Vasquez Tabbed South Atlantic League Player of Week

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Tuesday, May 1, 2018                                       

Vasquez Tabbed South Atlantic League Player of Week

Columbia First Baseman Begins 2018 Season on Record 23-Game On-Base Streak

COLUMBIA, SC –Fireflies first baseman Jeremy Vasquez was named the South Atlantic League Player of the Week for the week of April 23-29. In seven games, the lefty slugger batted .360 (9-for-25) with five extra-base hits (three doubles, a triple and a home run), four RBI, five runs scored and two walks.

Vasquez’s (pronounced Vas-kwez) success stretches well beyond just the past week. The 21-year-old has reached base safely in all 23 of his starts this year, a Fireflies franchise record. In fact, his active on-base streak is tied for the fourth-longest in all of professional baseball (MLB & MiLB):

1. 26, MLB All-Star Odubel Herrera (Philadelphia Phillies)
2. 25, Logan Taylor (Modesto Nuts – A+, Seattle)
3. 24, Tyler White (Fresno Grizzlies – AAA, Houston)
4. 23, Jeremy Vasquez (COLUMBIA)

*Philadelphia, Fresno and Modesto have all played more games than Columbia through April 30

Vasquez has been arguably the most productive hitter in the South Atlantic League. He leads the Fireflies in batting average, on-base percentage, OPS (on-base + slugging), doubles, RBIs and walks. He ranks top 10 in the league in all six of those categories:

          9^th – .325 batting average                      4^th – 7 doubles

          2^nd – .455 on-base percentage                7^th – 17 RBI

          4^th – 1.000 OPS                                    1^st – 20 BBs

"His approach at the plate allows him to have this much success,” Fireflies manager Pedro Lopez said. “He's been able to go out there and consistently have quality at bats. This stood out to me even back in spring training.”

   

The New York Mets drafted Vasquez in the 28^th round of the 2017 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Nova Southeastern University (Davie, FL). The native of Palm City, Florida, also appeared in two College World Series with Florida before transferring to NSU. He made his professional baseball debut for the Kingsport Mets of the Appalachian League in 2017.

Vasquez and the Fireflies begin a three-game home series against the Lexington Legends on Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m