3B Ventura and RHP Thompson Earn Weekly Honors in North American League

Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings third baseman Leivi Ventura hits .500, Yuma Scorpions closer Chris Thompson picks up a win, two saves.

(August 1, 2011.  San Ramon, CA) The North American League, one of the premier independent professional baseball leagues on the continent, announced today that Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings third baseman Leivi Ventura and Yuma Scorpions right-handed pitcher Chris Thompson have been named the Rawlings Players of the Week for the week of July 24^th.

Third baseman Leivi Ventura collected 11 hits in 22 at-bats for the Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings last week. He hit 4 homeruns and drove in 13 runs, striking out just two times.  Ventura, 28, was signed as an international free agent by the New York Mets in 2005 out of the Dominican Republic. The 6’2, 230 pound Ventura is hitting .326 on the year with 15 homeruns and 57 RBI.

Yuma Scorpions closer Chris Thompson collected a win and two saves in three appearances last week. In total, he pitched 3.1 innings and gave up just one earned run. The 29 year old right-hander reached AAA with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2005, just one year after he was drafted, and the Washington Nationals in 2006. He began the season with the Lake County Fielders, acting as their pitching coach as well as their closer. So far with the Scorpions, Thompson has a 2.08 ERA and 2 saves. In 2011, he ranks third in the North American League with 14 saves to go along with a 3.46 ERA.