NEW YORK -- The MLB Draft League announced that Mahoning Valley’s Issac Williams and Trenton’s Luke Rettig were named Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for the period of Aug. 5-11.
Williams, 23, garnered Hitter of the Week honors after batting .462 (6-for-13) with five doubles, one home run, five runs scored and six RBI in four games for the Scrappers. The outfielder led all MLB Draft League hitters during the period in slugging (1.077), OPS (1.577), doubles, home runs (tied), extra-base hits (6) and total bases (14). He also finished second in RBI and runs scored, and fourth in average.
Williams hit safely in three straight games to begin the week for Mahoning Valley, posting two multi-hit efforts while tallying at least one extra-base hit and scoring at least one run in all three contests. After hitting a double and scoring a run in a 1-for-3 showing at Trenton on Aug. 7, Williams racked up a season-high four RBI at Frederick on Aug. 9, hitting a three-run home run in his first at-bat before adding an RBI double to finish 2-for-3 with a walk. Williams set season highs in hits and doubles (3) against the Keys the next day, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored, two RBI and two steals.
Through 15 games with Mahoning Valley as a professional player in the Draft League, Williams is hitting .264 (14-for-53) with one home run, six doubles and 10 RBI. He has a .350 average with a 1.159 OPS in six games this month after hitting .212 with one double and three RBI over nine contests in July.
An Alexandria, La., native, Williams produced a .282/.355/.509 batting line with a career-high 10 home runs and 13 doubles this year as a University of New Orleans senior, totaling 43 runs and 36 RBI in 57 games. In four seasons with the Privateers, he hit .272 (189-for-694) with 28 homers, 38 doubles and 124 RBI, scoring 137 runs in 199 games.
Rettig, 24, received Pitcher of the Week honors after he threw the first complete game of the Draft League’s second half this year and the fifth in Draft League history. The left-hander went the distance in Trenton’s 15-3 victory over Mahoning Valley on Aug. 7, allowing three earned runs on six hits over nine innings.
Rettig (3-1) retired the side in order five times and twice retired nine consecutive hitters. He allowed one walk and struck out seven in the outing, throwing a season-high 108 pitches (69 strikes). He finished the week with a 3.00 ERA, 0.78 WHIP and .194 BAA.
Rettig has completed at least five innings in all four starts for the Thunder in the second half, has worked at least six innings on three occasions and completed seven or more frames twice. He has a 2.33 ERA and 0.96 WHIP with 12 strikeouts and two walks through 27 innings. Opposing hitters are batting .232 against him.
An Oxford, Pa., native, Rettig also pitched professionally for the Thunder in 2023, going 4-1 with a 2.47 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 47 1/3 innings spanning nine games (eight starts). Overall, Rettig is 7-2 with a 2.42 and 1.14 WHIP in 13 games (12 starts) during his two seasons with Trenton. In 74 1/3 innings, he’s compiled 60 strikeouts against 26 walks while limiting the opposition to a .224 average and one home run.
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