Astros Catcher Jason Castro named AL Player of the Week

Major League Baseball announced this afternoon that Houston Astros catcher Jason Castro has been named the American League Player of the Week for the week of August 19-25. This marks his second Player of the Week honor this season, as he also took home the award for the week of May 20-26.

For the week, Castro hit .529 (9x17) with two doubles, a triple, three home runs and five RBI with a .619 on-base-pct., a 1.294 slugging pct., and a 1.913 OPS. Castro led the AL in batting average, extra-base hits, OBP, and SLG.

During the week, Castro reached 17 homers on the season, which ties the single-season franchise record for home runs by a player whose primary position is catcher. He matched John Bateman, who also hit 17 homers in 1966. Castro has hit two homers as a DH this year and 15 while playing catcher, while Bateman hit 16 as a catcher and one as a pinch-hitter in his record-setting campaign.

Prior to Castro, the last Astros player to win the Player of the Week award was Hunter Pence, who won the NL Player of the Week award in 2010 (Aug. 30-Sept. 5). The last catcher to win it was Craig Biggio, who won the NL award in April of 1990. Castro is the first Astros catcher to win the award twice in the same season in franchise history and the first player to do so since Lance Berkman  in 2008.

On the year, Castro is hitting .278 (113x406) with 33 doubles, 17 homers, 51 RBI and a .352 on-base percentage. His 33 doubles are a franchise record for catchers and currently rank eighth in the American League. Among AL catchers, he ranks first in slugging (.490), second in OPS (.842), and third in hits, doubles and home runs.

In recognition of his American League Player of the Week Award, Jason Castro will be awarded an engraved watch courtesy of Game Time, the leader in licensed sports watches, available at MLB.com.