Wahoos' Ervin leads Players of the Week

If April showers bring May flowers, Phillip Ervin had to hope the second month of the Minor League season would see his offensive numbers finally bloom. For the 23-year-old outfielder, good fortune came a week early.

The Reds' No. 10 prospect was named Southern League Player of the Week on Monday after going 7-for-15 with three homers, two doubles, five RBIs and four steals over five games for Double-A Pensacola from April 25 to May 1. 

The hot streak came at an opportune time as Ervin entered the week on a seven-game stretch in which he went just 1-for-24 (.042) with seven strikeouts for the Blue Wahoos. His season slash line plummeted to .179/.292/.268 as a result. But things turned around Monday when Ervin went deep for the first time this season in his 58th at-bat and finished 2-for-3 with a homer, double, two RBIs, three runs scored and a stolen base in a 9-3 win over Jackson. 

Ervin continued to show off both power and speed the remainder of the way, homering Saturday in the second game of a doubleheader and Sunday -- both at Birmingham -- and stealing a bag in four straight games from Monday through Saturday. His 1.200 slugging percentage and 1.779 OPS over 19 plate appearances for the week were highest among all qualified Minor Leaguers over that span, while his four steals were tied for fourth-most.  

With the performance, the 2013 first-rounder now owns a .239/.357/.465 line with three homers, seven RBIs, 16 runs scored and eight steals through 21 games for Pensacola on the season. Despite his tough start, he's proven to be a well above-average hitter at Double-A as his 140 wRC+, as tabulated by FanGraphs, is highest among Pensacola hitters and ranks 10th in the league.

A .252 career hitter in the Minors, Ervin does bring enough pop to make him valuable at the upper levels. Defensively, he has made 11 of his 19 starts this season in left field but has also seen time in center (three starts) and right (five). That versatility, aided by his plus speed, should help his chances in a rebuilding Cincinnati system. If Ervin can show that last week's performance was the start of a longer upswing and not a one-week blip, a second-half promotion to Triple-A Louisville seems within reach, given his brief experience with Pensacola from last season.

Here are the other Minor League Offensive Players of the Week for the week of April 25-May 1:

International -- Giovanny Urshela, Columbus (CLE): .455/.462/.727, 7 G, 10-for-22, 3 2B, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 7 R, 2 BB, 0 K
Pacific Coast -- Peter O'Brien, Reno (ARI): .500/.500/1.167, 6 G, 12-for-24, 2 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 10 RBI, 7 R, 3 K
Eastern -- Dean Green, Erie (DET): .471/.526/1.059, 5 G, 8-for-17, 1 2B, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 5 R, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 SB
Texas -- Sherman Johnson, Arkansas (LAA): .500/.548/.964, 7 G, 14-for-28, 4 2B, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 11 R, 3 BB, 5 K
California -- Tyler Marincov, Stockton (OAK): .435/.500/.957, 6 G, 10-for-23, 3 2B, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 6 R, 3 BB, 3 K, 2 SB, 1 CS
Carolina -- Andrew Benintendi, Salem (BOS): .450/.542/.700, 5 G, 9-for-20, 2 2B, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 4 BB, 1 IBB, 2 K, 2 SB
Florida State -- Aristedes Aquino, Daytona (CIN): .444/.565/1.111, 5 G, 8-for-18, 0 2B, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 6 R, 4 BB, 4 K
Midwest -- Manny Sanchez, Bowling Green (TB): .409/.480/.773, 6 G, 9-for-22, 2 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 7 R, 3 BB, 6 K
South Atlantic -- Brian Mundell, Asheville (COL): .435/.480/.783, 6 G, 10-for-23, 2 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 7 R, 2 BB, 2 K