Globe iconLogin iconRecap iconSearch iconTickets icon

Forsythe nabs AL Player of the Week honor

Rays second baseman earns recognition for 1st time in career

DETROIT -- Rays second baseman Logan Forsythe has been named the American League Player of the Week after leading the Majors in batting average and doubles, and leading the league in on-base percentage.

It is his first career AL weekly honor and the first for a Rays position player this year. Rays pitcher Chris Archer won the award in June.

"It's a great honor," Forsythe said Tuesday afternoon. "Some of the guys knew it before I did, so it took me by surprise a little bit. It's pretty cool. It hasn't really sunk in, because we're still in the race and we're trying to get that Wild Card spot."

Over six games last week, Forsythe hit .545 (12-for-22) with five runs, five doubles, a triple and two walks. He finished with an on-base percentage of .583 and a slugging percentage of .864.

"I just went through a stretch where the swing was feeling right," he said.

He went 9-for-10 with four doubles, a triple and two walks while reaching base in 11 of his 12 plate appearances over the course of Tampa Bay's three-game series at Baltimore from Monday to Wednesday. His nine hits tied a club record for a three-game series (Brendan Harris in 2007 and Carl Crawford in '05) while his four doubles were the most by a Rays player in a three-game series since James Loney had four from Sept. 24-26, 2013.

Forsythe also reached base a career-high five times against the Orioles on Wednesday night, tied for most by a Rays player this year.

"Logan is a dangerous hitter," said Rays manager Kevin Cash, "and we want him to swing as much as possible and drive in runs like he's done all year."

He went on to single in the second inning of Friday night's game, thus reaching base in nine straight plate appearances, to tie the club record set by Melvin Upton Jr. on Sept. 11-12, 2001.

From Aug. 30-Sept. 6, Forsythe recorded a season-high seven-game hitting streak -- his longest as a member of the Rays and one shy of his career long (in 2012 with the Padres).

Forsythe has already accumulated career highs in hits (137), doubles (28), home runs (15), RBIs (54), stolen bases (nine) and games played (134) this year.

"You could argue he's made the most of an opportunity more than anyone else on this club," Cash said. "We've seen the production throughout the course of the year firsthand every night. It was nice that he gets rewarded for it -- we're all very excited for him -- and very deservedly."

Alejandro Zúñiga is an associate reporter for MLB.com.
Read More: Tampa Bay Rays, Logan Forsythe