Two 'Riders Named June's Best on the Farm
FRISCO, TEXAS (JULY 16, 2014) - The Texas Rangers announced their minor league award-winners for the month of June and two current RoughRiders made the list. Right-handed pitcher Alec Asher gathers Pitcher of the Month honors and the Rangers also tabbed lefty Alex Claudio as its best relief pitcher in the system for the previous month.
Asher, 22, earns the second organizational award of his career. The parent club also picked the native of Lakeland, Florida as its Minor League Pitcher of the Month in May 2013 when he tossed for Advanced-A Myrtle Beach.
The righty posted his best statistical month in June as he held opponents to 24 hits and seven runs (six earned runs) over 28 innings and five starts. Asher held a 2-2 record and a 1.93 ERA in the sixth month of the year and struck out 26 batters to just two walks allowed. His 0.93 WHIP ranked sixth among all minor league pitchers and on the season, Asher allows 1.78 walks per nine innings, the lowest ratio in the Texas League.
A fourth round draft choice in 2012, Asher's strongest outing of the month came on June 6 against the San Antonio Missions at Dr Pepper Ballpark. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound hurler tossed seven shutout innings and conceded two hits and no walks with four strikeouts. He allowed one earned run or less in four of his five starts in June.
On the season, Asher holds a 7-8 record with a 3.91 ERA and will make his 19th start of the season tonight on the road against the Missions at 7:05 p.m. CDT.
Claudio, the Rangers Minor League Reliever of the Year in 2013, takes home his second career Reliever of the Month designation as well. Coincidentally, Claudio won his first Reliever of the Month award in May 2013 with the Hickory Crawdads in the same month Asher received his first organizational recognition.
The 22-year-old from Juncos, Puerto Rico joined the RoughRiders on June 25 from Myrtle Beach and made his 2014 RoughRiders debut on June 28. In a starting role, Claudio tossed five blank frames against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals with two hits and no walks allowed alongside four strikeouts.
Through six games in June (five with Myrtle Beach and one with Frisco), the southpaw carried a 2-0 record with a 0.48 ERA and two saves. Claudio surrendered one earned run over 18 2/3 innings. In that frame, he struck out 21 batters and walked four.
Asher and Claudio join Matt West (Reliever of the Month-April), Tomás Telis (Defender of the Month-May) and Phil Klein (Reliever of the Month-May) on the list of RoughRiders to receive organizational recognition during the 2014 season.
The RoughRiders return to Dr Pepper Ballpark on Thursday, July 17 for a four-game homestand against the Corpus Christi Hooks. For information on tickets to see the RoughRiders in 2014, please call (972) 731-9200, email [email protected] or visit www.ridersbaseball.com.
About the RoughRiders
The Frisco RoughRiders are the Double-A Affiliate of the Texas Rangers and play their games at Dr Pepper Ballpark in Frisco, Texas. The team has finished first in all of Double-A Baseball in attendance in each season from 2005 - 2012. The RoughRiders are also owned by Mandalay Sports Entertainment, winners of the "Baseball Organization of the Year" in 2008 by Ballpark Digest. For more information on Mandalay Baseball Properties, the Frisco RoughRiders, and Dr Pepper Ballpark, please contact Alex Vispoli at (972) 334-1976 or via email at [email protected].