The Texas League has announced Springfield Cardinals INF Yariel Gonzalez as Player of the Week for July 8-14.
Gonzalez, 25, hit .448 (13-for-29) with one double, two home runs, eight RBIs and five runs last week, finishing with at least one hit in every game.
Gonzalez finished the week with a 3-for-4 effort in a 3-2 win over the Arkansas Travelers on Sunday. He posted four additional multi-hit games on July 8, 9, 12 and 13. Gonzalez’s week was highlighted by a dramatic three-run walk-off home run in the 11th inning of a 9-7 win over the Travelers on July 12 after the Cardinals trailed 7-3 entering the inning.
Gonzalez’s hot streak extends earlier than this week, with the Mayaguez, Puerto Rico native currently riding a nine-game hitting streak, batting 17-for-38 over that stretch (.447) with three home runs and 13 RBIs.
Over 22 games with Springfield this season, Gonzalez is batting .303/.351/.472 with four home runs, three doubles, 18 RBIs and 11 runs. Gonzalez has also played seven games with Triple-A Memphis and 57 games with High-A Palm Beach this season. Across all three levels, he is batting .264/.317/.377 with eight home runs and 45 RBIs.
A non-drafted free agent, Gonzalez was signed by St. Louis to a Minor League contract on June 16, 2016 after attending the University of Science & Arts in Chickasha, Oklahoma. He was previously named Midwest League Player of the Week for the Low-A Peoria Chiefs on July 29, 2018.
