Topps Player of the Month winners for June

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- A trio of players who led their leagues in home runs and RBIs in June, and a pair of pitchers who went 4-0 with ERAs under 1.00, comprise half of the honorees for the June Topps Players of the Month. The Topps Company of New York, in conjunction with Minor League Baseball, announces the winners.

Homer Bailey (23) of La Grange, Texas, did not allow a run in three of his five June starts in going 4-0 for the Louisville Bats. The right-hander led the International League with a 0.47 ERA and was second with 38 strikeouts. The Cincinnati Reds brought Bailey, their first round pick in 2004, up to the big club on June 27.

John Bowker (26) of Sacramento, Calif., led the Pacific Coast League with 12 homers and 29 RBIs last month. The Fresno Grizzlies outfielder finished second in the league with his .392 average. Bowker also had eight doubles and a triple in 27 games. He hit .255 in 111 games for the San Francisco Giants last year, and recently joined the club again. The Giants drafted him in the third round in 2004 out of Long Beach State University.

Michael Taylor (23), of Apopka, Fla., had six three-hit games and a four-hit one in posting a .369 average with the Reading Phillies. Taylor led the Eastern League in total bases with 66, had eight doubles, a triple, five home runs, 19 RBIs and 22 runs scored. The Philadelphia Phillies, who selected Taylor in the fifth round in 2007 out of Stanford University, promoted him to Triple-A last week.

David Cook (28) of Columbus, Ohio, paced the Southern League in June with eight homers and 29 RBIs. The Birmingham Barons outfielder, who was recently promoted to Triple-A, hit .302 with seven two-baggers and a triple in 26 games. The Chicago White Sox selected Cook in the ninth round in 2003 out of Miami (Ohio) University.

Jordan Parraz (24) of Henderson, Nev., led the Texas League in batting (.407), slugging percentage (.704) and OPS (1.176) last month. The Northwest Arkansas Naturals outfielder ranked second in the loop with five homers and 57 total bases. Parraz hit safely in all but one of his 21 June games. The Kansas City Royals acquired him in a trade with Houston last December.

Roger Kieschnick (22) of Rockwall, Texas, hit nine home runs and drove in 33 for the San Jose Giants, both tops in the California League. The right-fielder had multiple RBI games 10 times last month, including a six-RBI contest on June 27. The San Francisco Giants picked Kieschnick with their third choice in 2008 out of Texas Tech University.

Freddie Freeman (19), of Villa Park, Calif., collected hits in 19 of his 24 June games on his way to batting .337 against Carolina League pitchers. The Myrtle Beach Pelicans first baseman had eight doubles, a dozen RBIs and scored 16 runs. The Atlanta Braves, who drafted him in the second round in 2007 out of high school, promoted him to Double-A Mississippi on July 3.

Moises Sierra (20) of Santo Domingo, D.R., finished second in the Florida State League last month with his .384 batting average. The Dunedin Blue Jays outfielder tied for third in the league with 19 RBIs and had 11 mutli-hit games in 24 contests. The Toronto Blue Jays inked him as a free agent in December 2005.

Daniel Meadows (21) of Katy, Texas, went 3-1 with a save for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in June. The left-hander appeared in six games, making one start, in his 21 innings. He is tied for the most wins in the Midwest League with 11. The Milwaukee Brewers selected Meadows in the 49th round in 2008 out of Temple College (Texas).

Rudy Owens (21) of Mesa, Ariz., exhibited outstanding control in facing South Atlantic League hitters last month. The West Virginia Power left-hander did not walk a batter and fanned 31 in going 4-0 with a 0.84 ERA. He tossed 26 scoreless innings in his last four starts, holding the opposition to a .141 average. The Pittsburgh Pirates drafted Owens in the 28th round in 2006 out of Chandler Gilbert (Ariz.) Community College.

Player of the Month -- Statistics for June 2009
League: Winner -- Club/ORG. -- POS. -- AVG. HR RBI or W-L ERA
International: Homer Bailey -- Louisville/CIN -- P -- 4-0 0.47
Pacific Coast: John Bowker -- Fresno/SF -- OF -- .392 12 29
Eastern: Michael Taylor -- Reading/PHI -- OF -- .369 5 22
Southern: David Cook -- Birmingham/CHI-AL -- OF -- .302 8 29
Texas Jordan Parraz -- NW Arkansas/KC -- OF -- .407 5 16
California: Roger Kieschnick -- San Jose/SF -- OF -- .280 9 33
Carolina: Freddie Freeman -- Myrtle Beach/ATL -- 1B -- .337 2 12
Florida State: Moises Sierra -- Dunedin/TOR -- OF -- .384 2 19
Midwest: Daniel Meadows -- Wisconsin/MIL -- P -- 3-1 3.86
South Atlantic: Rudy Owens -- West Virginia/PIT -- P -- 4-0 0.84
Statistics provided by Major League Baseball Advanced Media