MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL ANNOUNCES AUGUST PLAYERS AND PITCHERS OF THE MONTH
Winners come from 19 organizations; Yankees lead with four winners
Sept. 5, 2023 — Minor League Baseball (MiLB) today announced the Player and Pitcher of the Month Award winners for August in each of the 14 leagues in Major League Baseball’s player development system.
International League (Triple-A)
Toledo Mud Hens (Tigers) infielder/outfielder Tyler Nevin batted .402/.509/.761 and led the league in hits (37), runs (28), slugging percentage (.761) and OPS (1.270). He finished second in average (.402), total bases (70) and on-base percentage (.509) and was third in triples (two) and fifth in RBI (24). He posted 14 multi-hit games in August before being recalled by Detroit on September 2. Nevin, 26, was originally selected by Colorado in Competitive Balance Round A (38th overall) of the 2015 MLB Draft out of Poway High School in Poway, California.
Gwinnett Stripers (Braves) right-hander Michael Soroka went 1-1 with a 2.77 ERA in five starts as he allowed eight earned runs in 26.0 innings. His 34 strikeouts were third in the league and his .165 average against was the best among pitchers with at least 13.1 innings pitched. He threw a seven-inning shutout August 12 at Charlotte. Soroka, 26, was selected by Atlanta in the first round (28th overall) of the 2015 MLB Draft out of Bishop Carroll High School in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Pacific Coast League (Triple-A)
Oklahoma City Dodgers outfielder Oscar Mercado batted .325/.407/.632 and led the league in slugging percentage (.717). He finished second in home runs (eight), triples (two), OPS (1.145) and total bases (59). He was third in RBI (27). Mercado posted 10 multi-hit games, including seven straight games from August 10-18. Mercado, 28, was originally selected by St. Louis in the second round of the 2013 MLB Draft out of Gaither High School in Tampa, Florida.
Tacoma Rainiers (Mariners) left-hander Kyle Hart was 2-1 with a 0.87 ERA in four starts as he allowed two earned runs on 15 hits and five walks while striking out 21 over 20.2 innings. He held opponents to a .208 average. Hart, 30, was originally selected by Boston in the 19th round of the 2016 MLB Draft out of Indiana University.
Eastern League (Double-A)
Somerset Patriots (Yankees) catcher/first baseman Ben Rice batted .345/.397/.700 and led the league in home runs (10), RBI (29), runs (24), hits (38), total bases (77), slugging percentage (.700) and OPS (1.097). He was fifth in average (.345). He posted an 11-game hitting streak and 11 multi-hit games including a pair of four-hit games. Rice, 24, was selected by New York (AL) in the 12th round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Dartmouth University.
Somerset Patriots (Yankees) right-hander Drew Thorpe went 4-0 with a 1.37 ERA in four starts. He allowed just four earned runs on 12 hits over 26.1 innings and finished second in the league with 39 strikeouts. He led the league in average against (.133) and WHIP (0.65). Thorpe’s 14 wins through August were the most by Minor League starters. Thorpe, 22, was selected by New York (AL) in the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Cal-Poly.
Southern League (Double-A)
Montgomery Biscuits (Rays) shortstop/third baseman Junior Caminero batted .366/.417/.710 and led the league in home runs (10), total bases (66), slugging percentage (.710) and OPS (1.127). He finished second in average (.366), hits (34) and RBI (25) and was fifth in on-base percentage (.417). He recorded 12 multi-hit games and separate six and seven game hitting streaks. Caminero, 20, was originally signed by Cleveland as an international free agent out of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on July 2, 2019. He was acquired by Tampa Bay in exchange for right-hander Tobias Myers on November 19, 2021.
Rocket City Trash Pandas (Angels) right-hander Brett Kerry went 2-0 with a 1.70 ERA in six starts as he allowed seven earned runs over a league-best 37.0 innings. His average against (.182) and WHIP (.89) both led the league. Kerry was promoted to Triple-A Salt Lake on September 1. Kerry, 24, was selected by Los Angeles (AL) in the fifth round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of the University of South Carolina.
Texas League (Double-A)
Tulsa Drillers (Dodgers) outfielder Yusniel Diaz batted .390/.488/.720 and led the league in average (.390), hits (39), runs (26), home runs (nine), RBI (30), on-base percentage (.488), slugging percentage (.720) and OPS (1.208). He was second in total bases (72) and walks (22) and he walked more times than he struck out (19). Díaz posted separate hitting streaks of 11 and eight games and posted nine muti-hit games, including a career-high five hits August 27 at Northwest Arkansas, as he hit safely in 24 of 26 games. Díaz, 26, was signed by Los Angeles (NL) as an international free agent out of Havana, Cuba, on November 21, 2015.
Wichita Wind Surge (Twins) right-hander Pierson Ohl went 5-0 with a 1.17 ERA in five starts. He held opponents to a league-best .179 average as he scattered 19 hits and four earned runs over 30.2 innings. Ohl’s 0.72 WHIP also led the league. He worked a career-high eight innings on August 8 at Northwest Arkansas. Ohl, 23, was selected by Minnesota in the 14th round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Grand Canyon University.
Midwest League (High-A)
Peoria Chiefs (Cardinals) catcher Jimmy Crooks batted .379/.427/.611 and led the league in hits (36), total bases (58) and doubles (10). He was second in RBI (22) and was fourth in average (.379) and on-base percentage (.427) and fifth in slugging percentage (.611) and OPS (1.038). He recorded 11 multi-hit games and posted separate hitting streaks of seven and eight games. Crooks, 22, was selected by St. Louis in the fourth round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of the University of Oklahoma.
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Brewers) right-hander Cameron Wagoner went 4-0 with a 1.37 ERA in five appearances (four starts) as he held opponents to four earned runs on 16 hits over 26.1 innings. He struck out 27 batters and held opponents to a .174 average. Wagoner, 22, was selected by Milwaukee in the 11th round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Eastern Michigan University.
Northwest League (High-A)
Everett AquaSox (Mariners) infielder/outfielder Hogan Windish batted .324/.371/.667 and led the league in hits (34), runs (24), home runs (nine), RBI (23), total bases (70) and slugging percentage (.667). He was second in OPS (1.038) and triples (two) and was fifth in average (.324). He finished the month on an 11-game hitting streak and recorded 10 multi-hit games. Windish, 24, was selected by Seattle in the seventh round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of the University of North Carolina-Greensboro.
Eugene Emeralds (Giants) right-hander Trevor McDonald went 2-1 with a 0.35 ERA in six starts. He allowed one earned run over 26.0 innings on 13 hits and four walks. He held opponents to a .151 average and struck out 28 batters. His month included an 18-inning scoreless streak over four starts and his lone loss came on an unearned run in a 1-0 loss August 1 at Tri-City. McDonald, 22, was selected by San Francisco in the 11th round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of George County High School in Lucedale, Mississippi.
South Atlantic League (High-A)
Bowing Green Hot Rods (Rays) outfielder Shane Sasaki batted .393/.439/.652 and led the league in average (.393), hits (35), RBI (24) and total bases (58). He was second in runs (20), slugging percentage (.652) and OPS (1.091) and was third in doubles (seven) and triples (two). He recorded separate hitting streaks of seven and nine games and posted nine multi-hit games. Sasaki, 23, was selected by Tampa Bay in the third round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Iolani High School in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Hickory Crawdads (Rangers) right-hander Jose Corniell went 3-0 with a 1.55 ERA in five starts as he allowed five earned runs on 16 hits over 29.0 innings. He walked five and struck out 32 as he held opponents to a .160 average. Corniell, 20, was originally signed by Seattle as an international free agent out of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on July 2, 2019. He was traded to Texas on December 15, 2020, in exchange for right-hander Rafael Montero.
California League (Single-A)
Modesto Nuts (Mariners) outfielder Lazaro Montes batted .320/.426/.598 and led the league in home runs (six), RBI (24), runs (23), total bases (58) and OPS (1.024) and was second in hits (31) and on-base percentage (.426). He finished third in doubles (seven) and slugging percentage (.598) and sixth in average (.320). Montes recorded a 13-game hitting streak August 9-23, and posted eight multi-hit games, including a career-high tying four hits on August 27 at San Jose. Montes, 18, was signed by Seattle as an international free agent out of Havana, Cuba, on January 15, 2022.
Fresno Grizzlies (Rockies) left-hander Michael Prosecky went 3-1 with a 0.96 ERA in five starts as he allowed three earned runs over 28.0 innings while striking out a league-best 38 batters. Prosecky held opponents to a .149 average and his three earned runs allowed were the fewest among pitchers in the league with 14.0 or more innings pitched. Prosecky, 22, was selected by Colorado in the sixth round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of the University of Louisville.
Carolina League (Single-A)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Cubs) first baseman Brian Kalmer batted .349/.414/.651 and led the league in home runs (seven), RBI (29) and slugging percentage (.651). He was second in total bases (56), was third in OPS (1.065), was fourth in hits (30) and sixth in average (.349). He recorded separate hitting streaks of eight and nine games and had a career-high four hits on August 15 at Columbia. Kalmer, 23, was selected by Chicago (NL) in the 18th round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Gonzaga University.
Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Astros) right-hander Jose Fleury went 1-0 with a 2.55 ERA in six games (four starts) as he allowed seven earned runs over 24.2 innings, scattering 14 hits. Fleury led the league in strikeouts (39) and average against (.161) and tied his career-high with 10 strikeouts August 12 at Myrtle Beach. Fleury, 21, was signed by Houston as an international free agent out of La Vega, Dominican Republic, on December 6, 2021.
Florida State League (Single-A)
Lakeland Flying Tigers outfielder Seth Stephenson batted .373/.422/.533 and led the league in average (.373), runs (22) and stolen bases (17) before an August 24 promotion to High-A West Michigan. He finished third in OPS (.955), fourth in hits (28) and fifth in slugging percentage (.533). He started the month with a nine-game hitting streak and recorded 12 multi-hit games, including a career-high four hits August 18 at Bradenton. Stephenson, 22, was selected by Detroit in the seventh round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of the University of Tennessee.
Clearwater Threshers (Phillies) right-hander Jonathan Petit went 2-0 with a 2.78 ERA in four appearances (three starts) as he allowed seven earned runs over 22.2 innings. He led the league in average against (.175) and WHIP (0.88) and was second in ERA (2.78). He struck out a career-high 11 on August 4 against Lakeland as he fanned 11 of the 14 batters he retired. Petit, 22, was signed by Philadelphia as an international free agent out of Valencia, Venezuela, on April 26, 2019.
Arizona Complex League (Rookie)
ACL D-backs Red (Diamondbacks) first baseman Modeifi Marte batted .417/.453/.688 and led the league in triples (two) and slugging percentage (.688). He was second in average (.417) and third in hits (20), total bases (33) and OPS (1.141). He finished fourth in runs (14) and fifth in RBI (12). He hit safely in all 16 August games, including four multi-hit games. Marte, 21, was signed by Arizona as an international free agent out of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on March 11, 2022.
ACL Giants Black (Giants) right-hander Christian Avendano held opponents to three unearned runs over 12.0 innings in six appearances. He held opponents to a .095 average as he allowed four hits and struck out 20 of the 36 batters he retired. The former outfielder in the Cardinals organization struck out a career-high six on August 4 against the ACL Rockies. Avendano, 20, was originally signed by St. Louis as an international free agent out of Maracay, Venezuela, on January 15, 2021. The Giants signed him as a free agent on November 8, 2022.
Dominican Summer League (Rookie)
DSL White Sox shortstop/second baseman Javier Mogollon batted .340/.459/.820 and led the league in home runs (six), RBI (16), total bases (41) and slugging percentage (.820). He was second in OPS (1.279) and walked more times (seven) than he struck out (five). He had separate hitting streaks of five and six games and posted five multi-hit games. Mogollon, 17, was signed by Chicago (AL) as an international free agent out of San Felipe, Venezuela, on January 15, 2023.
DSL Yankees right-hander Christian Zazueta went 1-0 with a 0.49 ERA in four starts. He allowed one earned run as he held opponents to a .148 average over a league-best 18.1 innings. He struck out a career-high eight batters on August 8 against the DSL Royals. Zazueta, 18, was signed by New York (AL) as an international free agent out of Navajoa, Sonora, Mexico, on January 17, 2022.
Florida Complex League (Rookie)
FCL Yankees first baseman/third baseman Dylan Jasso batted .377/.486/.574 and led the league in hits (23) runs (15), RBI (20), total bases (35) and doubles (seven). He was second in average (.377), was third in OPS (1.090) and on-base percentage (.486) and was fourth in slugging percentage (.574) before an August 27 promotion to Single-A Tampa. He posted a six-game hitting streak and eight multi-hit games in his first month in professional baseball. Jasso, 20, was signed by New York (AL) as a free agent out of the University of New Mexico on July 12, 2023.
FCL Pirates left-hander Michael Kennedy went 0-1 with a 0.61 ERA in three games (one start) as he allowed one earned run on five hits over 14.2 innings. He held opponents to a .109 average and struck out a career-high eight batters on August 1 against the FCL Royals. Kennedy, 18, was selected by Pittsburgh in the fourth round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Troy High School in Troy, New York.
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