Roller Ball! Kyle Roller Takes Home EL Player of the Week

Trenton Thunder first baseman Kyle Roller. Mandatory Credit: randombaseballstuff.com.

The Trenton Thunder sure missed Kyle Roller’s bat at the beginning of this season. Now that he has returned to the line-up, Roller has been absolutely smashing the ball. He capped off an amazing 5-game stretch by taking home the Eastern League Player of the Week Award.

The Thunder’s first baseman had a week to remember. Per the Trenton Thunder’s official site, Roller went 10-for-19 on the week for a .529 batting average. He collected two doubles, four home runs, eight RBI, and scored six runs as well. He slugged an astounding 1.263 on the week. Simply put, he should be arrested for the way he has been abusing the baseball!

Roller missed the first week of the season recovering in extended spring training. Since he has returned to the Thunder’s line-up, he has been in the proverbial zone. He now has a .400 average on the season while smashing seven home runs and 15 RBI. He is also walking a considerable amount of his plate appearances and is reaching base nearly fifty percent of the time. His seven home runs lead the Eastern League on the season. Roller has done all this in just 12 games in 2014.

Roller was drafted in the 8th round of the 2010 draft out of East Carolina University. He made his Trenton debut last season after quickly climbing through Rookie and Single-A level ball. He had a fantastic season manning first base, batting .253 with 17 home runs and 69 RBI. At his current pace he should crush his career highs in almost every category.

If Roller keeps up his hot bat, he too could see some time in pinstripes sooner than later, especially with lack of a true first baseman to back up Mark Teixeira on the roster. The honor marks back-to-back weekly awards for the Thunder. Last week, pitcher Bryan Mitchell took home the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week award. Four weeks into the season, that’s not too shabby for what many experts have called a depleted farm system.