Carolina League honors Salem's Castellanos, Fayetteville's Torres
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (July 29, 2019) - A homer-happy weekend powered Salem first baseman Pedro Castellanos to the Carolina League's Player of the Week award for July 22-28, while a landmark achievement propelled Fayetteville right-hander Jojanse Torres to the circuit's Pitcher of the Week honor, as announced Monday afternoon.Castellanos posted a
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (July 29, 2019) - A homer-happy weekend powered Salem first baseman
Castellanos posted a .407 batting average and a 1.263 OPS in seven games last week, during which he led all Carolina Leaguers with three home runs and nine RBIs. In particular, the Venezuela native shined from Friday through Sunday, when he recorded three straight multi-hit games and launched three homers. During that emphatic stretch, Castellanos logged 15 total bases, the vast majority of his league-leading 22 for the week.
Dating back to July 15, Castellanos has hit safely in 13 consecutive games, pushing the Midseason All-Star's season-long average to .280, which is his highest mark since the early stages of June. Castellanos has been a key cog in Salem's worst-to-first transformation. The Red Sox are in first place by four games in the second-half standings after finishing at the bottom of the Northern Division in the first half.
Torres claimed his first career weekly award by spinning the first complete game for the Woodpeckers' franchise since the move to Fayetteville. He limited Lynchburg to just one hit--a two-out double in the first--over seven sensational innings, as the Woodpeckers blanked Lynchburg 3-0 in the finale of a doubleheader on Wednesday at SEGRA Stadium.
Needing just 84 pitches, Torres fanned eight Hillcats and only allowed two base runners via the aforementioned double and a second-inning walk. The Dominican Republic native set down the final 16 he faced en route to his first Minor League complete game. Since joining the Woodpeckers on May 22, Torres is 5-0 with a 2.70 earned run average in 11 appearances.
Following a league-wide off day on Monday, Castellanos and the Red Sox kick off a road trip at Potomac, while Torres and the Woodpeckers are set to visit Wilmington.