July Topps Player of the Month Winners
The Topps Company of New York, N.Y., in conjunction with Minor League Baseball, announces the honorees.
Ryan Lavarnway (24) of Woodland Hills, Calif., led International League hitters with nine homers, 20 extra-base hits, a .724 slugging percentage and 1.165 OPS. The Pawtucket Red Sox catcher tied for the league lead with 27 RBI. Lavarnway had hits in 20 of 28 games, including 13 multi-hit ones. The Boston Red Sox selected him in the sixth round in 2008 out of Yale University.
Chris Nelson (25) of Decatur, Ga., was sent down to the Colorado Springs Sky Sox by the Colorado Rockies on July 1. Nelson responded to the demotion by hitting .431 with four homers and 19 RBI in 16 Pacific Coast League games. The second baseman scored a dozen runs, had four doubles, a triple and a 1.241 OPS. Colorado, which drafted Nelson out of Redan (GA) High School in the first round in 2004, recalled him on July 27.
Chih-Hsien Chiang (23) of Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, led the Eastern League in batting average (.430), runs (27), hits (43), doubles (16), extra-base hits (21), on-base percentage (.500), slugging percentage (.740) and OPS (1.240). The Portland Sea Dogs outfielder was among the top five for July in total bases (74) and runs batted in (25). The Boston Red Sox, who signed Chiang as an international free agent in October 2005, included him in a trade with Seattle when they acquired Erik Bedard on July 31.
Wily Peralta (22) of Samana, Dominican Republic, led Southern League pitchers with a 0.66 ERA, 41.0 innings and a .088 WHIP. The Huntsville Stars right-hander tied for the league lead with 38 strikeouts in going 4-0. Peralta did not allow a run in four of his six July starts. The Milwaukee Brewers, who signed Peralta as a free agent in November 2005, promoted him to Triple-A on August 11.
J.D. Martinez (23) of Hollywood, Fla., led Texas League batters in slugging percentage (.717) and OPS (1.191). The Corpus Christi Hooks outfielder also finished among the top three in average (.380), on-base percentage (.473), RBI (26), runs (22) and extra-base hits (16). The Houston Astros, who drafted him in the 20th round out of Nova Southeastern University (FL) in 2009, brought him up to the big club on July 29.
Michael Choice (21) of Arlington, Texas, started July with a 17-game hitting streak and recorded at least one hit in 21 of 22 games last month. The Stockton Ports outfielder led the California League with 10 home runs, .820 slugging percentage and a 1.295 OPS. He finished third with his .416 batting average. The Oakland Athletics selected Choice in the first round in 2010 out of the University of Texas-Arlington.
Abner Abreu (21) of San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, paced the Carolina League with a .831 slugging percentage and a 1.236 OPS. The Kinston Indians outfielder tied for the league lead with three triples and was second with a .352 average and eight home runs. The Cleveland Indians, who inked Abreu as a free agent in October 2006, included him in a trade with the Chicago Cubs for Kosuke Fukudome on July 28.
Julio Rodriguez (20) of Toa Alta, Puerto Rico, went 6-0 with a 1.96 ERA for the Clearwater Threshers. The right-hander led the Florida State League in wins and finished second with 38 strikeouts. He allowed 25 hits in 36.2 innings, holding opponents to a .189 average. The Philadelphia Phillies drafted Rodriguez, who leads MiLB hurlers with 15 wins, in the eighth round in 2008 out of the Puerto Rican Baseball Academy.
Oscar Taveras (19) of Sosua, Dominican Republic, led the Midwest League with a .402 average. The Quad Cities River Bandits outfielder had a 12-game hitting streak and hit safely in 22 of 25 games. Taveras ranked among the top four in doubles (11), OPS (1.086), RBI (27), runs (25) and extra-base hits (16). The St. Louis Cardinals signed him as a free agent in November 2008.
Christian Yelich (19) West Palm Beach, Fla., hit in 18 of 23 contests and had 10 multi-hit games with the Greensboro Grasshoppers. His .372 average, 32 hits and 11 stolen bases ranked second in the South Atlantic League. The outfielder also ranked among the top five in RBI (20) and OPS (1.020). The Florida Marlins selected Yelich in the first round out of Westlake (CA) High School in 2010.
Richard Lucas (22) of Jacksonville, Fla., topped the New York-Penn League with a .365 average, 28 runs and a .483 on-base percentage. The Brooklyn Cyclones third baseman ranked in the top three in OPS (1.098), slugging percentage (.615), doubles (10) and walks (19). The New York Mets took Lucas in the fourth round out of Wolfson Senior (FL) High School in 2007.
Mike Murray (23) of Westfield, N.J., hit .368 with a pair of homers and 21 RBI with the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes. The designated hitter had 14 multi-hit games, including seven in a row during a nine-game hitting streak. Murray led the Northwest League with 39 hits and finished second in batting average. The San Francisco Giants signed Murray as a free agent out of Wake Forest University in June 2010.
Kevan Smith (23) of Cranberry Township, Pa., had 24 hits and 24 RBI in just 17 games with the Bristol White Sox. The catcher hit .407 against Appalachian League pitchers with six homers, seven doubles, a triple and 15 runs in compiling a 1.371 OPS. The Chicago White Sox, who drafted him in the seventh round out of the University of Pittsburgh in June, assigned him to the Pioneer League on July 25.
Raymond Hernandez (22) of Elk Grove, Calif., went 3-0 with a 0.90 ERA for the Missoula Osprey. The right-hander allowed just 11 hits in 20.0 innings in holding Pioneer League batters to a .153 average. He struck out 23 and walked only five in five appearances, two of them starts. The Arizona Diamondbacks selected Hernandez in the 48th round in June out of Cal State Fullerton.
Nick DelGuidice (22) of Miami, Fla., led the Arizona League with a .421 average and a 1.189 OPS. The Royals infielder, who has played at second, shortstop and third, recorded hits in 18 of 20 games, including nine multi-hit ones. DelGuidice was also among the lead leaders in doubles (10) runs (21) and hits (32). The Kansas City Royals, who signed DelGuidice as a free agent out of Florida Atlantic University in June, promoted him to the Pioneer League on August 12.
Dante Bichette (18) of Orlando, Fla., paced Gulf Coast League batters in average (.418), hits (38), doubles (9) and RBI (25). The Yankees third baseman and son of the former Major Leaguer with the same name ended July with a 15-game hitting streak, which included 11 multi-hit contests. He ranked second with a 1.177 OPS and a .659 slugging percentage. The New York Yankees selected Bichette in the first round, 51st overall, in June out of Orangewood Christian (FL) High School.