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Bote, Clifton earn Cubs Minor League Player & Pitcher of the Month

Pelicans sweep August awards as Clifton earns second monthly honor this season
By Scott Kornberg
September 6, 2016

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (September 6, 2016) - Myrtle Beach Pelicans infielder David Bote and right-hander pitcher Trevor Clifton have been named the Chicago Cubs' August Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Month, respectively, the organization announced Tuesday. Bote becomes the third Pelican to earn a monthly award in 2016, with Clifton taking home his second such honor of the season.

Bote batted .367/.439/.541 in August, pounding 12 doubles, two triples and one home run to drive in 16 runs. A native of Longmont, Colo., Bote walked 13 times against 12 strikeouts in 26 games over the month en route to leading all Cubs minor leaguers in average and runs scored (22). His 15 extra-base hits were tied for the most in the organization over the month.

The Cubs' 18th-round pick out of Neosho County Community College (Kan.) in 2012, Bote is currently riding a 27-game on-base streak, the longest of any Pelican this season and the best active roll in the Carolina League. Over the last 64 games, he is hitting .353/.425/.526 with 14 doubles, two triples, five home runs and 37 RBIs. That surge has helped raise his overall line to .337/.410/.518 with 26 doubles, three triples, six homers and 41 RBIs in 72 games with Myrtle Beach. Bote has also spent 12 games with Triple-A Iowa and seven with Double-A Tennessee this year.

Over five August starts, Clifton went 2-0 with a 0.85 ERA. The right-hander struck out 34 against five walks in 31.2 innings, yielding just 19 hits in the process. Clifton did not allow an earned run in four of the five starts, including blankings during his last two outings on August 23 at Carolina (6.2 IP), and on August 30 vs. Lynchburg (6.0 IP). He matched a career-high with 10 strikeouts during that August 23 start against the Mudcats, while also taking a no-hitter in the eighth inning of his August 3 outing at Frederick.

Chicago's 12th-round pick in 2013 out of Heritage High School in Tenn., Clifton was named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Year, becoming the fourth Pelican ever to earn that honor. The Maryville, Tenn. native went 7-7 with a 2.72 ERA while striking out an organizational-best 129 batters against 41 walks in 119.0 innings. His ERA is the best in the Carolina League by nearly a full run, while he also ranks first in batting average against (.225) and WHIP (1.16), and third among starters in strikeouts per nine innings (9.8).

Bote joins infielder Ian Happ, now with Tennessee, in taking home a Cubs monthly honor as a member of the Pelicans in 2016. Clifton also earned Chicago's Minor League Pitcher of the Month award for May.

The Pelicans clinched the second half Southern Division championship and will play the Salem Red Sox in the best-of-three Southern Division Championship Series. Playoff tickets and packages are now available by calling (843) 9018-6000 or by visiting www.MyrtleBeachPelicans.com. Myrtle Beach hosts Salem in Game 1 of the SDCS on Wednesday at 6:05 p.m. from TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark.

The 2016 season is the 18th season for the Pelicans franchise and second as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. For information on tickets to see the Pelicans in 2016, please call (843) 918-6000, e-mail [email protected], or visit www.MyrtleBeachPelicans.com.

ABOUT THE PELICANS: The Myrtle Beach Pelicans are the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Chicago Cubs and play their home games at TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The park has ranked in the top eight in all of Minor League Baseball by Stadium Journey in each of the last five seasons. The same publication also placed the Pelicans in the Top 100 Stadium Experiences in all of sports in each of the last five years and the best in the Carolina League for five straight seasons as well. In May 2015, TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark won the 2015 TripAdvisor.com Certificate of Excellence award. The Pelicans are the defending Mills Cup Champions, winning the title in 2015 as well as 2000 and co-Mills Cup championship honors in the inaugural 1999 season. The Pelicans have made nine postseason appearances behind 11 half-season Southern Division championships, including the first half of the 2015 season, as well as five Southern Division titles, most recently in 2015. For more information on the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, please contact the Pelicans at (843) 918-6000 or emailing [email protected].