two Arkansas Travelers, pitcher Juan Mercedes and outfielder Jared Oliva, were named Texas League Pitcher of the Week and Player of the Week respectively for September 2-8. The duo helped the Travs clinch a bid to the Texas League postseason over the weekend while taking five wins in six games at home against Corpus Christi.
Mercedes fired seven shutout innings last Thursday night earning his team leading ninth win of the season. He matched his career high with 10 strikeouts while not walking anyone and scattering four hits. He was one of only two pitchers in the Texas League to throw seven scoreless innings during the week and the only one with double-digit strikeouts. The 10 Ks tied for second overall in the league. This is the first league weekly award this season earned by Mercedes and the second of his career after taking one in the Northwest League in 2022. He was also recently named as the Mariners Minor League Pitcher of the Month for August.
For the season, Mercedes is 9-5 with a 2.86 ERA in 138.1 innings over 26 starts and 119 strikeouts against 26 walks. His ERA ranks second in the league while he is tops in the TL in starts and innings pitched. Mercedes was signed by the Mariners as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in April of 2017.
Oliva (AH-liv-uh) went 9-15 at the plate over the week for a league best batting average of .600. He also topped the league in on-base percentage (.650) and was top five in slugging percentage (.667). He drove in six runs and also stole three bases. This is the first league weekly award for Oliva in his career.
For the season, Oliva is hitting .294/.374/.448 with seven home runs, 32 RBI and 33 stolen bases in 64 games. The 33 steals are tied for fourth most in the Texas League. Oliva was signed by the Mariners as a minor league free agent in March. He was drafted in the 7th round by Pittsburgh in 2017 out of the University of Arizona and played 26 games in the majors with the Pirates over the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
They are the sixth and seventh Travelers to win Texas League weekly awards in 2024 joining Cole Young, Logan Evans, Brandyn Garcia, Harry Ford and Hogan Windish.
Mercedes, Oliva and the Travs play their final regular season this week on the road at Northwest Arkansas. They open the postseason at home against the Springfield Cardinals on Tuesday September 17 at Dickey-Stephens Park in game one of the division series.
Founded in 1901, the Arkansas Travelers are the Double-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners and call Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock home. The Travs 2024 regular season home schedule runs through September 8th. For all the latest information with the club and events at the ballpark, log on to travs.com or follow the Travelers on Facebook (/ArkansasTravelers), Instagram (@artravs), Threads (@artravs) and Twitter/X (@artravs). Dickey-Stephens Park is a cashless facility, and the Travelers have a clear bag policy for all events.