Bishop leads Player of the Week honorees
A tough April left Braden Bishop below the Mendoza line. But a May turnaround and successful first few days of June put the Mariners' No. 5 prospect in position to win the Texas League Player of the Week, an award he's now captured twice in his career. In August 2015, he
A tough April left
But a May turnaround and successful first few days of June put the Mariners' No. 5 prospect in position to win the Texas League Player of the Week, an award he's now captured twice in his career. In August 2015, he won Northwest League Player of the Week with Everett.
Bishop slashed .516/.545/.903 with three homers, three doubles, eight RBIs and 12 runs scored for Double-A Arkansas from May 28 to June 3. He kick-started his breakout week with a four-hit night against Midland on May 29 in which he homered and drove in three runs. He proceeded to record three consecutive three-hit nights before finishing 3-for-9 over the final two games, including a two-homer performance on Saturday.
• View the Pitcher of the Week winners »
The 24-year-old said he had rededicated himself to his pregame work in the cage and during batting practice. The results have clearly been paying off.
"The biggest thing for me is detaching myself from the results," Bishop noted after last Tuesday's outburst. "I think this year has been a blessing in disguise for me, with struggling early. I just threw the results out the window last month and I haven't been focused on them since my recommitment. Last year, I was focused on good at-bats, whether I put together four hits or none. After tonight, I could easily go zero-for-whatever tomorrow; it's just how this game is."
After hitting .315 in May, the University of Washington product has raised his batting average to .272 on the season. He clubbed two homers in both April and May, but already has a pair of long balls in three June games. His previous career high for round-trippers in a season was three, achieved last year between Class A Advanced Modesto and Arkansas as well as in 2016 between Class A Clinton and Class A Advanced Bakersfield.
Here is the complete list of Minor League Offensive Players of the Week for May 28 - June 3:
League | Player | Team | MLB | Stats |
---|---|---|---|---|
International | Jacob May | Charlotte | CWS | .429/.484/.536, 7 G, 12-for-28, 0 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 6 R, 3 BB, 3 K, 1 SB, 2 CS |
Pacific Coast | Kevin Cron | Reno | ARI | .357/.357/.929, 6 G, 10-for-28, 4 2B, 4 HR, 14 RBI, 5 R, 0 BB, 6 K |
Eastern | Adam Brett Walker | Harrisburg | WSH | .364/.444/.864, 7 G, 8-for-22, 1 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 5 R, 3 BB, 5 K |
Southern | Jamie Westbrook | Jackson | ARI | .346/.414/.713, 6 G, 9-for-26, 0 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 7 R, 3 BB, 3 K |
Texas | Braden Bishop | Arkansas | SEA | .516/.545/.903, 6 G, 16-for-31, 3 2B, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 12 R, 2 BB, 2 K |
California | Rylan Bannon | Rancho Cucamonga | LAD | .458/.581/1.042, 7 G, 11-for-24, 2 2B, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 6 R, 7 BB, 6 K, 1 CS |
Carolina | Ryan McKenna | Frederick | BAL | .500/.611/.929, 4 G, 7-for-14, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 3 R, 4 BB, 2 K, 1 SB, 1 CS |
Florida State | Ibandel Isabel | Daytona | CIN | .385/.500/1.538, 4 G, 5-for-13, 0 2B, 5 HR, 11 RBI, 5 R, 3 BB, 3 K |
Midwest | Alex Kirilloff | Cedar Rapids | MIN | .433/.485/.833, 7 G, 13-for-30, 3 2B, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 8 R, 3 BB, 2 IBB, 5 K |
South Atlantic | Chad Spanberger | Asheville | COL | .450/.450/1.200, 5 G, 9-for-20, 1 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 6 RBI, 5 R, 0 BB, 5 K, 2 SB |
Chris Bumbaca is a contributor for MiLB.com based in New York. Follow him on Twitter @BOOMbaca.