by New York Yankees center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury (Navajo) has been named the American League Player of the Week for the period ending August 31st. The announcement was made earlier today on MLB Network.
Ellsbury’s second career weekly honor comes after he batted .522 (12-for-23) with a double, a triple, four homers, nine RBI, six runs scored and two stolen bases over six games. He last won on June 12, 2011 while with the Boston Red Sox. This marks the third Player of the Week for the Bronx Bombers this season as Jacoby joins previous winners Carlos Beltran (4/13) and Brett Gardner (8/3). Among Major League batters last week, the left-handed-hitting Ellsbury was tops in total bases (27) and slugging percentage (1.174), second in batting average and was tied for second in hits and homers. Amidst his A.L. mates, the 30-year-old was first in RBI and fourth in on-base percentage (.500).
On Monday in Kansas City, the Oregon native went 3-for-5 with a homer, three RBI and two runs scored to lead New York to an 8-1 triumph over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium. The game was part of a makeup from a June 9th postponement. Among his highlights, Ellsbury’s RBI-single in the seventh inning was the 1,000th hit of his eight-year career. Following the quick stop in K.C., the Yankees traveled to the Motor City for a three-game set with the Detroit Tigers. In Tuesday’s tilt, the Oregon State University product homered twice among three hits, but the power surge was not enough as Detroit topped the Yankees, 5-2, at Comerica Park. It was Jacoby’s fifth-career two-homer game,
with his last coming on August 6, 2013 at Houston. On Wednesday, the former first round draft pick (23rd overall by Boston in 2005) singled twice with an RBI, a run scored and two stolen bases to help the Pinstripers double up the Tigers, 8-4. The two swipes were Ellsbury’s 36th and 37th of the season (second in the A.L.), having not been caught stealing in his last 13 attempts dating back to July 18th. On Friday in Toronto, Ellsbury went 2-for-5 with a triple, a homer and two RBI to guide the Yankees to a 6-3 victory over the Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre. It was Ellsbury’s fourth homer in five games and it marked the fifth straight game with at least one RBI for Jacoby, marking the longest RBI streak of his career and the longest by a Yankee this season according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The speedy Ellsbury rounded out the month of August on a high note, hitting .440 (22-for-50) with two doubles, a triple, four homers and 12 RBI over his last 13 games (since 8/19). Jacoby is batting .288 with 14 home runs and 64 RBI in his first season with the Yankees.
