MiLB announces Players of the Month for July

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

Triple-A East

Toledo Mud Hens (Tigers) first baseman Aderlin Rogriguez batted .360 in July and led the league in slugging percentage (.697) and OPS (1.138) and was second in total bases (62). He finished third in RBI (22), fifth in average (.360), sixth in on-base percentage (.441) and hits (32) and seventh in home runs (seven). Rodriguez, 29, was originally signed by New York (NL) as an International Free Agent out of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on July 2, 2008.

Toledo Mud Hens (Tigers) right-hander Mark Leiter Jr. went 4-0 with a 0.72 ERA in five starts. He scattered 13 hits over 25 innings and struck out 32 while walking seven. He held opponents to a .151 batting average. Leiter, Jr., 30, was originally selected by Philadelphia in the 22nd round of the 2013 MLB Draft out of the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Triple-A West

Albuquerque Isotopes (Rockies) shortstop Taylor Motter led the league in home runs (15), RBI (35), total bases (79), runs (29), on-base percentage (.511), slugging percentage (1.068) and OPS (1.578). He finished third in average (.392). He homered three times July 24 at El Paso and recorded five hits July 4 against El Paso. Motter, 31, was originally selected by Tampa Bay in the 17th round of the 2011 MLB Draft out of Coastal Carolina University.

Sugar Land Skeeters (Astros) right-hander J.P. France went 3-0 with a 2.39 ERA in five appearances (three starts). He allowed 17 hits and struck out 29 over 26.1 innings and held opponents to a .175 batting average. France, 26, was selected by Houston in the 14th round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of Mississippi State University.

Double-A Central

Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Royals) catcher MJ Melendez led the league in runs (28), home runs (12), RBI (29), total bases (80), slugging percentage (.741) and OPS (1.152). He was second in hits (36) and fifth in average (.333). He recorded 11 multi-hit games and did not go more than three games without a homer in July. Melendez, 22, was selected by Kansas City in the second round of the 2017 MLB Draft out of Westminster Christian Academy in Miami, Florida.

San Antonio Missions (Padres) right-hander Adrian Martinez went 4-0 with a 0.32 ERA in five starts. He allowed 16 hits and one earned run while striking out 25 over 28.1 innings. Opponents batted just .168 against him and on July 2, he held Corpus Christi hitless for six innings with a career-high nine strikeouts. Martinez, 24, was signed by San Diego as an International Free Agent out of Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico, on February 16, 2015.

Double-A Northeast

Hartford Yard Goats (Rockies) third baseman Elehuris Montero led the league in batting average (.416), hits (37), home runs (12), RBI (27), total bases (74), on-base percentage (.467), slugging percentage (.831) and OPS (1.298). He recorded 12 multi-hit games, hit a pair of homers in a game twice, and homered in consecutive games three times. Montero, 22, was originally signed by St. Louis as an International Free Agent out of Santo Domingo Centro, Dominican Republic, on August 29, 2014.

Bowie Baysox (Orioles) right-hander Mike Baumann was 3-0 with a 2.05 ERA in four starts. He held opponents to a .169 batting average, allowing 13 hits over 22 innings. He struck out 26 batters while walking four. Baumann, 25, was selected by Baltimore in the third round of the 2017 MLB Draft out of Jacksonville University.

Double-A South

Montgomery Biscuits (Rays) outfielder Ruben Cardenas led the league in hits (35), runs (20), and total bases (69), and was second in home runs (eight), RBI (22) and slugging percentage (.670). He finished third in average (.340) and fourth in OPS (1.037). He recorded 11 multi-hit games and hit safely in 13 straight games July 3-18 and had six multi-hit games in a seven-game span from July 3-10. Cardenas, 23, was originally selected by Cleveland in the 16th round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of Cal State University-Fullerton.

Mississippi Braves right-hander Bryce Elder went 4-1 with a 2.73 ERA in five starts. His 33 innings and 30 strikeouts were both second in the league. He threw a seven-inning complete game July 28 at Pensacola and held opponents to a .140 batting average. Elder, 22, was selected by Atlanta in the fifth round of the 2020 MLB Draft out of the University of Texas.

High-A Central

Quad Cities River Bandits (Royals) second baseman Michael Massey led the league in runs (25) and total bases (67) and was second in RBI (28), doubles (nine), slugging percentage (.691), OPS (1.070). He finished third in home runs (eight), hits (32) and average (.330). He homered three times July 14 at Beloit and recorded nine multi-hit games, including three three-hit games and a four-hit game. Massey, 23, was selected by Kansas City in the fourth round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of the University of Illinois.

Great Lakes Loons (Dodgers) right-hander Landon Knack went 3-0 with a 1.54 ERA in five appearances (four starts). He allowed 14 hits and one walk while striking out 37 in 23.1 innings and was promoted to Double-A Tulsa on July 31. Knack, 24, was selected by Los Angeles (NL) in the second round of the 2020 MLB Draft out of East Tennessee State University.

High-A East

Hickory Crawdads (Rangers) first baseman Blaine Crim led the league in average (.393), RBI (28), on-base percentage (.481), slugging percentage (.843) and OPS (1.323). He finished second in runs (25), home runs (12) and total bases (75) and fourth in hits (35) and recorded 13 multi-hit games. Crim, 24, was selected by Texas in the 19th round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Mississippi College.

Greenville Drive (Red Sox) right-hander Brian Van Belle went 3-0 without allowing a run in 22 innings over four starts. He held opponents to a .188 batting average, allowing 15 hits and four walks while striking out 24. Van Belle, 24, was signed by Boston on June 16, 2020, as a non-drafted free agent out of the University of Miami.

High-A West

Everett AquaSox (Mariners) outfielder Cade Marlowe led the league in total bases (57) and was second in RBI (25), doubles (11) and slugging percentage (.582). He finished third in runs (21) and triples (two), fourth in home runs (six) and fifth in OPS (.930). He posted nine multi-hit games and nine multi-RBI games. Marlowe, 24, was selected by Seattle in the 20th round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of the University of West Georgia in Carrollton, Georgia.

Hillsboro Hops (Diamondbacks) right-hander Drey Jameson went 2-0 with a 1.91 ERA in five starts before a July 31 promotion to Double-A Amarillo. He allowed six earned runs over 28.1 innings and struck out 35 batters. Jameson, 23, was selected by Arizona in the Compensation Round after the first round (34th overall selection) of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Ball State University.

Low-A East

Charleston RiverDogs (Rays) second baseman Brett Wisely finished second in the league in average (.376), runs (26) and stolen bases (14) and was third in hits (35), on-base percentage (.449) and OPS (1.040). He was sixth in total bases (55) and had 12 multi-hit games. Wisely, 22, was selected by Tampa Bay in the 15th round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Gulf Coast Community College in Panama City, Florida.

Charleston RiverDogs (Rays) right-hander Taj Bradley went 4-0 with a 0.72 ERA in five starts, allowing two earned runs on eight hits in 25.0 innings. He struck out 25 and walked seven as opponents batted .101 against him. He also won the award in June and was promoted to High-A Bowling Green on August 3. Bradley, 20, was selected by Tampa Bay in the fifth round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of Redan High School in Stone Mountain, Georgia.

Low-A Southeast

Dunedin Blue Jays shortstop Orelvis Martinez batted .313 and led the league in hits (31), home runs (13), RBI (31), total bases (79), slugging percentage (.798) and OPS (1.218) and was second in doubles (nine) and runs (22). He recorded three four-hit games in a span of four games July 14-17 and in a five-game stretch against Clearwater July 13-17, he went 13-for-24 with seven homers, 16 RBI and scored nine runs. Martinez, 19, was signed by Toronto as an International Free Agent out of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on July 4, 2018.

Daytona Tortugas (Reds) right-hander Bryce Bonnin went 3-0 with a 0.95 ERA in four starts as he allowed two earned runs over 19 innings. He held opponents to a .111 average and struck out 30 while walking three batters. Bonnin, 22, was selected by Cincinnati in the third round of the 2020 MLB Draft out of Texas Tech University.

Low-A West

San Jose Giants outfielder Jairo Pomares led the league in average (.369), total bases (73) and OPS (1.125) and was second hits (38), doubles (11), slugging percentage (.709). He finished third in home runs (eight) and sixth in runs scored (24) and RBI (24). He posted 12 multi-hit games and had two three-hit games and two four-hit games. Pomares, 21, was signed by San Francisco as an International Free Agent out of Sancti Spiritus, Cuba, on July 2, 2018.

San Jose Giants right-hander Ryan Murphy went 3-1 with a 1.74 ERA in five starts and led the league with 56 strikeouts. He held opponents to a league-best .160 average, allowing 17 hits while walking six over 31.0 innings. Murphy, 21, was selected by San Francisco in the fifth round of the 2020 MLB Draft out of LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York.

Arizona Complex League

Rockies shortstop Warming Bernabel led the league in hits (28), RBI (28), slugging percentage (.721) and OPS (1.151) and was second in average (.412), total bases (49) and home runs (six). He was third in runs (18) and recorded 10 multi-hit games prior to his August 2 promotion to Low-A Fresno. Bernabel, 19, was signed by Colorado as an International Free Agent out of Bani, Dominican Republic, on July 2, 2018.

Royals Gold (Royals) right-hander Heribert Garcia went 1-1 with a 2.95 ERA in five appearances (three starts). He struck out 25 and walked five while holding opponents to a .213 average. Garcia, 21, was signed by Kansas City as an International Free Agent out of Bolivar, Venezuela, on March 31, 2018.

Dominican Republic Complex League

Rockies outfielder Yanquiel Fernandez batted .380 and led the league in hits (19), doubles (seven), total bases (32) and RBI (16). He was third in slugging percentage (.640) and sixth in OPS (1.069). Fernandez, 18, was signed by Colorado as an International Free Agent out of Havana, Cuba, on July 12, 2019.

Nationals right-hander Randy Lara went 2-0 with a 0.64 ERA in three starts. Lara scattered seven hits over 14 innings, holding opponents to a .146 average and struck out 15 while walking one batter. Lara, 19, was signed by Washington as an International Free Agent out of Bani, Dominican Republic, on January 20, 2021.

Florida Complex League

Marlins shortstop Osiris Johnson batted .329 led the league home runs (seven), RBI (24), total bases (54) and slugging percentage (.771) and was second in runs (17), doubles (eight) and OPS (1.161). He was third in hits (23) and on July 19, Johnson homered three times and drove in seven runs against the Nationals. Johnson, 20, was selected by Miami in the second round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of Encinal High School in Alameda, California.

Red Sox right-hander Juan Daniel Encarnacion went 2-0 with a 0.39 ERA in five appearances (four starts) and led the league with 23 innings pitched. He struck out 22 and walked three while allowing just 12 hits. Garcia, 21, was signed by Boston as an International Free Agent out of San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, on September 3, 2018.