The ValleyCats went 4-1 this week due in no small part to Denis Phipps. While the Jackals, who went 3-3, had a pitcher who shined in his appearance. Tri-City's Phipps is this week’s Player of the Week while the Jackals' Yasel Santana is Pitcher of the Week.

Denis Phipps had himself a week after having six hits, five runs scored, and 11 RBIs with four homeruns. He had at least one hit or more in three out of the five games played, with his best game being against the Trois-Rivières Aigles on Friday where he went 3-4 at the plate with two runs scored and six RBIs and two homeruns. Overall, his performance this week led to a .429 on-base percentage and a 1.125 slugging percentage.

Before coming to Tri-City in 2021, Phipps played for the Cinncinati Reds in 2012. In that season, he played in eight games and had four runs scored, three hits, one homerun and two RBIs. He also played in the minor league system of the Reds and Chicago White Sox. His best season was in 2013, where he had 105 hits, nine homeruns, 49 RBIs and 48 runs scored. 

Santana excelled in his appearance against the Empire State Greys on Friday, as he pitched 7.0 innings, allowing only five hits, one walk and one run with 10 strikeouts.

Before coming to New Jersey in 2022, Santana played for the Florence Y’alls in 2022. Santana was also Pitcher of the Week for Florence earlier this season. Before Florence, he played in the minor leagues with the Boston Red Sox organization for four seasons. His best season was in 2018, where he had a 3-1 record with 42 strikeouts, a 1.97 ERA, and only nine walks.