June 9, 2010 at 11:04 AM
Players of the Week, May 31-June 6; Reynaldo Rodriguez and Cesar Cabral
With the third day of the First Year Player Draft set to begin today, we pause to honor a pair of players who were acquired through means other than the draft. Reynaldo Rodriguez, who spent time in the Yankees Dominican system before being signed out of independent ball by the Red Sox, takes home Player of the Week honors this week. Cesar Cabral was 16 when the Red Sox signed him as an international free agent and placed him in their Dominican system. He gets the nod for Pitcher of the Week.Rodriguez compiled a gaudy .458/.536/.958 line for Greenville last week. He smacked 3 home runs while driving in 8, and also collected 3 doubles and 3 walks. His week was highlighted by Friday's performance against Kannapolis (CWS), in which he went 2-for-3 with a homer and a couple of RBI. Rodriguez, who started the week with just one home run, has also pushed his average up 83 points since the beginning of last week. The 23-year-old also earned Player of the Week in the South Atlantic League for his performance last week.
Cabral made headlines with his promotion to High-A Salem on Saturday, and he didn't miss a beat. In 4 innings between Greenville and Salem last week, the left hander did not allow a baserunner. His week was punctuated by a dominant 2.0 inning performance in his Salem debut in which he struck out 4. Cabral's stint in Greenville ends with a staggering 0.29 ERA, with 35 strikeouts and 7 walks in 31.1 innings pitched.