Memphis' Flaherty receives August honors

ROUND ROCK, Texas - Following a vote of Pacific Coast League field managers, Memphis Redbirds' right-hander Jack Flaherty has been elected the League's Player of the Month for August, the office announced Wednesday. Flaherty, along with winners from other leagues, will be presented with an award from Minor League Baseball in recognition of his performance last month.

Flaherty made five starts for the Redbirds, going 4-1 with a 1.97 ERA (32 IP, 7 ER), while recording 29 strikeouts against only seven walks. The righty's efforts helped Memphis to the American Southern Division Championship. The Redbirds won the division by 22 games, the third largest margin since the PCL implemented divisions in 1963.
The California native allowed two runs or fewer in each of his August starts, working at least seven innings in three contests. His first start of the month, August 6 at Tacoma, Flaherty retired 21 of the 24 hitters he faced, striking out nine. He allowed only two singles and a walk in seven innings, while retiring the first eight hitters he faced and the final seven in picking up a win. After taking his only loss of the month, Flaherty bounced back, working a Triple-A career-best 7.1 innings and giving up only two runs with seven strikeouts against second-place Nashville on August 16. The hurler followed that up by again working seven innings, this of one-run ball with five strikeouts, in an August 21 victory against New Orleans. Flaherty finished the month with another win, his fourth, which tied two others for most among PCL pitchers in August.  
Video: The Redbirds' Flaherty records his ninth strikeout
The Cardinals' Baseball America No. 11 prospect entering the season began the year with Double-A Springfield. With that affiliate, Flaherty had a 1.42 ERA (63.1 IP, 10 ER) over 10 starts to earn postseason All-Star recognition. He was promoted to Triple-A on June 1 and has been with Memphis ever since. In his first taste of action at Minor League Baseball's highest level, Flaherty has gone 7-2 with a 2.74 ERA (85.1 IP, 26 ER), 24 walks and 85 strikeouts in 15 starts. His performance earned him a September call-up to St. Louis; he did not have a decision in his Major League debut after allowing five runs in four innings on September 1 at San Francisco.
Flaherty was selected by the Cardinals with the 34^th overall pick of the 2014 First-Year Draft out of Harvard-Westlake High School (CA). In 75 appearances (72 starts) in his professional career, he has a 2.77 ERA over 400.1 innings. This is his second career Player of the Month award. Flaherty was previously honored by the Texas League in April for his performance with Springfield after going 4-0 with a 0.56 ERA (32.1 IP, 2 ER).