Sports
Kinney Named Carolina League Player of the Week
By: RiverDogs Media
Charleston RiverDogs infielder Cooper Kinney has been named Carolina League Player of the Week for the week of May 30-June 4, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday afternoon. Kinney came on strong at the plate as the RiverDogs closed a series against Augusta with three consecutive wins. He becomes the third RiverDogs player to receive a weekly award, joining catcher Dominic Keegan and fellow infielder Ryan Spikes.
The 20-year-old played in five games this week at The Joe, going 9-21 (.429) at the plate with one home run and seven runs batted in. The left-handed hitter added a pair of doubles and scored five runs. His most impressive day at the plate was in the series finale on Sunday, when he was 4-5 with five RBI and hit the team’s first grand slam of the season.
He has started in 21 games at second base, 13 games as designated hitter and 10 at first base. His 47 hits rank fourth in the Carolina League and he sits sixth in the circuit with 71 total bases.
The Tampa Bay Rays selected Kinney in Competitive Balance Round A (34th overall) of the 2021 MLB Draft out of the Baylor School in Chattanooga, TN. He played in 11 games with the FCL Rays following the draft, hitting .286 with five RBI. Last spring, he suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery, causing him to miss the entire 2022 season.
Kinney and the RiverDogs begin a 12-game road trip on Tuesday in Fredericksburg when they battle the Nationals at 7:05 p.m.
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