Augusta Greenjackets Angel Villalona Receives Weekly Team Award - SAL

MLN Newswire - www.mlntherawfeed.com - Augusta, GA – Minor League Baseball announced their weekly awards for Offensive and Pitcher of the Week and GreenJackets first baseman Angel Villalona was named the Offensive Player of the Week in the South Atlantic League for May 12-18.  Villalona is the first GreenJackets player to be named as a player of the week in 2008.

 

Villalona batted .385 (10-26) during the week and clubbed three home runs while driving in eight runs.  Villalona also had three doubles and three runs scored while riding a four game hit streak.

 

“It feels good to be honored and recognized for the hard work I put in,” Villalona said.  “I am going to keep working hard and hopefully I can continue to have success.”

 

Villalona went 3-for-6 with two RBIs on May 14 as Augusta defeated the Rome Braves 8-7 in 13 innings.  Villalona then collected a career high four hits while driving in four runs on May 18 in a 13-2 win over the Catfish in Columbus, GA. 

 

Just 17 years of age, the GreenJackets first baseman leads the team in doubles (10) and is second on the team in RBIs (19) and home runs (5). 

 

Ranked as the top prospect in the Giants organization by Baseball America before the 2008 season started, Villalona is in his first full season of baseball.  Signed as non-drafted free agent by the Giants in Augusta of 2006, the Dominican Republic native batted .278 with five home runs and 38 RBIs over 57 games in 2007 during his first professional season.