TCD Awards: June Players Of The Month

Here is our third installment of Twins’ Minor League Players of the Month. In it, we have given an award for the best batter and pitcher for each team in the system, with an Honorable Mention selection for each as well. Take a look and see who had the top performances for the month of June.

Rochester Red Wings
Batter of the Month	Jason Tyner, OF	Tyner has been the most consistent bat in the Red Wings lineup all season long, and this past month was no different.  Tyner batted .315 in 28 June games, and wrapped 35 hits in the process.  He stroked five extra-base hits, and drove in a monthly-high eight runs.
Honorable Mention	Shawn Wooten, C	Going into the month of June, Wooten was batting only .218, but he was just starting to heat up.  Wooten batted over .300 in his 22 June appearances, and made strong case for the All-Star Game.
Pitcher of the Month	J.D. Durbin, SP	The Real Deal is having a great season, and has burst back onto the prospect scene.  In June, Durbin only posted a 1-2 record, but he put together his second straight month with an ERA under 2.00 (1.95).  In six starts, he struck out 32 batters in 32.1 innings, and allowed only seven earned runs.
Honorable Mention	Patrick Neshek, CL	Neshek was unbelievable in June, as he continues to put together a special season for the Wings.  In ten games, the righty posted a 1.53 earned run average, and held the opposition to a .206 batting average.
New Britain Rock Cats
Batter of the Month	Douglas Deeds, OF	Deeds, just as he did last season, is starting to heat up in the summer months.  After struggling through April and May, the former EL All-Star batted .337 in June, blasting two home runs.  In 25 games, Deeds wrapped 29 hits, and had six of the extra-base variety.
Honorable Mention	Denard Span, OF	Span is quietly pushing his batting average back around .300, after batting a dismal .244 during the month of May.  June was his second month with a .300-plus batting average, and he tied his monthly best with seven stolen bases.
Pitcher of the Month	Matt Garza, SP	Garza made six starts in the month of June, and looked unhittable for four of them.  Though he was touched in two of his outings, he still pitched well enough to be named to the EL All-Star Game, giving him two All-Star Game selections this season.
Honorable Mention	Adam Harben, RHP	Harben has split his time between the bullpen and the starting rotation this season, and has shown promise in both roles.  In June, Harben made seven appearances, and held batters to a .209 average.
Fort Myers Miracle
Batter of the Month	Brock Peterson, 1B	Peterson batted .295 last month, and blasted four home runs in 26 games.  He also drove in 14 runs for the second straight month, while wrapping a monthly-high 31 hits.  He also swiped three bases, and is now batting .282 in a tough Florida State League.
Honorable Mention	Alexi Casilla, INF	What can we say about Casilla that we have not said before.  He is a sparkplug at the top of the Miracle lineup, and he continues to hit the ball consistently.  He batted .326 during the June month, giving him two consecutive months with a batting average over .325.
Pitcher of the Month	Kevin Slowey, SP	The good news for other members of the Miracle pitching staff is that they will get a chance to win this award next month.  Slowey was one of the best pitchers in the FSL all season, and in his four June starts, he did not allow a single earned run.  In 28.2 innings, Slowey struck out 24 batters, while holding the opposition to a .160 batting average.
Honorable Mention	Joshua Hill, RP	Hill had his best month of the season in June, as he made his way to the Miracle rotation.  In six overall appearances, Hill posted a 2.16 earned run average, and finished the month with a 3-0 record.
Beloit Snappers
Batter of the Month	Andrew Thompson, INF	Thompson is beginning to heat up in the summer months, and he has looked very comfortable at the plate lately.  In June, he posted his first month with a .300 or better batting average, and showed some serious pop.  Nine of his 29 hits went for extra-bases, and he smacked two home runs.
Honorable Mention	Erik Lis, 1B	Lis has been doing it all season long for the Snappers, and is one of the best hitters in the Midwest League.  He batted .296 during June, and finished the month with four straight multi-hit games.
Pitcher of the Month	Kyle Waldrop, SP	Waldrop is showing everybody why he is considered such a big-time prospect, and he has been almost impossible to beat lately.  In June, he made five starts, posted an ERA of 1.59, and finished with a 3-0 record.  He has not lost since April 22, and is 6-2 on the year.
Honorable Mention	Yohan Pino	Pino has not lost a game since April 24, and he has been untouchable for a while now.  He posted a 0.68 ERA in June, which was his second straight month with that ERA, and held batters to a .180 average along the way.