Auerbach, Jensen earn Eastern League weekly award honors
RICHMOND, Va. – Brett Auerbach has been named the Eastern League Player of the Week and Wil Jensen has been picked as the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week for August 1-7, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday afternoon.
RICHMOND, Va. – Brett Auerbach has been named the Eastern League Player of the Week and Wil Jensen has been picked as the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week for August 1-7, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday afternoon.
During last week’s series at New Hampshire, Auerbach hit .450 (9-for-20) with three homers, three doubles, three walks, nine RBIs, six runs scored and two stolen bases. He went 4-for-4 with a homer, a walk and a stolen base in the series opener on Tuesday. On Wednesday, he homered again, his third straight game with a home run dating back to July 30, and finished the game with a stolen base and two RBIs.
WAY 𝑩𝑨𝑪𝑯 AND GONE 💥
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) August 7, 2022
Brett Auerbach blasts a two-run homer and we are now leading 14-0 in the 8th pic.twitter.com/QTgu6oGidX
Auerbach closed the series with four hits in Sunday afternoon’s finale, including three doubles and a homer, and drove in six runs in the Flying Squirrels’ 19-1 win over the Fisher Cats.
Auerbach, a native of Mission Viejo, Calif., was signed as a free agent by the San Francisco Giants in 2020 out of the University of Alabama. Currently playing in his first Double-A season, Auerbach has collected 14 home runs and 45 RBIs this year which playing defensively at catcher, second base, third base, left field and center field.
For the week, Auerbach led the league in slugging percentage (1.050), OPS (1.572) tied for first in extra-base hits (6). He also ranked third in the league in batting average (.450), tied for third in homers (3), fourth in RBIs (9), eighth in on-base percentage (.522), tied for second in doubles (3) and fourth in total bases (21).
Jensen, the league’s Pitcher of the Week, made one start in last week’s series at New Hampshire. On Wednesday night, Jensen worked six scoreless innings and allowed one baserunner, a fourth-inning double, and finished his outing with no walks and five strikeouts.
Solid work from Wil Jensen tonight 💪
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) August 4, 2022
6.0 IP | 1 H | 0 R | 0 BB | 5 SO | 🔥 pic.twitter.com/DWL1RtDzB6
A native of Murray, Utah, Jensen signed with the Giants as a free agent in 2020 out of Pepperdine University. In his professional-debut season last year, the right-hander was picked as the Low-A West Pitcher of the Week on June 13, 2021 as a member of the San Jose Giants.
This year, Jensen was promoted to Double-A Richmond from High-A Eugene on July 14. In his three starts so far with the Flying Squirrels, Jensen has posted two scoreless starts.
Auerbach is the second player to win Eastern League Player of the Week honors this year. Sean Roby won the award on April 17. Jensen is the Flying Squirrels’ first Eastern League Pitcher of the Week this year.
Following their current 12-game road trip, the Flying Squirrels return to The Diamond for a six-game series against the Binghamton Rumble Ponies from August 16-21. Tickets are available online at SquirrelsBaseball.com/Tickets, by phone at 804-359-3866 or in person at the Flying Squirrels ticket office.