Minor League Baseball Announces June Players and Pitchers of the Month; Aviators INF Vimael Machín Named Triple-A PCL Player of the Month!

July 6, 2022 — Minor League Baseball™ (MiLB™) today announced the Player and Pitcher of the Month Award winners for June in each of the 14 leagues in Major League Baseball’s player development system.

International League (Triple-A)

Syracuse Mets infielder and outfielder Travis Blankenhorn batted .402/.486/.674 and led the league in total bases (62) and OPS (1.160). He was second in average (.402), hits (37), doubles (10), RBIs (24), on-base percentage (.486) and slugging percentage (.674) and ranked fifth in runs scored (22). Blankenhorn, 25, was originally selected by Minnesota in the third round of the 2015 MLB Draft out of Pottsville Area High School in Pottsville, Pennsylvania.

Gwinnett Stripers (Braves) left-hander Kyle Muller went 2-1 with a 1.87 ERA in five starts. He led the league in innings pitched (33 2/3) and strikeouts (43) as he allowed seven earned runs on 20 hits and six walks. He held opponents to a .171 average. Muller, 24, was selected by Atlanta in the second round of the 2016 MLB Draft out of Jesuit College Prep High School in Dallas, Texas.

Pacific Coast League (Triple-A)

Las Vegas Aviators (Athletics) infielder Vimael Machín batted .400/.477/.611 and led the league in hits (38), RBIs (24) and on-base percentage (.477). He finished second in average (.400), OPS (1.088) and total bases (58) and was third in runs (23) and fifth in doubles (eight). Machín, 28, was originally selected by Chicago (NL) in the 10th round of the 2015 MLB Draft out of Virginia Commonwealth University. He was promoted to the Oakland Athletics on June 30!

Round Rock Express (Rangers) right-hander Spencer Howard went 3-1 with a 2.53 ERA in six starts. He led the league with 39 strikeouts and held opponents to a .165 average as he scattered 18 hits over 32 innings. He allowed one hit over seven innings and tied his career high with 11 strikeouts on June 30 before being promoted to Texas on July 5. Howard, 25, was originally selected by Philadelphia in the second round of the 2017 MLB Draft out of Cal Poly University in San Luis Obispo, California.

Eastern League (Double-A)

Akron RubberDucks (Guardians) first baseman Micah Pries batted .312/.394/.688 and led the league in RBIs (25), slugging percentage (.688) and total bases (64). He finished second in home runs (nine), third in OPS (1.082), fourth in runs scored (19) and sixth in hits (29). Pries, 24, was selected by Cleveland in the 13th round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, California.

Akron RubberDucks (Guardians) left-hander Logan Allen went 3-0 with a 1.75 ERA in four starts. He struck out 39 and held opponents to a .107 average as he didn’t allow more than three hits in a start and pitched six or more innings in each outing. Allen struck out a career-high 11 batters in each of his last two starts before a June 24 promotion to Triple-A Columbus. Allen, 23, was selected by Cleveland in the second round of the 2020 MLB Draft out of Florida International University in Miami, Florida.

Southern League (Double-A)

Tennessee Smokies (Cubs) infielder Jake Slaughter batted .344/.423/.689 and led the league in home runs (nine), slugging percentage (.689) and OPS (1.112). He was second in average (.344) and total bases (62) and fourth in hits (31) and RBIs (22). Slaughter, 25, was selected by Chicago in the 18th round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of Louisiana State University.

Rocket City Trash Pandas (Angels) right-hander Coleman Crow went 3-0 with a 1.33 ERA in four starts as he allowed four earned runs over 27 innings. He struck out 24 and walked four while holding opponents to a .177 average. Crow, 21, was selected by Los Angeles in the 28th round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Pike County High School in Zebulon, Georgia.

Texas League (Double-A)

Springfield Cardinals infielder Malcom Nunez batted .381/.454/.726 and led the league in average (.381), hits (32), RBIs (27) and slugging percentage (.726). He was second in home runs (nine), total bases (61) and OPS (1.180) and was third in on-base percentage (.454) and fourth in runs scored (19). Nunez, 21, was signed by St. Louis as an international free agent out of Havana, Cuba, on July 3, 2018.

Arkansas Travelers (Mariners) right-hander Taylor Dollard went 5-0 with a 0.86 ERA in five starts as he allowed just three earned runs on 17 hits over 31 1/3 innings. He struck out 29 and held opponents to a .153 average. He allowed just one run in his first four starts (24.1 innings). Dollard, 23, was selected by Seattle in the fifth round of the 2020 MLB Draft out of Cal Poly University in San Luis Obispo, California.

Midwest League (High-A)

Cedar Rapids Kernels (Twins) third baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand batted .287/.368/.702 and led the league in home runs (nine), total bases (66), slugging percentage (.702) and OPS (1.070). He was second in doubles (12) and third in RBIs (21). Encarnacion-Strand, 22, was selected by Minnesota in the fourth round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Oklahoma State University.

Great Lakes Loons (Dodgers) right-hander Kyle Hurt went 1-1 with a 0.47 ERA in five starts as he allowed one earned run over 19 innings. Hurt allowed five hits and struck out 30 and held opponents to a .082 average. He left three of his five starts (two after five innings and another after four innings) with a no-hitter intact. Hurt was promoted to Double-A Tulsa on July 5. Hurt, 24, was originally selected by Miami in the fifth round of the 2020 MLB Draft out of the University of Southern California.

Northwest League (High-A)

Eugene Emeralds (Giants) infielder Carter Aldrete batted .326/.381/.568 and led the league in hits (31), RBIs (27) and total bases (54) and was second in home runs (six). He was third in average (.326), fourth in slugging percentage (.568) and OPS (.949) and fifth in runs scored (17). Aldrete, 24, was selected by San Francisco in the 15th round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of the Arizona State University.

Everett AquaSox (Mariners) right-hander Juan Mercedes went 1-1 with a 1.73 ERA in five games (four starts) as he allowed 14 hits over 26 innings and struck out 31 while issuing just one walk. Opponents batted .157 against him on the heels of his seven-inning no-hitter on May 31. Mercedes, 22, was signed by Seattle as an international free agent out of Villa Tapia, Dominican Republic, on April 21, 2017.

South Atlantic League (High-A)

Asheville Tourists (Astros) infielder Luis Santana batted .417/.451/.595 and led the league in average (.417), while finishing second in on-base percentage (.451) and OPS (1.046). He was third in hits (35) and RBIs (21) and fifth in doubles (seven). Santana, 22, was originally signed by New York (NL) as an international free agent out of Bani, Dominican Republic, on July 7, 2016.

Brooklyn Cyclones (Mets) left-hander Nick Zwack went 2-0 with a 0.36 ERA in five starts as he allowed just one run on 14 hits in 25 innings. Zwack finished the month on a 17-inning scoreless streak and held opponents to a .163 average. Zwack, 23, was selected by New York in the 17th round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio.

California League (Single-A)

Fresno Grizzlies (Rockies) catcher Hunter Goodman batted .330/.439/.660 and led the league in home runs (eight), total bases (62), slugging percentage (.660) and OPS (1.099) while finishing fifth in runs (22). Goodman, 22, was selected by Colorado in the fourth round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of the University of Memphis.

Fresno Grizzlies (Rockies) right-hander McCade Brown went 1-1 with a 2.39 ERA in five starts as he scattered 19 hits over 26 1/3 innings. He led the league with 39 strikeouts and held opponents to a league-best .194 average. Brown, 21, was selected by Colorado in the third round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of the Indiana University.

Carolina League (Single-A)

Salem Red Sox first baseman Niko Kavadas batted .377/.524/.951 and led the league in home runs (10), on-base percentage (.524), slugging percentage (.951) and OPS (1.475) despite his June 24 promotion to High-A Greenville. He finished third in average (.377), RBIs (26) and total bases (58). Kavadas, 23, was selected by Boston in the 11th round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of the University of Notre Dame.

Augusta GreenJackets (Braves) right-hander J.J. Niekro went 4-1 with a 1.76 ERA in five starts as he allowed six runs on 21 hits in 30 2/3 innings. He held opponents to a .196 average and had a 23-inning scoreless streak. Niekro, 24, was signed by Atlanta as a free agent on July 23, 2021, out of Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida.

Florida State League (Single-A)

Jupiter Hammerheads (Marlins) infielder Jose Salas batted .333/.433/.560 and led the league in average (.333), on-base percentage (.433) and OPS (.993). He was second in slugging percentage (.560), third in runs scored (18) and fourth in total bases (42). Salas, 19, was born in Kissimmee, Florida, and was signed by the Marlins as a free agent on July 2, 2019.

Daytona Tortugas (Reds) right-hander Javi Rivera went 1-0 with a 0.48 ERA in five games (four starts) and allowed just one run on eight hits and three walks while striking out 24 in 18 2/3 innings. He finished the month on a 13 2/3 innings scoreless streak and held opponents to a .127 average. Rivera, 22, was selected by Cincinnati in the 20th round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida.

Arizona Complex League (Rookie)

Brewers Gold outfielder Luis Castillo batted .371/.429/.645 and led the league in hits (23), RBIs (16), total bases (40), slugging percentage (.645) and OPS (1.074). He was second in average (.371) and triples (two) and third in doubles (seven) and fourth in on-base percentage (.429). Castillo, 18, was signed by Milwaukee as an international free agent out of Higuey, Dominican Republic, on January 15, 2021.

Giants Black left-hander Joe Kemlage went 3-0 in four games (three starts) without allowing a run over 16 innings. He allowed nine hits and two walks while striking out 25. He held opponents to a .161 average before a June 27 promotion to Single-A San Jose. Kemlage, 23, was signed by San Francisco as a free agent on August 21, 2021, out of American International College in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Dominican Summer League (Rookie)

Dodgers catcher Jorge Puerta batted .431/.547/.824 and led the league in average (.431), RBIs (21), on-base percentage (547) and OPS (1.371). He finished second in doubles (eight) and slugging percentage (.824) and fifth in total bases (42) despite playing in 15 games. He was promoted to the Arizona Complex League Dodgers on July 1. Puerta, 20, was signed by Los Angeles (NL) as an international free agent out of Tolu, Columbia, on July 18, 2019.

Rangers right-hander Nyan Hernandez went 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA in four starts as he allowed just four hits in 22 innings. He held opponents to a league-best .060 average and was promoted to the Arizona Complex League Rangers on June 27. Hernandez, 20, was born in New York, New York, and was signed by Texas as a free agent on September 6, 2018.

Florida Complex League (Rookie)

Marlins infielder Javier Sanoja batted .338/.408/.569 and led the league in runs (19) and slugging percentage (.569). He was second in average (.338), doubles (seven), total bases (37), stolen bases (nine), on-base percentage (.408) and OPS (.977). He finished third in hits (22). Sanoja, 19, was signed by Miami as an international free agent out of Maracay, Venezuela, on July 2, 2019.

Braves right-hander Jorge Bautista pitched to a 1.53 ERA in four games (three starts) as he allowed three runs on seven hits and four walks in 17 2/3 innings. He struck out 25 batters and held opponents to a league-best .117 average. Bautista, 21, was signed by Atlanta as an international free agent out of LaRomana, Dominican Republic, on July 6, 2018.

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