Aviators outfielder Cody Thomas Named Triple-A West June Player of the Month

New York, NY, July 2, 2021 — Minor League Baseball™ (MiLB™) today announced the Player and Pitcher of the Month Award winners for June in each of the 11 leagues in Major League Baseball’s player development system

Triple-A East

Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals)** first baseman **Ryan O’Hearn batted .385 in June and led the league in home runs (12), total bases (65) and OPS (1.452) and finished second in RBI (24) despite being promoted to Kansas City on June 21. He posted three multi-homer games and two four-hit games in the Minors in June. O’Hearn, 27, was selected by Kansas City in the eighth round of the 2014 MLB Draft out of Sam Houston State University.

Charlotte Knights (White Sox) right-hander Mike Wright went 4-0 with a 2.78 ERA in five starts. He scattered 20 hits over 32.1 innings and struck out 29 while walking six. He held opponents to a .175 batting average. Wright, 31, was originally selected by Baltimore in the third round of the 2011 MLB Draft out of East Carolina University.

Triple-A West

Las Vegas Aviators (Athletics) outfielder Cody Thomas led the league in home runs (11), RBI (28)total bases (74) and slugging percentage (.747) and was second in runs (24) and triples (two). He finished third in OPS (1.124) and fifth in hits (31). He posted nine multi-hit games and eight multi-RBI games. Thomas, 26, was originally selected by Los Angeles (NL) in the 13th round of the 2016 MLB Draft out of the University of Oklahoma.

Oklahoma City Dodgers right-hander Yefry Ramirez went 2-0 with a 2.77 ERA in five starts. He allowed 20 hits and struck out 27 over 26.0 innings and held opponents to a .213 batting average. Ramirez, 27, was originally signed by Arizona as an International Free Agent out of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on May 28, 2011.

Double-A Central

Corpus Christi Hooks (Astros) outfielder Norel Gonzalez led the league in RBI (22), on-base percentage (.457) and OPS (1.072). He finished second in doubles (eight), third in batting average (.359) and fifth in slugging percentage (.615). Gonzalez recorded a career-high five hits on June 25 against Amarillo and eight multi-hit games in June. Gonzalez, 27, was signed by Houston as an International Free Agent out of Santa Clara, Cuba, on January 25, 2021.

Arkansas Travelers (Mariners) right-hander Penn Murfee went 3-0 with a 1.38 ERA in four starts. He allowed 15 hits and four earned runs while striking out 30 over 26.0 innings. Opponents batted just .167 against him and on June 18, he threw a three-hit shutout against Tulsa with a career-high 11 strikeouts. Murfee, 27, was selected by Seattle in the 33rd round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of Santa Clara University.

Double-A Northeast

Somerset Patriots (Yankees) infielder Diego Castillo led the league in batting average (.378), hits (37) and total bases (71) and was third in doubles (10), on-base percentage (.419), slugging percentage (.724) and OPS (1.144). He finished fourth in home runs (eight) and fifth in runs (20). He recorded 11 multi-hit games including six three-hit games and one four-hit game. Castillo, 23, was signed by New York (AL) as an International Free Agent out of Barquisimeto, Venezuela, on December 18, 2014.

Somerset Patriots (Yankees) right-hander Janson Junk was 3-1 with a save and a 1.33 ERA and in five games (four starts). He held opponents to a .135 batting average, allowing 12 hits over 27 innings. He struck out 24 batters while walking seven. Junk, 25, was selected by New York (AL) in the 22nd round of the 2017 MLB Draft out of the Seattle University.

Double-A South

Rocket City Trash Pandas (Angels) first baseman David MacKinnon led the league in batting average (.377), OPS (1.041) and doubles (eight) and was second in on-base percentage (.443) and slugging percentage (.597). He finished third in hits (29) and sixth in total bases (46) and RBI (15). He recorded five straight multi-hit games from June 24-29 and had hitting streaks of six and seven games in June. MacKinnon, 26, was selected by Los Angeles (AL) in the 32nd round of the 2017 MLB Draft out of the University of Hartford.

Mississippi Braves right-hander Nolan Kingham led the league in innings pitched (32.2) and went 3-0 with a 0.83 ERA in five starts. He held opponents to a .193 batting average and had a streak of 27 scoreless innings when he was promoted to Triple-A Gwinnett on June 29. Kingham, 24, was selected by Atlanta in the 12th round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of the University of Texas.

High-A Central

Beloit Snappers (Marlins) first baseman Troy Johnston batted .337, led the league in RBI (35) and was second in slugging percentage (.653) and OPS (1.072). He finished third in hits (34), total bases (66) and fourth in home runs (seven) and runs (21) and had a 16-game hitting streak from June 10-27. Johnston, 24, was selected by Miami in the 17th round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Gonzaga University.

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Brewers) right-hander Justin Bullock went 3-1 with a 3.00 ERA in four starts, allowing just 15 hits and one walk over 24.0 innings, while striking out 23. After throwing four scoreless innings for Low-A Carolina to start the month, Bullock worked five hitless innings in his High-A debut on June 10. Bullock, 22, was selected by Milwaukee in the 16th round of the 2017 MLB Draft out of South Granville High school in Creedmoor, North Carolina.

High-A East

Bowling Green Hot Rods (Rays) outfielder Niko Hulsizer batted .325 and led the league in home runs (10), RBI (30), slugging percentage (.779) and OPS (1.220). He finished second in runs (25) and on-base percentage (.441) and third in total bases (60). He homered twice on June 13 and homered in three straight games June 17-22. Hulsizer, 24, was originally selected by Los Angeles (NL) in the 18th round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of Morehead State University.

Bowling Green Hot Rods (Rays) right-hander Jayden Murray went 4-0 with a 2.70 ERA in four starts. He held opponents to a .141 batting average, allowing 10 hits in 20.0 innings. Murray, 24, was selected by Tampa Bay in the 23rd round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Dixie State University in St. George, Utah.

High-A West

Everett AquaSox (Mariners) outfielder Zach DeLoach led the league in batting average (.363), hits (33), runs (23) and doubles (12) and was third in total bases (50) and fourth in OPS (1.003). He hit safely in 19 of 21 June contests and recorded 10 multi-hit games and a 12-game hitting streak. DeLoach, 22, was selected by Seattle in the second round of the 2020 MLB Draft out of Texas A&M University.

Tri-City Dust Devils (Angels) right-hander Davis Daniel went 3-0 with a 1.29 ERA in five starts before a June 30 promotion to Double-A Rocket City. He allowed 10 hits in 28.0 innings, holding opponents to a .108 average. His 39 strikeouts led the league and he set a career-high with 13 strikeouts in his final High-A start June 29 at Spokane. Daniel, 24, was selected by Los Angeles (AL) in the seventh round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Auburn University.

Low-A East

Carolina Mudcats (Brewers) infielder Felix Valerio led the league in batting average (.379), on-base percentage (.491), runs (22) and hits (33) and was second in doubles (11). He finished third in total bases (52) and OPS (1.088) and fourth in slugging percentage (.598). He walked 17 times while striking out just seven times and posted 12 multi-hit games. Valerio, 20, was originally signed by New York (NL) as an International Free Agent out of Bonao, Dominican Republic, on March 22, 2018.

Charleston RiverDogs (Rays) right-hander Taj Bradley went 3-1 with a 0.90 ERA in four starts, allowing two earned runs on 10 hits in 20.0 innings. He struck out 27 and walked four as opponents batted .156 against him. Bradley, 20, was selected by Tampa Bay in the fifth round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of Redan High School in Stone Mountain, Georgia.

Low-A Southeast

Tampa Tarpons (Yankees) infielder Anthony Volpe led the league in batting average (.392), hits (31), total bases (67), home runs (seven), doubles (nine), triples (three), slugging percentage (.848) and OPS (1.363). He was second in runs (22) and third in RBI (22) and on-base percentage (.515). He recorded nine multi-hit games and had a 15-game hitting streak from June 2-19. Volpe, 20, was selected by New York (AL) in the first round (30th overall) of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Delbarton High School in Morristown, New Jersey.

St. Lucie Mets right-hander Oscar Rojas went 2-0 with a 0.98 ERA in five starts as he allowed three earned runs over 27.2 innings. He threw two shutouts and struck out 25 batters while walking six. Rojas, 22, was signed by New York (NL) as an International Free Agent out of Guanajuato, Mexico on May 23, 2017.

Low-A West

Stockton Ports (Athletics) catcher Tyler Soderstrom batted .315 and led the league in home runs (eight), total bases (61) and slugging percentage (.685), while finishing second in OPS (1.089) and RBI (26). He was fourth in doubles (seven) and fifth in runs (21). He recorded nine multi-hit games and homered twice on June 10 and June 18. Soderstrom, 19, was selected by Oakland in the first round (26th overall) of the 2020 MLB Draft out of Turlock High School in Turlock, California.

Inland Empire 66ers (Angels) right-hander Robinson Pina was dominating in June, posting a 1.19 ERA over four starts. Pina allowed 15 hits while striking out 33 and walking six in 22.2 innings of work. Pina, 22, was signed by Los Angeles (AL) as an International Free Agent out of San Cristobal, Dominican Republic, on February 15, 2017.