Charleston RiverDogs infielder Daniel Pierce was named Carolina League Player of the Week after a dominant performance throughout the team’s six-game road series in Fayetteville.
Through five games played, Pierce went 10-for-21 (.476) with three home runs, ten RBI and two stolen bases. Among all players in both Major League and Minor League Baseball, Pierce was one of three to drive in ten or more runs over the stretch.
The shortstop’s big week kicked off on Thursday when he notched three hits, including two homers in the RiverDogs’ 7-4 win. The first came in the top of the third inning and marked the first of his professional career.
After blasting his second homer of the night in the top of the ninth, Pierce became the youngest Tampa Bay Rays minor leaguer (19 years old) with a multi-homer game since Junior Caminero in 2022 when with Charleston.
Pierce’s offensive heroics continued throughout the week, including Saturday night’s thrilling victory when he blasted a three-run homer in the sixth to erase a two-run deficit. The ball left his bat at 106.3 miles per hour and traveled 363 feet.
He finishes week leading Carolina in homers (3 - tied with teammate Brendan Summerhill), RBI (12), total bases (21) and is third in Slugging (.677).
Pierce is the Rays’ no. 4 ranked prospect via MLB Pipeline after being selected in the first round of the 2025 draft. He was taken 14th overall out of Mill Creek High School (GA) making him the highest Rays selection since 2017.
Pierce and the RiverDogs begin a six-game series with the Columbia Fireflies on Tuesday night. First pitch for game one is slated for 7:05 p.m. with coverage beginning at 6:50 on the RiverDogs Broadcast Network.