Houston Astros MiLB Players Of The Month: July
The fourth month of the minor league season is in the books. Let’s take a look at the best performances in the Astros system in July.
Previous POTM:
*Just a note, these are my picks for the month*
AAA: Fresno Grizzlies
HITTER: Jon Kemmer, OF
- July Stats: 23 G, .356 BA/.456 OBP/.598 SLG, 4 2B, 5 HR, 16 RBI, 14 BB/29 SO
Kemmer just keeps on hitting. A solid month of July which saw him hit .356, raises his season average to .313. He is a career .288 hitter with a .869 OPS in the minors. While he is already 26, he has proven to be an asst with the bat and should get a chance in the MLB at some point.
PITCHER: Rogelio Armenteros, RHP
- July Stats: 5-0, 2.86 ERA, 28.1 IP, 24 H, 10 R, 9 ER, 10 BB, 32 SO
Armenteros has had a very good season and really dominated in July. He started five games earning a win in all five starts while striking out 32 in 28.1 innings. This also comes in a hitter friendly Pacific Coast League. I really wanted to go with McCurry (see below) but its hard to go against a starter who went 5-0 in five starts.
AA: Corpus Christi Hooks
HITTER: Kyle Tucker, OF
- July Stats: 16 G, .300 BA/.391 OBP/.483 SLG, 5 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 6 BB/13 SO, 3 SB
Not much to get excited about offensively for the Hooks in July. Tucker missed some time but had the best overall numbers with other guys slumping. He also managed to increase his walk rate and cut his strikeout rate down some showing the ability to make adjustments at a higher level.
PITCHER: Josh James, RHP
- July Stats: 1-1, 2.61 ERA, 10.1 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 10 SO, .225 BAA
It was a rough month overall for the Hooks but James was a standout in his limited time on the mound in July. He continues to mow down hitters and has a 2.81 ERA on the season with 61 K in 67.1 innings. Pretty good for a 34th round pick.
A+: Buies Creek Astros
HITTER: Randy Cesar, 3B
- July Stats: 23 G, .303 BA/.389 OBP/.329 SLG, 2 2B, 5 RBI, 1 SB, 12 BB/18 SO
Buies Creek didn’t really have a standout at the plate in July was a consistent force at the back end of the lineup. While he didn’t show much power, he did a good job getting on base with the .389 OBP. He is hitting .277 overall this year.
PITCHER: Jorge Alcala, RHP
- July Stats: 2-0, 1.85 ERA, 24.1 IP, 11 H, 5 ER, 6 BB, 21 K, .133 BAA
Alcala, another high potential arm, had a very good month of July. He has proven to be difficult to hit surrendering just 46 hits in 84.2 innings this season. His walk rate has been a bit high but he improved on it ion July walking just 6 in 24.1 innings.
A: Quad Cities River Bandits
HITTER: Ronnie Dawson, OF
- July Stats: 26 G, .373 BA/.448 OBP/.618 SLG, 4 2B, 3 3B, 5 HR, 16 RBI, 13 BB/25 SO, 4 SB
Dawson started slow but really picked it up in July. He brought his average from .230 to .270 in July as he hit .373 in the month. He also brought back some power collecting 12 extra base hits and helping the River Bandits dominate in July.
PITCHER: Carson LaRue, RHP
- July Stats: 2-1, 2.00 ERA, 18.0 IP, 11 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 13 K, .175 BAA
LaRue has been very good all season and kept it going in July posting a 2.00 ERA in 18 innings. He has allowed just 63 hits in 90.1 innings this year and looking like a steal from the 14th round in 2016. Overall this season he has a 2.79 ERA.
A-: Tri-City ValleyCats
HITTER: Abraham Toro-Hernandez, 3B/C
- July Stats: 26 G, .315 BA/.431 OBP/.607 SLG, 5 2B, 7 HR, 16 RBI, 18 BB/14 SO
Toro-Hernandez was the Astros 6th round pick last year and has had a solid showing so far in 2017. He has since been promoted to Quad Cities but the third baseman/catcher has showed solid pop and good strike zone discipline drawing more walks than strikeouts.
PITCHER: Nathan Thompson, RHP
- July Stats: 0-0, 1.93 ERA, 18.2 IP, 16 H, 4 ER, 10 BB, 26 K, .235 BAA
Thompson has pitched in relief for the ValleyCats and been a dominant force out of the pen. Overall this season he has 36 K in 24.2 innings with a 1.82 ERA.
Honorable Mentions:
Brendan McCurry (AAA) – 3-0, 0.00 ERA, 15.1 IP, 8 H, 0 ER, 6 BB, 24 K, .157 BAA
Carmen Benedetti (A) – 28 G, .402 BA/.492 OBP/.523 SLG, 7 2B, 2 HR, 13 RBI, 19 BB/19 SO
Chuckie Robinson (A) – 26 G, .327 BA/.386 OBP/.519 SLG, 9 2B, 3 HR, 21 RBI, 10 BB/23 SO, 2 SB
Daz Cameron (A) – 25 G, .309 BA/.374 OBP/.532 SLG, 6 2B, 3 3B, 3 HR, 21 RBI, 8 BB/19 SO, 6 SB
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**Photo Credit: Richard Guill**
