Liriano leads group of July's best

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Six players who led their league in batting average and three pitchers who went undefeated last month are among the Topps Player of the Month Winners for July. The Topps Company of New York, in conjunction with Minor League Baseball, announces the winners.

Francisco Liriano (24) of Juan Baron, Dominican Republic, dominated International League hitters in returning to the mound after missing the 2007 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. The left-hander went 10-0 for the Rochester Red Wings in June and July. Last month he posted a 5-0 mark with a 1.32 ERA. The Minnesota Twins, who acquired Liriano in a trade with San Francisco in 2003, recently brought him back up to the Majors.

Micah Hoffpauir (28) of Jacksonville, Texas, recorded a hit in 17 of 20 July games for the Iowa Cubs. The first baseman hit Pacific Coast League pitchers to the tune of .389 with six homers and 32 RBIs. Hoffpauir also smacked 17 doubles and scored 17 runs. The Chicago Cubs drafted him in the 13th round in 2002 out of Lamar University.

Lou Montanez (26) Miami, Fla., led the Eastern League with 29 RBIs and 74 total bases. The Bowie Baysox outfielder finished second in the league in batting average (.352) and homers (8). Montanez finished July with a 15-game hitting streak. After hitting in his first four August games, the Baltimore Orioles promoted Montanez, who was leading the circuit in the three Triple Crown categories, to the Majors. Baltimore signed Montanez, who homered in his first Major League at-bat on August 6, as a free agent in January.

Gaby Sanchez (24) of Miami, Fla., hit .379 with seven home runs and 29 RBIs for the Carolina Mudcats. His batting average and homer numbers were good for third best in the Southern League for July. Sanchez, who split his time in the field between first and third base, had multiple hits in 14 of 27 games, including eight in a ten game stretch. The Florida Marlins drafted him in the fourth round in 2005 out of the University of Miami.

Kila Kaaihue (24) of Honolulu, Hawaii, hit .400-8-31 to finish among the top two in the Triple Crown categories in the Texas League. The Northwest Arkansas Naturals first baseman scored 26 runs in 24 games and added seven doubles. The Kansas City Royals, who selected Kaaihue in the 15th round in 2002 out of Iolani High School in Honolulu, promoted him to Triple-A Omaha near the end of July.

Thomas Giles (24) of Coral Gables, Fla., tied for the California League lead with eight roundtrippers in July. The Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino outfielder's 28 RBIs were second best. Giles hit .333 for the month with 24 runs, six doubles and a triple. The Los Angeles Dodgers drafted him in the eighth round in 2006 out the University of Miami.

Jim Negrych (23) of Buffalo, N.Y., hit .402 for the Lynchburg Hillcats last month to lead the Carolina League. The infielder had 12 doubles, 17 runs, three homers and 20 RBIs. Negrych had 13 multi-hit games, and managed at least one hit in 22 of 26 contests. The Pittsburgh Pirates, who chose Negrych in the sixth round in 2006 out of the University of Pittsburgh, promoted him to Double-A Altoona on July 29.

Logan Morrison (20) of Slidell, La., led the Florida State League with a .396 average. The Jupiter Hammerheads first baseman had four home runs, 16 RBIs, eight doubles, a triple and 15 runs. He had at least one hit in 21 of 26 July games. The Florida Marlins selected Morrison in the 22nd round in 2005 out of Maple Woods (Mo.) Community College.

Justin Henry (23) of Vicksburg, Miss., and Michael Richard (23) of Lake Charles, La., share Midwest League honors. Henry hit .396 for the West Michigan Whitecaps, tops in the league. He also had seven doubles, 11 RBIs and 17 runs. Richard hit .394 for the Kane County Cougars with three doubles, a triple, 13 RBIs, 24 runs and 15 stolen bases. The Detroit Tigers drafted Henry in the ninth round in 2007 out of the University of Mississippi. The Oakland Athletics took Richard in the 11th round in 2007 out of Prairie View A&M University.

Frederick Freeman (18) of Villa Park, Calif., hit in his first 16 July games for the Rome Braves. He hit a South Atlantic League best .392 with six doubles, two triples, six homers and 23 RBIs in 27 games. The Atlanta Braves drafted Freeman in the second round in 2007 out of El Modena (CA) High School.

Miguel Fermin (23) of Samana, Dominican Republic, hit .416 with eight roundtrippers and 18 RBIs for the Jamestown Jammers. Fermin's average and homer totals led the New York-Penn League, as did his 67 total bases. The catcher also had four doubles, a triple and 24 runs in 24 games. The Florida Marlins signed Fermin as a free agent in 2005.

Wilfredo Boscan (18) of Maracaibo, Venezuela, has been unbeatable on the mound for the Spokane Indians in the Northwest League. The right-hander went 3-0 with a 2.70 ERA in July. In 26.2 innings, Boscan allowed 22 hits and just three walks, while fanning 30. The Texas Rangers signed Boscan, who is 7-0 overall, as a free agent in 2006.

Juan Fuentes (22) of Ciudad, Venezuela, hit .364 to lead the Appalachian League. The Pulaski Mariners catcher stroked 10 doubles, a homer, scored 17 times and drove in 18. The Seattle Mariners inked Fuentes as a free agent in 2004.

Roberto Lopez (22) of San Diego, Calif., began his pro career with a 23-game hitting streak for the Orem Owlz. Lopez then ended July with a nine-game streak, including getting two hits in six straight Pioneer League games. He finished July with a .369 average, four home runs, 26 runs and 17 RBIs in 27 games. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim selected Lopez in the 22nd round in 2008 out of the University of Southern California.

John Contreras (22) of Santiago, Dominican Republic, hit .298 with six homers and 18 RBIs for the Cubs in the Arizona League. He also added 26 runs, seven doubles and a pair of triples. The Chicago Cubs signed Contreras as a free agent in 2007.

Edwin Contreras (19) of Hermosillo, Mexico, went 3-0 with a 1.75 ERA for the Dodgers. The right-hander held Gulf Coast League hitters to a .198 average in 25.2 innings. He allowed 19 hits and four walks, while striking out 15. The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Contreras as a free agent in 2006.

PLAYER-OF-THE-MONTH STATISTICS FOR JULY 2008

League	Winner	Club/Organization	Pos.	AVG.	HR	RBI	W-L	ERA
International	Francisco Liriano	Rochester/MIN	P				5-0	1.32
Pacific Coast	Micah Hoffpauir	Iowa/CHI-NL	1B	.389	6	32
Eastern	Lou Montanez	Bowie/BAL	OF	.352	8	29
Southern	Gaby Sanchez	Carolina/FLA	1B/3B	.379	7	29
Texas	Kila Kaaihue	NW Arkansas/KC	1B	.400	8	31
California	Thomas Giles	Inland Empire/LA-NL	OF	.333	8	28
Carolina	Jim Negrych	Lynchburg/PIT	2B/3B	.402	3	20
Florida State	Logan Morrison	Jupiter/FLA	1B	.396	4	16
Midwest	Justin Henry	W. Michigan/DET	1B	.396	0	11
Midwest	Michael Richard	Kane County/OAK	SS	.394	0	13
South Atlantic	Frederick Freeman	Rome/ATL	1B	.392	6	23
NY-Penn	Miguel Fermin	Jamestown/FLA	C	.416	8	18
Northwest	Wilfredo Boscan	Spokane/TEX	P				3-0	2.70
Appalachian	Juan Fuentes	Pulaski/SEA	C	.364	1	18
Pioneer	Roberto Lopez	Orem/LA-AL	OF/1B	.369	4	17
Arizona	John Contreras	Cubs/CHI-NL	3B	.298	6	18
Gulf Coast	Edwin Contreras	Dodgers/LA-NL	P				3-0	1.75

Statistics provided by Major League Baseball Advanced Media