RailRiders’ Pirela Takes Home IL Batter of the Week

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre second baseman Jose Pirela was having a nice season heading into last week. Now, he is having a great season. Pirela had a monster week and his talent has not gone unnoticed. The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre official website reports that he was named the International League Player of the Week.

The 24-year old Pirela signed with the Yankees out of Venezuela at the young age of 17 back in 2007. He quickly climbed his way up the minor league ladder and spent the better part of three seasons as the every day second baseman at Trenton. 2014 is his first full season with the RailRiders and he has yet to disappoint.

Pirela hit .406 on the week with an International League leading 13 hits. His huge week climaxed with his biggest performance of the period. Pirela tied a RailRiders’ mark with five hits and missed hitting for the cycle by a home run. He raised his average to .316 on the season which is good for sixth in the league. Heading into Monday night’s game, he also had three home runs, 19 RBI, a RailRiders’-leading 34 runs scored, and three triples.

The hotter Pirela gets, the more of a chance he has to see the Bronx with an aging middle infield. He has primarily played second base this season and has been performing pretty well with a .975 fielding percentage. He also has experience at shortstop and the outfield. If he stays hot, a September call-up may not be out of the question.