Cubs Name Herz Minor League Pitcher of the Month for May

CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs today named Double-A Tennessee outfielder Darius Hill as the organization’s minor league player of the month for May, while Low-A Myrtle Beach left-handed pitcher DJ Herz was named the club’s minor league pitcher of the month.

Herz, 20, had no record with a 0.75 ERA (1 ER/12.0 IP) in four May starts for Myrtle Beach, walking six and striking out 20 while holding the opposition to a .081 average (3-for-37), a .189 slugging mark and a .416 OPS. He struck out eight batters with no walks, May 20, at Lynchburg.

Originally selected by Chicago in the eighth round of the 2019 draft out of Terry Sanford High School in Fayetteville, N.C., Herz owns a 0.56 ERA (1 ER/16.0 IP) in five starts this season to contribute to a 1.37 ERA (4 ER/26.1 IP) in 11 career minor league starts. He has struck out 37 batters in 26.1 innings, walked 15 and allowed no home runs in 107 batters faced.

Hill, 23, batted .337 (34-for-101) with five doubles, a home run and 16 RBI in 23 May contests between Myrtle Beach and Tennessee. The left-handed hitter opened the season with the Pelicans, hitting .375 (12-for-32) with three doubles and five RBI in seven games prior to his promotion to the Smokies. May 16 at Rocket City, Hill went 5-for-6 with a run, a double, a walk and three RBI to start a 10-game stretch in which he batted .391 (18-for-46) with two doubles, a homer, 11 RBI and a .951 OPS through May 27.