OF Elijah Dunham Named Eastern League Player of the Week For 7/1 – 7/7
Bridgewater, New Jersey - Minor League Baseball has named Somerset Patriots OF Elijah Dunham the Eastern League Player of the Week for games played from July 1-7.
Bridgewater, New Jersey - Minor League Baseball has named Somerset Patriots OF Elijah Dunham the Eastern League Player of the Week for games played from July 1-7.
ELIJAH DUNHAM GO-AHEAD GRAND SLAM🧀💣 pic.twitter.com/DQDZhYfOif
— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) July 6, 2024
Over the Patriots' six-game series vs. Reading, Dunham went 10-for-25 (.400) with 2 HR, 8 RBI, 3 R, and 6 XBH. Dunham began the series with a walk-off double on Monday and concluded the set with homers in back-to-back games, including a go-ahead grand slam on Friday.
The University of Indiana product hit safely in all six games of the series including multi-hit performances in four. For the week, Dunham led the Eastern League in TB (20), XBH (6), 2B (4), and was T-1st with 8 RBI.
Dunham’s performance vs. the Fightin Phils extended his season-long hit streak to 15 games, and season-long on-base streak to 19 games. His hit streak is the longest by any Patriot this season, while his on-base streak matches the team’s longest of the year. Dunham’s 15-game hit streak is the longest by a Patriot since Austin Wells hit safely in 16 straight games from 7/10 - 8/4/22.
The Player of the Week honor is the second of Dunham's career, the first of which came in 2022, his first season with the Patriots. Dunham was recognized for the week of 8/8 - 8/14/22, when he clubbed 2 HR with 7 RBI vs. Hartford.
Initially signed by the Yankees as an undrafted free agent in 2020, Dunham has spent parts of three seasons with Somerset. He was named an Eastern League All-Star and Yankees Organizational All-Star in 2022 when he hit .248 with 17 HR, 63 RBI, and 37 SB for the Patriots, guiding them to their first Eastern League Championship.
The Evansville, IN native has also seen time with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he has played 73 total games between 2023 and 2024.
Dunham has played in 220 career games with Somerset, the most of any player in the team’s Double-A era. The 26-year-old serves as the Patriots affiliate era career record holder in H (207), HR (35), RBI (124), XBH (95), TB (379), SB (69), and 2B (53).
Dunham is the second consecutive Patriot to win Eastern League Player of the Week after Spencer Jones became the first Patriot this season to be named to the honor for June 24 - 30. The pair joins Trystan Vrieling who was the Pitcher of the Week for April 16 - 21. Vrieling and INF Benjamin Cowles were named Pitcher and Player of the Month for April.
About the Somerset Patriots
The Somerset Patriots are the New York Yankees Double-A Affiliate and develop today’s top minor league talent into the pinstriped superstars of tomorrow for MLB’s winningest team. The Patriots 2024 season is presented by New Jersey Office Systems, LLC. Home games are played at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, NJ, where fans of all ages and levels of baseball fandom get to enjoy the unique experience that is minor league baseball. To learn more, visit: somersetpatriots.com.