Gotta Southern League Player of the Week

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp outfielder Cade Gotta has been named the Southern League Player of the Week for May 14-20, announced by the league office on Monday morning.

Gotta over the past week hit .423 (11-for-26) with eight extra-base hits, five runs batted in, four doubles, three triples (in three consecutive games from May 14-16), a home run, three walks, and seven runs scored in seven games. Over the past week, Gotta led the league in extra-base hits (8), total bases (24), triples (3), slugging percentage (.923), on-base plus slugging percentage (1.406), and was tied for the league lead in doubles (4).  
Gotta enjoyed a dominant series against his former club the Montgomery Biscuits from May 12-16, where he had hits in every game and hit .474 (9-for-19) with a home run, two runs batted in, and three consecutive games with triples. He also hit the go-ahead home run in the top of the eighth inning on May 15, allowing Jacksonville to clinch a series victory with a 5-4 win.
Gotta Saturday night had his fifth multi-hit game in the past 10 games. Gotta has also hit safely in eight of his last 10 games, and in that stretch is hitting .378 (14-for-37) with a home run and five runs batted in. He has also sparked several Jacksonville rallies, and has scored nine runs over the past 10 games.
Overall, Gotta is hitting .257 with a home run and six runs batted in with the Jumbo Shrimp in 21 games played. Gotta joined the Jumbo Shrimp on May 2 after he started the season with High-A Jupiter, where he hit .455 (5-for-11) with a home run and five RBI in just three games in late April. Gotta was signed by the Marlins as a minor league free agent on April 1 of this year after he was released by the Tampa Bay Rays organization on March 30.
Gotta spent parts of the past two seasons with the Biscuits in the Southern League, and was honored by the league in 2017 as a Midseason All-Star, and in 2016 was named a Southern League Postseason All-Star as the league's "Best Hustler." This is the first weekly honor of Gotta's career.
Gotta, 26, is a native of San Diego, California, and he was originally selected by Tampa Bay in the 26^th round of the 2014 draft out of San Diego Christian College in El Cajon, California.
Gotta is the third Jumbo Shrimp player to earn a weekly Southern League award this season. Austin Dean was the Southern League Player of the Week for April 16-22, and Jeff Brigham was honored as the league's Pitcher of the Week for April 5-15. Dean was also honored as the Southern League Player of the Month for April.
Jackson Generals right-hander Taylor Widener was honored as the league's Pitcher of the Week after he posted a pair of wins against the Mississippi Braves and the Pensacola Blue Wahoos.
The Jumbo Shrimp conclude their series with Mobile in a doubleheader of seven-inning games at 11:05 a.m. Monday. Gates open at 10 a.m. for Education Day, with area schools in attendance. Andrew Jackson High School students, as part of the "Jackson Five" program, will host a Food Drive for Feeding Northeast Florida. Everyone who donates a non-perishable food item at the third-base gate will be entered in a drawing for prizes from the Jumbo Shrimp. VyStar Credit Union members get a buy-3-get-1 free ticket special by showing their VyStar credit or debit card at the box office.
ABOUT THE JUMBO SHRIMP: The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp offer affordable family fun at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. Their inaugural season garnered the Southern League's Don Mincher Organization of the Year, Promotional Trophy, and Jimmy Bragan Executive of the Year, won by General Manager Harold Craw. To experience the excitement with the terrific value of ticket and group options, call the Jumbo Shrimp at (904) 358-2846 or visit www.jaxshrimp.com.