June 28, 2011 at 6:42 PM
Players of the Week, June 20-26; Luis Bastardo and Christian Vazquez
A member of the Spinners bullpen and Greenville's starting catcher are this week's SoxProspects.com Pitcher and Player of the Week. The community overwhelmingly selected Christian Vazquez as last week's standout player, receiving over 91% of the vote. In a much closer battle, Luis Bastardo took home Pitcher of the Week accolades as he shut down the Vermont Lake Monsters (WAS) in two relief outings last week.Bastardo, 21, is embarking on his fourth season as a member of the Red Sox organization after signing as an international free agent in the fall of 2007. In two outings last week against Vermont, Bastardo provided top notch relief, tossing 5.2 scoreless innings, allowing 1 hit and 2 walks while striking out 9. In 2010, Bastardo compiled a 3-2 record with a 3.43 ERA in 16 appearances while posting an impressive 3:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Vazquez, 20, is also in his fourth season as a professional. A former 9th round selection out of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy in 2008, Vazquez has spent the bulk of his time in the field behind the plate, also seeing some time at the hot corner. In the midst of the best season of his career, Vazquez annihilated South Atlantic League pitching last week, hitting .467/.500/1.333 with 4 home runs, 7 RBI and 5 runs scored. The scalding hot week at the plate for the 5'9" catcher allowed him to also take home South Atlantic League Player of the Week honors. In 2011, Vazquez is hitting .282/.362/.498 with 10 home runs, 10 doubles and 44 RBI in 58 games.