NEW YORK -- The MLB Draft League announced that West Virginia’s Anthony Hansen and Brady Tedesco were named Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for the period of July 24 to July 30.
Hansen, 22, takes home Hitter of the Week honors after batting .400 (10-for-25) with two home runs, three doubles and 10 RBIs in six games for the Black Bears. The first baseman/outfielder led all MLB Draft League hitters during the period in RBI, home runs (tied) and total bases (19) and recorded the third-highest slugging percentage (.760).
Hansen posted back-to-back three-hit games to begin his week and ultimately hit safely in five of six games for the Black Bears. He was 3-for-5 with a home run, two doubles, two runs scored and a season-high five RBIs in West Virginia’s series-opener against Mahoning Valley on July 25. He hit a double and scored three runs in a 3-for-5 performance the following day. After combining to go 3-for-8 over the series’ final two games, Hansen connected on his second homer of the week on July 29, going 1-for-3 with three RBIs in the Black Bears’ win over Frederick.
A Columbia, Mo., native, Hansen improved his Draft League season batting average from .192 to .236 (15-for-60) during his award-winning week, while his OPS climbed from .613 to .795. In 20 games, Hansen has totaled four home runs, six doubles and 15 RBIs. This past spring, Hansen produced a .290/.411/.531 batting line with 12 home runs, 10 doubles and 37 RBIs in 55 games as a University of Memphis senior, garnering 2023 AAC All-Academic Team honors.
Tedesco, 26, garners Pitcher of the Week honors after the left-handed pitcher delivered six-plus scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts in West Virginia’s win over Mahoning Valley on July 28. Tedesco allowed two hits and two walks in the start, throwing 68 of 99 pitches for strikes, including 27 swinging strikes. Tedesco recorded multiple strikeouts in the same inning on four occasions and struck out the side in the first and sixth innings.
Tedesco (2-0) owns a 3.13 ERA and 0.91 WHIP through four Black Bears starts. In 23 innings, the southpaw has compiled 36 strikeouts (14.1 K/9) against six walks (2.4 BB/9) while limiting opposing hitters to a .176 average. On July 21, Tedesco struck out 14 batters over seven innings against State College to establish a new Draft League single-game record. Previously, Tedesco pitched professionally for the Evansville Otters in the Frontier League (2022) before signing with the MLB Draft League for the 2023 season. He played collegiately at Campbellsville University (2020-22), going 6-1 with a 2.97 ERA and 94 strikeouts in 70 innings.
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