By: RiverDogs Media
Charleston RiverDogs outfielder Shane Sasaki has been named the Carolina League Player of the Week for August 15-21, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday afternoon. Sasaki was also recognized for his performance last week. This is the third weekly honor for a RiverDogs position player during the 2022 season and fourth overall. Infielder Willy Vasquez was tabbed in the first week of July, while Austin Vernon was previously named Pitcher of the Week in May. No other player has been named player of the week in consecutive weeks this season.
Sasaki played in six of the seven games against the Augusta GreenJackets this week at SRP Park. He went 12-27 (.444) at the plate with five doubles, a triple, two home runs and four runs batted in. Sasaki also worked three walks, stole four bases and scored eight runs as the RiverDogs went 5-2 in the series. The native of Hawaii reached base in half of his 30 plate appearances, including 4-5 performance with four extra-base hits in Saturday’s win.
The center fielder sits at the top of the Carolina League with a .322 batting average. He is also third in slugging percentage, tied for third in doubles, fourth in OPS, tied for fourth in stolen bases and eighth in on-base percentage.
The Tampa Bay Rays drafted Sasaki with their third round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft out of Iolani High School in Honolulu. He struggled in his first professional season, batting just .182 with the GCL Rays in 2019. When the 2020 season was canceled due to COVID-19, Sasaki spent the winter playing ball in Australia. That experience paid dividends quickly as he returned to the GCL in 2021 and posted a .290 batting average with eight extra-base hits and 22 stolen bases.
Sasaki and the RiverDogs continue a 13-game road trip in Fayetteville on Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m. The RiverDogs lead the South Division second half race by 3.5 games.
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