NEW YORK, April 8 (UPI) -- New York Yankees second baseman Alfonso Soriano was named Tuesday as the first American League Player of the Week for the 2003 season.
Soriano batted .452 with major league-leading totals of 14 hits and 28 total bases in six games to lead the Yankees to a 5-1 start. He also tied for the league lead with three home runs, including a grand slam in an 8-4 win at Toronto on Opening Day.
For the week, Soriano recorded a .903 slugging percentage, a .485 on-base percentage, eight runs, three doubles, one triple and 10 RBI. Soriano also won the award once last season.
Others considered for the award included Anaheim's Garret Anderson, Hank Blalock of Texas, Boston's Shea Hillenbrand and Kansas City's Brent Mayne. Pitchers Runelvys Hernandez of Kansas City, Minnesota's Kyle Lohse and New York's Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte also were candidates.
