photo: Matt Carpenter (Benny Sieu/USA TODAY Sports)
St. Louis Cardinals organization players Matt Carpenter, Anthony Shew and Kevin Woodall are top performers identified by their respective leagues this past week.
Carpenter named NL Player of the Week
St. Louis Cardinals first/third baseman Matt Carpenter provided one of the greatest single-game offensive performances in team annals on Friday at Wrigley Field, as he powered three home runs and two doubles along with seven RBI and four runs scored.
His historic weekend in Chicago led to his selection on Monday as the National League Player of the Week for the period of July 16-22. Carpenter batted .600 with 10 RBI and six home runs in his five games played last week in the Windy City.
It is Carpenter’s third career selection as the top weekly player in the Senior Circuit.
Woodall leading Appy League hitter (Johnson City Cardinals release)
Johnson City Cardinals’ first baseman Kevin Woodall has been named Appalachian League Player of the Week for July 16-22, as announced by Minor League Baseball Monday.
Woodall, 22, batted .400 in six games from July 16-22 with 11 RBI, eight runs scored, and five home runs. He recorded a 3-for-3, three home run, six RBI performance in a 7-5 win over the Burlington Royals on July 18 and currently holds a .371 average for the season.
The St. Louis Cardinals drafted Woodall in the 10th round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of Coastal Carolina.
Shew selected as top Texas League hurler (Springfield Cardinals release)
The Texas League has announced Springfield Cardinals right-handed pitcher Anthony Shew as Pitcher of the Week for July 16 – July 22.
Shew, 24, was 1-0 with a 0.69 ERA over two starts last week, striking out 12 over 13.0 innings. He led or was among the leaders in the Texas League for pitchers with multiple starts in ERA (1st), runs allowed (1, 1st), hits allowed (9, T1st) and WHIP (1.23, 3rd). He was also among the leaders for all pitchers in innings pitched (1st), home runs allowed (0, T1st), strikeouts (2nd) and batting average against (.205, 7th).
Shew allowed one run over 7.0 innings against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals on July 17, striking out seven to five hits and two walks in a 3-2 Cardinals win. On July 22, he tossed six shutout innings in a 4-0 Cardinals win over the Arkansas Travelers, striking out five while walking five and allowing four hits.
The Brookings, Oregon native is 5-5 with a 4.10 ERA and 1.33 WHIP since making his Double-A debut on May 22. He’s struck out 55 in 74.2 innings to just 20 walks. Shew has gone at least 6.0 innings in his last five starts and seven of his last eight, allowing three runs or less in seven of those outings. He’s lowered his ERA from 6.45 to 4.10 over that eight-game stretch.
Over eight starts with High-A Palm Beach earlier this season, Shew was 4-1 with a 2.11 ERA, striking out 34 over 42.2 innings.
Shew was signed by St. Louis as a non-drafted free agent on June 20, 2016 after two years at Saddleback College (CA) and two years at the University of San Francisco.
Shew is the first Springfield pitcher to earn Pitcher of the Week honors this season.
Bonus: Monday minors move
Speaking of the Double-A Cardinals, the club has encountered a rash of disabled list moves, including three over the past weekend alone. Down two players on the roster, the S-Cards received additional bullpen help in right-hander Eric Carter, up from Palm Beach.
Carter, 26, had a brief three-game fill-in assignment with Springfield in 2017, but split most of the season between Peoria and Palm Beach. Back with the Beach Birds this year, Carter has been strong, logging a 2.20 ERA in 23 1/3 innings over 18 games. He yielded just 18 hits and six walks against 27 strikeouts. Carter was 3-for-3 in save opportunities and posted a 2-3 Florida State League record here in 2018.
Carter has been a consistent standout, with a career ERA of 2.16 since being selected by St. Louis in the 26th round of the 2016 Draft from Louisiana-Lafayette. With his age of 26 and all the of the bullpen problems at Double-A this year, it is a bit surprising he has not moved faster.
Palm Beach and Springfield are both currently at 24 active players.
Bonus for members of The Cardinal Nation: Johnson City Cardinals Notebook – 2018 Week 5
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