MiLB announces Players of the Month for August

Minor League Baseball announced the Player and Pitcher of the Month Award winners for August in each of the 14 leagues in Major League Baseball’s player development system.

Triple-A East

Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals) shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. led the league in runs (25), RBI (29), total bases (66), doubles (10) and was second in home runs (nine). He hit safely in 23 of 29 games and recorded at least one extra-base hit in 15 games. Witt, 21, was selected by Kansas City in the first round (second overall selection) of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Colleyville Heritage High School in Colleyville, Texas.

Rochester Red Wings (Nationals) left-hander Ben Braymer went 4-0 with a 3.09 ERA in six appearances (five starts). He scattered 18 hits over a league-best 32.0 innings, holding opponents to a .170 average. He held opponents scoreless in three of his five starts, allowing two or fewer hits in each of those starts. Braymer, 27, was selected by Washington in the 18th round of the 2016 MLB Draft out of Auburn University.

Triple-A West

Sugar Land Skeeters (Astros) outfielder Jose Siri led the league in hits (37), total bases (71), doubles (11), triples (four). He was second in runs (25) and slugging percentage (.696) and fourth in average (.363), RBI (24) and OPS (1.104). He recorded 10 multi-hit games and posted a 17-game hitting streak from August 9-29. Siri, 26, was originally signed by Cincinnati as an International Free Agent out of Sabana Grande de Boya, Dominican Republic, on September 21, 2012.

Tacoma Rainiers (Mariners) right-hander Ryan Weber went 2-0 with a 1.04 ERA in four starts. He allowed 12 hits and struck out 25 over 26.0 innings and held opponents to a .135 batting average. He started the month with 17 scoreless innings of work. Weber, 31, was originally selected by Atlanta in the 22nd round of the 2009 MLB Draft out of St. Petersburg Junior College in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Double-A Central

Tulsa Drillers (Dodgers) third baseman Miguel Vargas led the league in average (.410), runs (24), hits (41), and on-base percentage (.470), and was second in total bases (62) and OPS (1.090) and third in slugging percentage (.620). Vargas recorded 15 multi-hit games, including three stretches of four straight multi-hit games. Vargas, 21, was signed by Los Angeles (NL) as an International Free Agent out of La Habana, Cuba, on September 7, 2017.

Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Royals) left-hander Drew Parrish went 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA in five appearances (four starts). He scattered 13 hits and struck out 27 over 24.0 innings. Opponents batted just .163 against him and on August 27, he threw a seven-inning two-hit shutout against Springfield. Parrish, 23, was selected by Kansas City in the eighth round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Florida State University.

Double-A Northeast

Erie SeaWolves (Tigers) first baseman Josh Lester led the league in total bases (68), slugging percentage (1.030) and OPS (1.476). He was second in RBI (21), third in average (.379) and fourth in on-base percentage (.446). He recorded 10 multi-hit games and three multi-homer games. Lester, 27, was selected by Detroit in the 13th round of the 2015 MLB Draft out of the University of Missouri.

Binghamton Rumble Ponies (Mets) right-hander Cole Gordon was 4-0 and did not allow an earned run in 26.0 innings over four starts. He held opponents to a .096 batting average, allowing eight hits while striking out 30. He currently has a 31-inning scoreless streak over his last five starts dating back to July 31. Gordon, 25, was selected by New York (NL) in the 32nd round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Mississippi State University.

Double-A South

Rocket City Trash Pandas (Angels) third baseman Mitch Nay batted .333 in August and led the league in runs (19) and total bases (52). He was second in hits (29) and third in home runs (six), on-base percentage (.420), slugging percentage (.598) and OPS (1.018). He recorded nine multi-hit games and hit safely in 17 of 24 games. Nay, 27, was originally selected by Toronto in Compensation Round A (58th overall) of the 2012 MLB Draft out of Hamilton High School in Chandler, Arizona.

Montgomery Biscuits (Rays) right-hander Jayden Murray went 1-1 with a 1.33 ERA in five starts. He allowed two or fewer hits in four of his five starts, holding opponents to a .121 average and struck out 30 while walking just one. Murray, 24, was selected by Tampa Bay in the 23rd round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Dixie State University in St. George, Utah.

High-A Central

Great Lakes Loons (Dodgers) outfielder Ryan Ward batted .323 led the league in runs (27), home runs (10), total bases (67) and RBI (25) and was second in slugging percentage (.698) and third in OPS (1.107). He had nine multi-hit games and homered in four straight games August 12-17. Ward, 23, was selected by Los Angeles (NL) in the eighth round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Bryant University.

Beloit Snappers (Marlins) right-hander Bryan Hoeing went 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA in four starts. He allowed 16 hits and three earned runs while striking out 23 in 27.0 innings. He held opponents to a .168 average. Hoeing, 24, was selected by Miami in the seventh round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of the University of Louisville.

High-A East

Greensboro Grasshoppers (Pirates) shortstop Nick Gonzales led the league in hits (39), runs (24), total bases (81), doubles (10), home runs (10) and slugging percentage (.757) and was second in RBI (28). He was third in average (.364), on-base percentage (.419) and OPS (1.176). He recorded 11 multi-hit games, including three four-hit games and three three-hit games. Gonzales, 22, was selected by Pittsburgh in the first round (seventh overall) of the 2020 MLB Draft out of New Mexico State University.

Hudson Valley Renegades (Yankees) right-hander Randy Vasquez went 2-0 with a 0.36 ERA in four starts. He scattered 19 hits and allowed one earned run over 24.1 innings as he held opponents to a .209 average. His 36 strikeouts led the league despite his August 24 promotion to Double-A Somerset. Vasquez, 22, was signed by New York (AL) as an International Free Agent out of Navarette, Dominican Republic, on May 21, 2018.

High-A West

Everett AquaSox (Mariners) third baseman Connor Hoover batted .326 and led the league in runs (28), total bases (69), home runs (nine), walks (18), slugging percentage (.750) and OPS (1.191). He finished second in on-base percentage (.441) and triples (two), third in doubles (eight) and fourth in hits (30). He walked more times (18) than he struck out (15) and hit safely in 21 of 25 games. Hoover, 25, was selected by Seattle in the 21st round of the 2017 MLB Draft out of the University of North Georgia in Dahlonega, Georgia.

Eugene Emeralds (Giants) right-hander Ryan Murphy went 2-2 with a 1.65 ERA in five starts. His 40 strikeouts in 27.1 innings led the league as he fanned at least seven batters in each of his starts. He was the Low-A West Pitcher of the Month in July with San Jose. Murphy, 21, was selected by San Francisco in the fifth round of the 2020 MLB Draft out of LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York.

Low-A East

Salem Red Sox second baseman Nick Yorke led the league in runs (22), total bases (52), home runs (seven), RBI (20), on-base percentage (.513), slugging percentage (.839) and OPS (1.352) and his batting average (.419) was good for second in the league at the time of his August 24 promotion to Greenville. Yorke, 19, was selected by Boston in the first round (17th overall) of the 2020 MLB Draft out of Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, California.

Delmarva Shorebirds (Orioles) right-hander Jean Pinto pitched to a 1.35 ERA in five starts as he allowed four earned runs over 26.2 innings. Pinto held opponents to a .146 average as he scattered 13 hits, allowing three or fewer hits in four of his five starts. Pinto, 20, was originally signed by Los Angeles (AL) as an International Free Agent out of Valencia, Venezuela, on May 8, 2019.

Low-A Southeast

Bradenton Marauders (Pirates) outfielder Jack Herman led the league in runs (18) and RBI (23) and was second in batting average (.326) and hits (31). He finished third in home runs (five), slugging percentage (.547) and OPS (.928). He had nine multi-hit games and six multi-RBI games. Herman, 21, was selected by Pittsburgh in the 30th round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of Eastern High School in Voorhees, New Jersey.

Lakeland Flying Tigers (Tigers) left-hander Carlos Pena went 1-0 with a 1.37 ERA in six appearances (three starts) as he allowed four earned runs on 18 hits over 26.1 innings. He held opponents to a .191 average and struck out 21 while walking four batters. Pena, 22, was signed by Detroit as an International Free Agent out of Santiago, Dominican Republic, on March 6, 2019.

Low-A West

Modesto Nuts (Mariners) outfielder Alberto Rodriguez led the league in hits (37), total bases (58) and doubles (10) and was second in runs scored (23). He was fourth in average (.374) and fifth in slugging percentage (.586) and OPS (1.018). He had 10 multi-hit games, including a five-hit game on August 8. Rodriguez, 20, was originally signed by Toronto as an International Free Agent out of Cotui, Dominican Republic, on July 2, 2017.

San Jose Giants right-hander Randy Rodriguez went 2-0 and did not allow a run in seven relief appearances covering 15.2 innings. He scattered nine hits and three walks while striking out 27 and holding opponents to a .164 average. Rodriguez, 21, was signed by San Francisco as an International Free Agent out of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on July 2, 2017.

Arizona Complex League

Rangers outfielder Yosy Galan batted .303 and led the league in total bases (52), home runs (seven), RBI (22), triples (three) and slugging percentage (.684) and was second in OPS (1.056) runs (19) and third in hits (23). He hit safely in nine straight games from August 9-21. Galan, 20, was signed by Texas as an International Free Agent out of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on October 1, 2020.

Giants Orange (Giants) left-hander Sonny Vargas went 4-1 with a 2.84 ERA in five starts. He scattered 12 hits over 25.1 innings and held opponents to a .141 average as he struck out a league-best 33 batters. Vargas, 20, was signed by San Francisco as an International Free Agent out of Valencia, Venezuela, on December 18, 2017.

Dominican Republic Complex League

Rangers1 outfielder Abimelec Ortiz batted .333 and led the league in total bases (55), home runs (eight), RBI (22), slugging percentage (.833) and OPS (1.290). He finished third in doubles (seven) and walked as many times as he struck out (11). He had seven multi-hit games and two multi-homer games. Ortiz, 19, was signed as a free agent on July 29, 2021, out of Florida SouthWestern State College in Fort Myers, Florida.

Nationals right-hander Jose Cedeno went 2-0 with a 1.04 ERA in five games (four starts). He scattered 11 hits and three walks while striking out 34 in 26.0 innings and held opponents to a .129 average. Cedeno, 19, was signed by Washington as an International Free Agent out of Chitre, Panama, on July 2, 2018.

Florida Complex League

Orioles outfielder Mishael Deson led the league in average (.429), hits (26) and total bases (40) and was second in on-base percentage (.446), slugging percentage (.656) and OPS (1.102). He was third in triples (two) and hit safely in 16 of 17 games, including a 14-game hitting streak from August 2-28. He capped the month with four hits on August 31. Deson, 19, was originally signed by Colorado as an International Free Agent out of La Romana, Dominican Republic, on July 7, 2018.

Blue Jays left-hander Yaifer Perdomo went 1-0 and did not allow a run in three starts as he held opponents to a .068 average over 13.0 innings. He struck out 31 of the 39 batters he retired as he led the league in punch outs. He was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks on September 1. Perdomo, 20, was signed by Toronto as an International Free Agent out of Maracay, Venezuela, on July 2, 2018.