Gray Earns Second Straight Player of the Week Award
ZEBULON - The Carolina Mudcats, in conjunction with Minor League Baseball, are thrilled to announce that outfielder Joe Gray Jr. has once again been named the Low-A East Player of the Week for the week ending on June 6. Gray was also named the Low-A East Player of the Week
ZEBULON - The Carolina Mudcats, in conjunction with Minor League Baseball, are thrilled to announce that outfielder Joe Gray Jr. has once again been named the Low-A East Player of the Week for the week ending on June 6. Gray was also named the Low-A East Player of the Week for the week ending on May 30 and is second player in Minor League Baseball to earn consecutive Player of the Week honors this season.
In all, Gray went 8-for-19 and hit .421/.455/1.211 with a 1.665 OPS during the last week of games. He also totaled five runs, two doubles, two triples, three home runs, six RBI and two walks over five games from May 31 through June 6. Additionally, Gray paced Low-A East in homers, triples, slugging, extra-base hits and total bases last week.
Gray, 21, hit safely in each game played last week and has hit safely in 14 consecutive games overall, the longest such streak in Low-A East this season. Gray has gone 22-for-56 and is batting .393/.462/.982 with a 1.444 OPS during the streak. He has also totaled a whopping eight home runs, five doubles, 27 RBI and 18 runs during his two week long hit streak.
The best player in baseball just won his second straight Low-A East Player of the Week award...
— Carolina Mudcats (@CarolinaMudcats) June 7, 2021
Congrats, @JoJo2Gray 🔥 pic.twitter.com/fo1Gor4xix
The Hattiesburg, MS native started the last week of games going 1-for-4 with a RBI triple in Carolina’s series opener against the Wood Ducks on Tuesday, June 1 at Five County Stadium. Following consecutive postponements, Gray then went 2-for-4 with a double and a home run in game one of a doubleheader on Friday, June 4. That home run was a game-tying solo blast that started the seventh and final inning of the doubleheader shortened game. Ashton McGee later delivered a game-winning double as the Mudcats picked up their first walk-off win of the season.
Gray later went 2-for-3 with a triple and a RBI in game two of the Friday twin-bill and 1-for-4 with a home run on Saturday, June 5 against the Wood Ducks. He capped his tremendous week going 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a double on Sunday, June 6 versus Down East. Gray closed the week with home runs in three of his last four games, and three homers over consecutive days between Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
The Brewers selected Gray in the second round (60th overall) of the 2018 MLB June Amateur Draft from Hattiesburg High School. Gray is in his first season with the Mudcats, and his third overall at the professional level.
The Mudcats have totaled three Player of the Week awards this season with Gray earning the honor twice and pitcher - Creedmoor, NC native - Justin Bullock earning the first for the week of May 10 through May 16.
Gray and the Mudcats recently wrapped up a two week long home stand at Five County Stadium that saw them go 8-3 while finishing in a tie for first in the Low-A East Central standings. The Mudcats next play the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers as they start a new six-game road trip on Tuesday night at Atrium Health Ballpark.
Carolina’s next home stand begins on Tuesday, June 15 versus the Fayetteville Woodpeckers. Season tickets, group options, single-game tickets, US Foods Club Level suite packages, and the new Hot Corner Thursday night ticket package are all on sale now at carolinamudcats.com, (919) 269-CATS (2287) and by visiting the Five County Stadium front office in Zebulon.
The Carolina Mudcats are the official Low-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. First established in 1991, the two-time Southern League Champion Mudcats are in their 31st consecutive season of baseball at Five County Stadium in Zebulon, N.C. The Mudcats are owned and operated by the Milwaukee Brewers.