DURHAM, NC- The official statistician of the American Association, Pointstreak, has announced that Amarillo Thunderheads INF Juan Martinez (pictured) has been named this week’s Pointstreak Player of the Week for the week ending May 31.
Martinez was a blistering 14-for-27 at the plate this week, helping the Thunderheads take a game from the first-place St. Paul Saints and subsequently sweep the Lincoln Saltdogs in a weekend series in Amarillo. The former Oral Roberts University player started his week with a 2-for-4 game on Tuesday, logging his lone home run of the week, a two-run shot in the sixth inning. The Thunderheads went on to win the game, their home opener, 8-3. The next two nights, Martinez collected single hits in Amarillo losses. He had an RBI in Wednesday’s ballgame, his third of eight on the week.
The product of Bakersfield, Calif. took off at the plate over the weekend in a series against Lincoln. On Friday, he was 4-for-5 with three doubles, two RBI and a run scored as the Thunderheads squeaked by the Saltdogs 7-6. A day later, Martinez went 3-for-5 with two more RBI and three runs scored. His efforts were enough to propel Amarillo to a 16-8 triumph. He capped off the week with another three-hit game on Sunday, going 3-for-4 at the plate with an RBI and a run scored.
This is Martinez’s first season in the American Association after spending the previous four seasons in the Can-Am League and Atlantic League and appearing with four different clubs. Martinez was a 46th round pick of the San Francisco Giants in the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft, and he spent 2009 with the Short-Season Class A Salem-Keizer Volcanoes of the Northwest League. In 2010, Martinez played for the Class A Augusta GreenJackets of the South Atlantic League before joining the independent ranks in 2011.
The Thunderheads now sit at 6-4 on the season. They will begin a two-game series with their South Division rival Joplin Blasters on Tuesday evening. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. Central time at Joe Becker Stadium in Joplin.
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