Oakland Athletics outfielder Carlos Cortes and Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Ildemaro Vargas earned American League and National League Player of the Week honors for their standout performances. Cortes hit .542 with three home runs to help his team win four of six games, while Vargas posted a 1.104 OPS and leads the NL in batting average. Both players claimed their first such awards.
Carlos Cortes, a 28-year-old lefty-hitting outfielder for the Athletics, batted 13-for-24 (.542) last week, including two doubles, a triple, three home runs and seven RBIs. His contributions powered the A's to series wins over the Mariners and Rangers, taking four out of six games. Entering the week, Cortes had just one homer and six RBIs in 16 games this season. This marks his first Player of the Week award and the first for an Athletics player since Nick Kurtz won back-to-back honors last summer on July 21 and July 28.
