NEW YORK -- The MLB Draft League announced that Mahoning Valley’s D’Aires Davis and Williamsport’s Zac Shoemaker were named Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for the period of July 31 to Aug. 6.
Davis, 24, garnered Hitter of the Week honors after batting .533 (8-for-15) with one double, four runs scored, three RBIs and four stolen bases in five games for the Scrappers. The outfielder led all MLB Draft League hitters during the period in batting average, was second in on-base percentage (.600), hits (tied) and steals (tied), and ranked third in OPS (1.211).
After going hitless in back-to-back games for Mahoning Valley, Davis posted three multi-hit games while tallying at least one hit and a stolen base in four straight contests to conclude the week. He had a season-high three hits, including a double, against Frederick on Aug. 2, when he was 3-for-4 with a stolen base. Davis recorded multiple hits in consecutive games for the first time this season on Aug. 5-6 against State College. In his final game of the week, Davis was 2-for-2 with two RBIs and a steal.
A Birmingham, Ala., native, Davis improved his Draft League season batting average from .122 to .238 (15-for-63) during his award-winning week, with his OPS climbing from .524 to .725. In 22 games with the Scrappers this season, he's hit one home run and three doubles while recording 12 runs scored and steals each. Davis played at Xavier University of Louisiana this spring, producing a .344/.455/.539 batting line with four home runs, nine doubles and three triples in 37 games. He was successful in 31 of 32 stolen-base attempts. Overall, Davis batted .323/.417/.513 with 28 extra-base hits and 47 stolen bases over 74 games in two seasons with the Gold Rush.
Shoemaker, 25, earned Pitcher of the Week honors after the Crosscutters starter carried a no-hit bid into the ninth inning against West Virginia on Aug. 3 – the longest start by a Draft League pitcher this season. The left-hander generated a season-high 12 strikeouts, notching multiple strikeouts in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, and issued three walks. He threw strikes on 80 of 130 pitches in the start. Shoemaker led all Draft League pitchers during the period in ERA (0.00), WHIP (0.48), opponents’ batting average (.038) and strikeouts.
Shoemaker (2-2) has pitched to a 3.07 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in six games (five starts) for the Crosscuttters this season. In 29.1 innings, he has compiled 33 strikeouts against 12 walks while limiting the opposition to a .243 average. Shoemaker has completed at least five innings in four straight starts and has now totaled 20 strikeouts while allowing six hits in 13.1 innings across his past two turns in the rotation. The Aurora, Mo., product made 15 starts for Pittsburg State this past spring, going 9-3 with a 4.60 ERA and 105/16 K/BB in a team-high 76.1 innings.
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