Lavarnway Awarded Topps Player of the Month
Five players who hit more than .400 last month comprise half of the honorees who have been selected as their league's June Topps Player of the Month. The Topps Company of New York, N.Y., in conjunction with Minor League Baseball™, announces the winners.
Ryan Lavarnway (24) of Woodland Hills, Calif., topped the International League with a .405 batting average, .469 on-base percentage and 1.136 OPS. The Pawtucket Red Sox catcher ranked second in slugging percentage (.667) and fourth with 10 doubles. The Boston Red Sox chose Lavarnway, who finished June on an 11 game hitting streak, in the sixth round in 2008 out of Yale University.
Ryan Wheeler (23) of Torrance, Calif., had 20 multi-hit games in leading the Pacific Coast League with a .442 batting average. The Reno Aces infielder started June with a 13 game hitting streak on his way to also leading the PCL with 50 hits and 1.122 OPS. Wheeler, who has mainly split his time in the field between first and third base, had hits in 23 of his 26 games and tied for the league lead with 28 RBI. The Arizona Diamondbacks drafted Wheeler in the fifth round in 2009 out of Loyola Marymount University.
Robbie Widlansky (27) of Coral Springs, Fla., led the Eastern League in batting average (.407), on base percentage (.523), OPS (1.116) and walks (22). His 10 doubles tied for the league lead. The outfielder had a 14 game hitting streak from June 3-21 and reached base in all 24 of his games with the Bowie Baysox last month. The Baltimore Orioles selected Widlansky in the 11th round in 2007 out of Florida Atlantic University.
Hunter Morris (23) of Oldsmar, Fla., hit seven homers and drove in 27 runs, both tops in the Southern League. The Huntsville Stars first baseman also ranked among the top five in slugging (.574), runs (19) and OPS (.926). Morris recorded hits in 20 of his 27 games, including nine multi-hit ones. The Milwaukee Brewers picked Morris in the fourth round in 2010 out of Auburn University.
Oscar Taveras (20) of Sosua, D.R., ranked among the top three in the Texas League in batting average (.347), doubles (9), runs (21), slugging (.643) and OPS (1.041). The Springfield Cardinals outfielder led the league with 63 total bases. Taveras had a 12 game hitting streak from June 8-19 and hit safely in 20 of his 24 games. The St. Louis Cardinals signed him as a non-drafted free agent in November 2008.
C.J. Retherford (26) of Chandler, Ariz., led the California League in seven offensive categories and tied for the circuit league in RBI with 30. The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes third baseman ranked first in batting average (.458), homers (13), hits (44), extra-base hits (20), on-base percentage (.534), slugging (.948) and OPS (1.482). The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Retherford as a non-drafted free agent in May 2010.
Xander Bogaerts (19) of San Nicolaas, Aruba, hit .337 and tied for the Carolina League lead with eight homers. The Salem Red Sox shortstop was second in the league in batting average, runs (20), RBI (24) and hits (34). The Boston Red Sox signed Bogaerts, who finished June with an eight game hitting streak, as an international free agent in August 2009.
Danny Black (23) of Roseville, Calif., had 11 multi-hit games in tying for the Florida State League lead with 32 hits last month. The Jupiter Hammerheads shortstop was second in the FSL in batting average (.348), runs (21) and on-base percentage (.435). Black also ranked among the top seven with eight doubles, 14 walks and a .892 OPS. The Miami Marlins drafted Black in the 14th round in 2010 out of the University of Oklahoma.
Colin Walsh (22) of La Jolla, Calif., drove in a Midwest League high 24 runs last month, including six on June 11. The Quad Cities River Bandits infielder/designated hitter recorded 10 multi-hit games in batting .307. Walsh had a .400 on-base percentage, a .500 slugging percentage and drew 14 walks in his 24 games. The St. Louis Cardinals selected Walsh in the 13th round in 2010 out of Stanford University.
Christopher Duffy (24) of Orlando, Fla., finished June on a 16 game hitting streak that featured nine multi-hit games. The Lakewood BlueClaws first baseman led the South Atlantic League with a .420 batting average and 1.096 OPS. Duffy tied for the league lead in slugging (.617) and ranked second in on-base percentage (.479). The Philadelphia Phillies selected him in the 26th round in 2010 out of the University of Central Florida.
| League | Winner | Club/Org. | POS. | AVG. | HR | RBI |
| International | Ryan Lavarnway | Pawtucket/BOS | C | .405 | 4 | 18 |
| Pacific Coast | Ryan Wheeler | Reno/ARZ | IF | .442 | 5 | 28 |
| Eastern | Robbie Widlansky | Bowie/BAL | OF | .407 | 2 | 21 |
| Southern | Hunter Morris | Huntsville/MIL | 1B | .307 | 7 | 27 |
| Texas | Oscar Taveras | Springfield/STL | OF | .347 | 6 | 19 |
| California | C.J. Retherford | Rancho Cucamonga/LA-NL | 3B | .458 | 13 | 30 |
| Carolina | Xander Bogaerts | Salem/BOS | SS | .337 | 8 | 24 |
| Florida State | Danny Black | Jupiter/MIA | SS | .348 | 0 | 11 |
| Midwest | Colin Walsh | Quad Cities/STL | IF | .307 | 4 | 24 |
| S. Atlantic | Christopher Duffy | Lakewood/PHI | 1B | .420 | 3 | 19 |