SL Weekly Awards: June 20-30
MARIETTA, GA - The Southern League of Professional Baseball Clubs are proud to announce that Chattanooga Lookouts infielder Mitch Nay has been named Player of the Week, while Pensacola Blue Wahoos starter Griffin Jax has been named Pitcher of the Week. Both awards recognize these players' performances for games during
MARIETTA, GA - The Southern League of Professional Baseball Clubs are proud to announce that Chattanooga Lookouts infielder
Nay, 25, earns Player of the Week honors after recording six multi-hit games in 11 outings for the Chattanooga Lookouts. The Chandler, Arizona native currently leads all qualified sluggers this half with 19 hits and 16 runs batted in while also ranking among the league's best in runs scored (13, T-1st), total bases (33, T-1st), batting average (.422, 3rd), on-base percentage (.449, 4th), slugging percentage (.733, 3rd), and OPS (1.182, 2nd).
The Cincinnati Reds acquired Nay from the Toronto Blue Jays in the Triple-A phase of the 2017 MLB Rule 5 Draft. Now 65 games through his second Southern League season, Nay leads all the Southern League in both slugging percentage (.562) and OPS (.931) while ranking among the league leaders in batting average (.309, 3rd), runs batted in (45, 4th), and extra-base hits (27, 7th).
Video: Blue Wahoos' Nay lines solo shot
Jax, 24, earns his second Pitcher of the Week award this year following a pair of dominant outings for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos in which he allowed only one earned run on two walks and six hits combined. Through two starts in the season's second half, Jax leads all qualified pitchers in ERA (0.69), WHIP (0.62), and opponents' batting average (.133).
Entering July the Englewood, Colorado native leads the Southern League with a 1.67 ERA (12 ER/64.2 IP), good for the second lowest mark across all qualified pitchers in Minor League Baseball.
Video: Pensacola's Jax fields a bouncer
The Minnesota Twins selected Jax in the third round of the 2016 MLB Amateur Draft out of the Air Force Academy. He entered the Air Force's World Class Athlete Program (WCAP) in April 2018, allowing him to play professional baseball as training for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan while remaining a Second Lieutenant and acquisitions officer in the United States Air Force. He is currently listed as the Twins no. 23 prospect according to MLB Pipeline.