Topps honors best players of May
Dayan Viciedo (22) of Miami, Fla., finished second in the International League in doubles (11), hits (38) and RBIs (27). The right fielder's .349 batting average and 1.025 OPS were third best in the IL last month. Viciedo had 10 multi-hit games with the Charlotte Knights in raising his average 55 points in May. The Chicago White Sox signed Viciedo, who defected from Cuba, as a free agent in December 2008.
Brett Lawrie (21) of Peoria, Ariz., led Pacific Coast League hitters with 25 extra-base hits and tied for the league lead with 44 hits and 37 RBIs. The Las Vegas 51s third baseman had hits in 24 of 30 games, including 14 multi-hit ones. Lawrie also ranked in the top four in the PCL in runs (32), homers (11), OPS (1.170), doubles (11) and triples (3). The Toronto Blue Jays acquired him in a December trade with Milwaukee for pitcher Shaun Marcum.
Tim Fedroff (24) of Flagtown, N.J., had a 20-game hitting streak from May 4-27 for the Akron Aeros. The left fielder led all Eastern League players in batting average (.412), on-base percentage (.465) and hits (42) last month. He also ranked among the league leaders in OPS (.994), RBIs (20) and total bases (54). The Cleveland Indians took Fedroff in the seventh round in 2008 out of the University of North Carolina.
Paul Goldschmidt (23) of The Woodlands, Texas, hit in 25 of 31 games for the Mobile BayBears on his way to a .316 average with eight homers and 26 RBIs. The first baseman had an 11-game hitting streak, and led the league in walks (20) and runs (26). His homer total tied for best in the Southern League last month. He also ranked among the top five in RBIs, total bases (69), extra-base hits (15) and slugging percentage (.590). The Arizona Diamondbacks selected Goldschmidt in the eighth round in 2009 out of Texas State University.
Tim Wheeler (23) of Sacramento, Calif., led Texas League hitters with a .389 batting average, 79 total bases, 18 extra-base hits and a 1.169 OPS last month. The Tulsa Drillers center fielder ranked second in the league with 24 RBIs and 25 runs. The Colorado Rockies drafted Wheeler in the first round in 2009 out of Cal. State Sacramento.
Jedd Gyorko (22) of Morgantown, W.V., had a 17-game hitting streak on his way to batting .361 for the Lake Elsinore Storm last month. The third baseman led the California League with 23 extra-base hits and 15 doubles. He also finished among the top five in the league with 31 RBIs, seven home runs and a 1.100 OPS. The San Diego Padres chose Gyorko in the second round last year out of West Virginia University.
Joseph Terdoslavich (22) of Sarasota, Fla., hit .304 with four homers and 20 RBIs for the Lynchburg Hillcats. The first baseman was second in the Carolina League with 15 extra-base hits, 11 doubles and 20 RBIs. He also was among the league leaders in batting average, home runs and runs (19). The Atlanta Braves selected Terdoslavich in the sixth round last year out of Cal State-Long Beach.
Justin Bour (23) of Centreville, Va., paced all Florida State League batters with 46 hits and a 1.083 OPS. He tied for the lead with 28 RBIs and 79 total bases. The Daytona Cubs first baseman also ranked among the top three for the month in average (.383), slugging percentage (.658), extra-base hits (18), runs (22) doubles (10) and home runs (7). The Chicago Cubs drafted Bour in the 25th round in 2009 out of George Mason University.
Kevin Siegrist (21) of Wellington, Fla., went 5-1 with a 1.47 ERA for the Quad Cities River Bandits. The right-hander led Midwest League pitchers in wins and held batters to a .200 average in 36 2/3 innings. After losing on May 1, Siegrist won his next five decisions, allowing just one earned run in 31 innings. The St. Louis Cardinals, who selected Siegrist in the 41st round in 2007 out of Palm Beach Community College, promoted him on June 1 to Palm Beach in the Florida State League.
David Buchanan (22) of Peachtree City, Ga., went 4-2 with a 2.06 ERA for the Lakewood BlueClaws. The right-hander struck out 22 and walked 11 in a league-high 39 1/3 innings. Buchanan currently leads the South Atlantic League in wins (7) and innings pitched (74). The Philadelphia Phillies drafted him in the seventh round in 2010 out of Georgia State University.
May Topps Player of the Month Winners |
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| LEAGUE | WINNER | CLUB/ORG | POS | AVG | HR | RBI | W-L | ERA |
| International | Dayan Viciedo | Charlotte/CWS | RF | .349 | 6 | 27 | ||
| Pacific Coast | Brett Lawrie | Las Vegas/TOR | 3B | .349 | 11 | 37 | ||
| Eastern | Tim Fedroff | Akron/CLE | LF | .412 | 0 | 20 | ||
| Southern | Paul Goldschmidt | Mobile/ARI | 1B | .316 | 8 | 26 | ||
| Texas | Tim Wheeler | Tulsa/COL | CF | .389 | 8 | 24 | ||
| California | Jedd Gyorko | Lake Elsinore/SD | 3B | .361 | 7 | 31 | ||
| Carolina | Joseph Terdoslavich | Lynchburg/ATL | 1B | .304 | 4 | 20 | ||
| Florida State | Justin Bour | Daytona/CHC | 1B | .383 | 7 | 28 | ||
| Midwest | Kevin Siegrist | Quad Cities/STL | P | 5-1 | 1.47 | |||
| South Atlantic | David Buchanan | Lakewood/PHI | P | 4-2 | 2.06 | |||