Southern Maryland Blue Crabs baseball outfielder Alejandro De Aza earned Atlantic League Player of the Week honors for the week of Aug. 25-30 after producing 11 hits and 11 RBI during the Blue Crabs’ six-game series win against the Gastonia Ghost Peppers.
De Aza batted .478 during the week, with one home run and two doubles. He also scored seven runs while posting a .571 on-base percentage and a .696 slugging percentage.
Alejandro De Aza Reaches Atlantic League Milestones
De Aza reached multiple Atlantic League milestones during the award-winning week. In the second game of Wednesday’s doubleheader, he surpassed 1,000 total bases in his Atlantic League career and became the 24th player in league history to reach the mark.
De Aza became the third player to reach 1,000 Atlantic League total bases after playing for the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, joining Jeremy Owens and James Shanks. He also recorded the 150th double of his Atlantic League career Tuesday.
On Sunday afternoon, De Aza delivered an RBI double that drove in Ryan McCarthy and set the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs franchise season runs record. The previous mark was 759 runs, set in 2009.
De Aza Continues Productive Blue Crabs Season
At the end of the week, De Aza had a .300 batting average, six home runs and 46 RBI over 60 games. After playing in Tuesday’s contest, he was five games away from appearing in 600 Atlantic League contests.
The honor marked the third consecutive week that a Southern Maryland Blue Crabs player won an Atlantic League weekly award. Ian Kahaloa and Connor Overton won awards in the preceding weeks, while Isaac Fix and Danny Bautista Jr. were also identified as Blue Crabs weekly award winners.
De Aza was the second Southern Maryland position player and fifth Blue Crabs player overall to earn a weekly award during the season. He is playing in his 24th professional season, seventh in the Atlantic League and second with the Blue Crabs.
The Guaymate, Dominican Republic, native played 10 Major League seasons with the Marlins, White Sox, Orioles, Red Sox, Giants, Mets and Nationals. He previously played in the Atlantic League with New Britain, Lancaster, Long Island and Staten Island before beginning his professional career after signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers as an international free agent in May 2001.
Maryland Sports Blog Take
De Aza’s week combined strong offensive production with significant Atlantic League milestones. His .478 average, league-leading 11 RBI and seven runs supported the Blue Crabs’ series win, while his 1,000th total base and 150th double added further context to the award.
The recognition also extended Southern Maryland’s run of weekly honors. De Aza became the third consecutive Blue Crabs award winner and the fifth player overall from the team to earn a weekly honor during the season.
Source: Southern Maryland Blue Crabs official report
