Cubs give Watkins, Struck monthly honors

KODAK, Tenn. - The Chicago Cubs have named Tennessee Smokies infielder Logan Watkins and pitcher Nick Struck as the organization's minor league player and pitcher of month for June. These are the first organizational awards for the pair of Smokies.

Watkins, 22, batted .352 (31-for-88) with three doubles, three triples, a home run and 11 RBIs in 23 games with Tennessee in June. His .352 batting average ranked him second in the Southern League; which led him to a .452 on-base percentage. His 13-game hitting streak (June 13-30) was a season-high for the Smokes, in which he hit .375 (21-57).

The Wichita, Kan. native is currently batting .266 (75-for-282) with seven doubles, six triples, four home runs and 28 RBIs in 75 games with the Smokies. In 20 games batting in the leadoff spot this season, he is hitting .338 with 12 walks, eight strikeouts and a .438 on-base percentage. Watkins was selected by the Cubs in the 21st round of the 2009 MLB First-Year Player Draft.

Struck, 22, was 4-1 with a 2.45 ERA (8 ER/29.1 IP) in five starts in the month of June. In 29.1 innings, he allowed 11 runs (eight earned) on 19 hits, walking eight and striking out 23. Struck led the Smokies to wins four consecutive starts from June 8-26, constructing a 1.90 ERA (5 ER/23.2 IP) during the run.

The Damascus, Ore native is 9-7 with a 3.64 ERA (38 ER/94.0 IP) in 17 starts for Tennessee. His nine victories and 17 starts leads the Southern League while his 94.0 innings pitched rank third. Stuck was selected by the Cubs in the 39th round of the 2009 MLB First-Year Player Draft.