Davenport, Iowa – Quad Cities River Bandits infielder Jonathan Arauz and pitcher Patrick Sandoval have been named the Midwest League Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for the week of April 30-May 6.
Arauz, at 19 years of age, is the youngest member of the River Bandits roster. During the team’s six-game road trip to the state of Michigan he went 12-23 (.522 average) at the plate with three doubles, three home runs, 11 RBI, and eight runs scored. The native of Panama, also walked four times. He finished with an on-base percentage of .586 and a 1.043 slugging percentage.
Arauz is playing in his third season with the Astros organization since being acquired in a trade with the Phillies in December of 2015. A switch-hitter, he is fourth among Midwest League hitters with 54 total bases and tied for fifth in runs batted in with 21.
Sandoval, a left-handed pitcher, made two appearances this week and went 1-0 with a 1.80 earned run average. He pitched once as a starter and once in relief, working a total of 10.0 innings while compiling 14 strikeouts and surrendering just two runs. Sandoval scattered six hits over the two games.
The 21-year old was selected by the Astros in the 11th round of the 2015 MLB Draft out of Mission Viejo High School in California. He is currently playing in his fourth season in the organization and was part of the River Bandits squad that captured the 2017 Midwest League Championship.
The River Bandits return home to open a six-game homestand on Monday night at 6:35 p.m. against the Fort Wayne TinCaps. On Saturday, May 12 the first 2,000 fans in attendance will receive a 2017 World Series MVP George Springer Bobblehead Doll.
ABOUT THE BANDITS: 2018 marks the River Bandits’ sixth year as the Single-A affiliate of the World Series champion Houston Astros and tenth anniversary season since regaining the River Bandits moniker, which in 2015 was voted a top-8 nickname in all of Minor League Baseball. The River Bandits anchor the Quad Cities sports market, which The Sports Business Journal named the top minor league sports market in the country in 2015 and second-best minor league market in its 2017 follow-up ranking. The River Bandits’ charitable donations reached nearly $600,000 in 2017, including a $100,000 cash donation to Genesis Health Systems, an all-time record. In 2015 and again in 2017, the River Bandits earned Ballpark Digest’s award for “Best Charitable Works” in Minor League Baseball, the only club to win that coveted award twice. For more information, visit www.riverbandits.com or contact Andrew Chesser at (563) 324-3000.
