River Bandits righty wins award for second straight week - first player in MWL to do so in five years
DAVENPORT, Iowa (September 8, 2015) - Quad Cities River Bandits right-hander Dean Deetz has been named the Midwest League Pitcher of the Week for his performance during the week of Aug. 31- Sept.7, the Midwest League announced on Tuesday.
The second straight award for Deetz, 21, marks the fourth time a River Bandit has won Midwest League Pitcher of the Week honors this season, following right-handers Angel Heredia and David Paulino, who won the award back-to-back for June 29-July 5 and July 6-12, respectively. Quad Cities last had four awards for Pitcher of the Week in the same season in 2007 when Elvis Hernandez (April 5-12), P.J. Walters (May 7-14), Tyler Herron (June 5-July 2), and Michael Schellinger (July 16-23) took home the award.
Following infielder Mott Hyde, who was the Midwest League Player of the Week for April 27-May 3, Heredia, Paulino and Deetz (twice) give the River Bandits five Midwest League weekly award winners this season. Quad Cities last won five weekly awards in 2007, when on top of Hernandez, Walters, Herron, and Schellinger winning Pitcher of the Week, Steve Hill was the Player of the Week for July 23-30.
Deetz won the award for his starts on Aug.31 at Burlington and Sept. 5 at Beloit, combining for 11 innings of shutout, four-hit baseball. The right-hander struck out three batters and walked two in his two starts in the week, and extended his scoreless-inning streak to 22 1/3 innings, dating back to Aug. 19 against Wisconsin. Deetz was Pitcher of the Month in August for Quad Cities, which posted a 2.65 team ERA in the regular season - best in the Midwest League and in the 56-year franchise history for the Quad Cities Midwest League franchise.
In seven games since joining the River Bandits from Short Season Class-A Tri-City July 29, Deetz has started six games and is 5-1 with a 0.76 ERA, 29 strikeouts, and 13 walks while allowing 17 hits in 35 1/3 innings. In his second season pitching in the Houston Astros organization, Deetz is 9-3 with a 1.70 ERA in 63 2/3 innings with 50 strikeouts and 23 walks, a .169 opponents' average and 0.97 WHIP.
A native of Nixa, Mo., Deetz was drafted by the Astros in the 11th round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft out of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College.
Deetz is the first River Bandit to win a weekly award twice in one season since Oscar Taveras was Player of the Week July 11-18 and Aug. 22-29 in 2011. Deetz is also the first player in the Midwest League to win consecutive awards since 2010, when Tom Wilhelmsen of Clinton won Pitcher of the Week Aug. 2-9 and Aug. 10-16.
