Gurriel, Ozuna named Players of the Week

First weekly honor for Blue Jays slugger; Braves outfielder wins it for first time in Atlanta

September 8th, 2020

Blue Jays outfielder and Braves outfielder have been named the American League and National League Players of the Week presented by Chevrolet. It’s the first Player of the Week honor for Gurriel and the fourth for Ozuna, who most recently won as a member of the Cardinals in 2018.

Past winners: AL | NL

Gurriel went 14-for-30 (.467) with two homers, three doubles, six RBIs and a 1.282 OPS last week, capping the impressive run with his second career four-hit game on Sunday against the Red Sox.

“At the beginning of the season, I wasn’t doing that well. Now, I’m more consistent at the plate,” Gurriel said through a club translator prior to Tuesday’s game against the Yankees. “I think I’m using the middle of the field now; that’s what I’m concentrating on. It’s been working so far, and hopefully it will keep working for the rest of the season.”

Gurriel becomes the Blue Jays’ first AL Player of the Week Award winner since Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in August 2019.

Ozuna, meanwhile, was 13-for-28 (.464) with five homers, four doubles, 13 RBIs and a 1.674 OPS last week. He went deep three times on Tuesday at Fenway Park, notching the first three-homer game of his career.

Ozuna, who signed a one-year deal with Atlanta this past offseason, is the first Brave to be named NL Player of the Week since Ronald Acuña Jr. in April 2019.