CARACAS, Venezuela, Dec. 30 (UPI) — Melvin Mora, who was released by the Arizona Diamondbacks in June, announced in Venezuela his retirement from Major League Baseball.

Mora, who was released from the Diamondbacks after hitting .228 in 127 at-bats and had earlier said he would return to baseball if the right opportunity presented itself, said while visiting his home country Thursday he will not be returning to the sport, The Baltimore Sun reported Friday.

Mora, 39, was traded to the Baltimore Orioles by the New York Mets in July 2000 and spent 1,256 of his 1,556 career games with the team, making two all-star teams and winning a Silver Slugger award and Most Valuable Oriole honors during his tenure with the team. He left the Orioles as a free agent following the 2009 season.

RENO, Nev.—After guiding the Reno Aces to their first-ever Pacific Coast League playoff berth in 2011, former Major League All-Star Brett Butler will return as manager of the club in 2012, the Arizona Diamondbacks announced today.

The Aces’ coaching staff will remain intact for the fourth-straight season, with Butler flanked in the Reno dugout by Hitting Coach Rick Burleson and Pitching Coach Mike Parrott. Athletic Trainer James Ready returns for his fourth-straight season, while Strength & Conditioning Coach Josh Cuffe is back for the third-straight year.

Reno is coming off its most successful season in club history, finishing with a 77-67 record and a Pacific North Division championship. The Aces spent 148 days in 1st place in 2011–including 133-straight to finish the season before falling in five games to Sacramento in the Pacific Conference Championship Series. Excluding Major League Rehabilitation Assignments, 23 members of the Aces appeared in the big leagues in 2011, including five who made their Major League debut.

The 2012 season marks Butler’s eighth in the Arizona organization and his sixth as a manager in the D-backs chain. In Baseball America’s annual “Best Tools” issue, Butler was tabbed as the PCL’s Best Managerial Prospect. A veteran of 17 Major League seasons, Butler helped lead the San Francisco Giants to the 1989 National League pennant, and later he was a National League All-Star in 1991 as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Burleson spent 13 seasons in the Major Leagues and is widely regarded as one of the greatest shortstops in Boston Red Sox history. The fifth overall pick in the 1970 draft, Burleson was a four-time American League All-Star and has a Rawlings Gold Glove Award and a Hillerich & Bradsby Silver Slugger Award to his credit. In 2002, he was elected to the Red Sox Hall of Fame.

Parrott was a first-round selection of the Baltimore Orioles in 1973 and would go on to spend five seasons in the big leagues. In 1979, Parrott ranked 10th in the American League with 13 complete games on his way to being named Seattle Mariners Pitcher of the Year. The 2012 season will be Parrot’s 16th with the Diamondbacks organization and 11th as Arizona’s Triple-A pitching coach.

Ready returns to Reno for his fourth-straight Triple-A assignment. Prior to joining the Aces, Ready climbed the ladder from Single-A Visalia to Double-A Mobile, coupled with a stint with the Phoenix Desert Dogs of the Arizona Fall League.

Cuffe returns for his third-straight season in Reno, after being named PCL Strength Coach of the Year in 2011. A Buena Vista, Colo. native, Cuffe graduated from Dakota State University. Prior to coming to Reno, Cuffe worked in the Diamondbacks organization with Single-A South Bend, Single-A Visalia and Double-A Mobile.

The Aces open the 2012 season on Thursday, April 5 at Aces Ballpark.

Arizona Diamondbacks’ outfielder Justin Upton and right-handed pitcher Daniel Hudson have been named the Louisville Slugger 2011 Silver Slugger Award recipients for the National League at outfielder and pitcher, respectively, as announced by Louisville Slugger.

The award recognizes the players who were the best offensive producers at each position in both leagues as voted by Major League Baseball managers and coaches with selections based on a combination of offensive statistics, including batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, as well as the managers’ and coaches’ general impressions of a player’s overall offensive value.

Upton, 24, and Hudson, 24, are the third and fourth players in D-Backs history to earn a Silver Slugger Award, joining outfielder Luis Gonzalez in 2001 and right-handed pitcher Micah Owings in 2007.

Upton hit .289 (171-for-592) with 105 runs scored, 39 doubles, 5 triples, 31 home runs, 88 RBI and 313 total bases in 159 games along with 21 stolen bases, a .369 on-base percentage, .529 slugging percentage and .898 OPS.

Hudson hit .277 (18-for-65) with 5 runs scored, 3 doubles, a home run, 14 RBI in 33 starts along with a .309 on-base percentage, a .369 slugging percentage and a .678 OPS.

The Arizona Diamondbacks’ Justin Upton has been named the National League Co-Player of the Week by Major League Baseball.

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Profile: Justin Upton

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Upton had 11 RBIs and 27 total bases last week. He shares the award with Padres center fielder Cameron Maybin, who had 8 stolen bases and 14 hits.

Upton hit .519 (14-for-27) during the week, with a 1.000 slugging percentage and five doubles.

He had a career high 6 RBIs in Saturday’s win over the Rockies, including a grand slam. Upton followed that up with a 4-for-5 performance on Sunday with 3 RBIs.

PHOENIX (AP) — Justin Upton and Miguel Montero combined to drive in 11 runs and the Arizona Diamondbacks routed the Colorado Rockies 12-3 on Saturday night.

Josh Collmenter threw seven strong innings, had a pair of hits and added his first career RBI for the Diamondbacks, who have won two of their past three.

Upton finished 3 for 5 with his second career grand slam and six RBIs while Montero had three hits and drove in five.

Collmenter (6-5) allowed three runs on six hits with no walks and four strikeouts to record his second consecutive win.

Troy Tulowitzki hit his team-leading 19th home run and Ty Wigginton added a two-run single for the Rockies, who have lost two of three.

The Diamondbacks opened a 4-0 lead before Rockies starter Jason Hammel (5-10) recorded his first out.

Willie Bloomquist singled to right leading off the game and Gerardo Parra walked. Upton doubled just under the glove of a diving Wiggington at third, scoring both runners for a 2-0 lead.

Upton moved to third when Chris Young singled to center and both came home on Montero’s double to left to make it 4-0. Collmenter drove home Montero three batters later for a 5-0 lead.

Tulowitzki lined a home run just over the right-field fence to start the second and cut Arizona’s lead to 5-1. But Montero hit a two-run homer into the Rockies< right-field bullpen in the bottom of the inning, his 12th, to put the Diamondbacks in front 7-1.

Colorado pulled to within 7-3 in the fourth on Wigginton’s two-out flared single into shallow center.

Hammel settled in somewhat after the tough start, lasting 5 2-3 innings and allowing eight runs on 12 hits with four walks and seven strikeouts. He left after loading the bases only to see left-hander Eric Stults walk Montero to make it 8-3.

Upton hit his second career grand slam with two outs in the seventh off Stults to make it 12-3.

Notes: Upton also drove in six runs on May 20, 2009 at Florida. … Montero has three career five-RBI games. He leads NL catchers with 23 doubles and 36 extra-base hits. … Collmenter’s toughest moment came running the bases, when he was thrown out at home by Ryan Spilborghs trying to score standing up on a single by Parra. Collmenter wasn

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)