Minor League Baseball Announces its August Players of the Month

PRESS RELEASE from Minor League Baseball

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Minor League Baseball today announced the August Player of the Month Award winners for each of its 16 leagues. Each player will receive an award from Minor League Baseball in recognition of the honor. 

Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Phillies) right-hander Phil Klein led the International League in strikeouts (46), batting average against (.154) and WHIP (0.65) in August. He was 4-0 with a 1.06 ERA during the month as he allowed 18 hits and four walks over 34.0 innings pitched. Klein, 27, was originally selected by Texas in the 30th round of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft out of Youngstown State University. 

Sacramento River Cats (Giants) outfielder Austin Slater led the Pacific Coast League in total bases (77) and home runs (nine), was second in hits (43), on-base percentage (.444) and OPS (1.126) and was third in RBI (26), extra-base hits (16) and slugging (.681). Slater, 23, posted 14 multi-hit games in August, including a stretch of four consecutive games with three or more hits. Slater was selected by the Giants in the eighth round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft out of Stanford University. 

Altoona Curve (Pirates) outfielder Barrett Barnes led the Eastern League in slugging (.709) and OPS (1.144) in August and tied for second in home runs (eight) and third in on-base percentage (.434). He batted .360 for the month, reached base safely in 23 of his 26 games and posted 10 multi-hit games. Barnes, 25, was selected by the Pirates in the Compensation Round A of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft out of Texas Tech University. 

Chattanooga Lookouts (Twins) left-hander Stephen Gonsalves led the Southern League in ERA (0.28), batting average against (.125) and WHIP (0.73) in August. He allowed just one earned run in 32.2 innings in August en route to a 4-0 record in five starts. Gonsalves, 22, was selected by the Twins in the fourth round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft out of San Diego’s Cathedral Catholic High School. 

Springfield Cardinals first baseman Luke Voit led the Texas League in batting average (.366), on-base percentage (.440) and OPS (1.320). He finished second in extra base hits (12), RBI (20), total bases (55) and slugging percentage (.591). Voit, 25, was selected by St. Louis in the 22nd round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft out of Missouri State University. 

High Desert Mavericks (Rangers) outfielder Jairo Beras led the California League in RBI (29), extra-base hits (21), total bases (68) and slugging (.731), while finishing second in doubles (11) and OPS (1.097). Beras, 21, was signed by the Rangers as a non-drafted free agent in 2012 out of San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic. 

Salem Red Sox right-hander Michael Kopech led the Carolina League in wins (four), strikeouts (50) and batting average against (.115), while finishing second in WHIP (0.84). Kopech allowed just 11 hits in 29.2 innings pitched and did not allow more than three hits in any of his six starts. Six of his nine earned runs allowed in August came in his last start of the month. Kopech, 20, was selected by Boston in the first round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft out of Mount Pleasant (Texas) High School. 

Dunedin Blue Jays first baseman Ryan McBroom led the Florida State League in home runs (seven), RBI (29), total bases (57), slugging (.640), OPS (1.052) and was second in batting average (.348). McBroom, 24, was selected by Toronto in the 15th round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft out of West Virginia University. 

South Bend Cubs first baseman Matt Rose led the Midwest League in extra-base hits (15) and home runs (seven), was second in runs scored (19) and RBI (22) and finished third in doubles (eight), slugging (.573) and OPS (.935). Rose, 22, was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 11th round of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft out of Georgia State University. 

Augusta GreenJackets (Giants) right-hander Jake McCasland led the South Atlantic League in WHIP (0.69) and batting average against (.155) and finished second in wins (four) and strikeouts (38). His 1.13 ERA was fourth-best in the league and he allowed just five walks in his five starts while working six or more innings in each outing. He did not allow an earned run in three of his five starts. McCasland, 24, was selected by the Giants in the 26th round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of New Mexico. 

 Lowell Spinners (Red Sox) third baseman Bobby Dalbec led the New York-Penn League in home runs (six), RBI (27), doubles (10), extra-base hits (18), slugging (.680) and OPS (1.094). His league-best 70 total bases were 18 more than the second place finisher. Dalbec recorded 12 multi-hit games and hit safely in 14 of his last 15 games in August. The 21-year-old was selected by Boston in the fourth round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Arizona. 

Everett AquaSox (Mariners) rightfielder Eric Filia led the Northwest League in batting average (.424), hits (42), runs (24), doubles (10) and on-base percentage (.500), while finishing second in total bases (55) and OPS (1.045). Filia recorded 13 multi-hit games in August, including a five-hit game Aug. 27 against Vancouver. He posted 18 hits in a six-game span Aug. 26- 31. Filia, 24, was selected by the Mariners in the 20th round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of UCLA. 

Bluefield Blue Jays first baseman Bradley Jones led the Appalachian League in home runs (nine), RBI (36), total bases (77), extra-base hits (21), slugging (.720) and OPS (1.109), while finishing second in hits (37) and doubles (11). Jones hit .346 with 13 multi-hit games in August and homered three times on August 25 against Pulaski. The 21-year-old was selected by Toronto in the 18th round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of the College of Charleston. 

Great Falls Voyagers (White Sox) right-hander Alec Hansen dominated the Pioneer Baseball League in August, allowing just five hits in 23.0 innings over four starts while striking out 38. Hansen did not allow an earned run and led the league in WHIP (0.65) and average against (.069). He struck out 10 or more batters three times and held opponents to one hit or fewer in three of his five August outings. Hansen, 21, was selected by the White Sox in the second round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Oklahoma. 

Gulf Coast Phillies right-hander Mauricio Llovera was 4-0 with a 0.72 ERA in five August appearances (four starts) and allowed just two extra-base hits (both doubles) over 25.0 innings. Llovera’s 30 strikeouts and .161 batting average against led the Gulf Coast League in August. He did not allow an earned run in his last three starts. Llovera, 20, was signed by Philadelphia as a non-drafted free agent out of El Tigre, Venezuela. 

Arizona League Rangers third baseman Kole Enright led the Arizona League in hits (30), doubles (10) and total bases (43), while finishing second in OPS (.956), extra-base hits (11) and batting average (.366). Enright, 18, was selected by Texas in the third round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of West Orange High School in Winter Garden, Florida. 

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About Minor League Baseball Minor League Baseball, headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida, is the governing body for all professional baseball teams in the United States, Canada and the Dominican Republic that are affiliated with Major League Baseball clubs through their farm systems. Fans are coming out in unprecedented numbers to this one-of-a-kind experience that can only be found at Minor League Baseball ballparks. In 2015, Minor League Baseball attracted 42.5 million fans to its ballparks to see the future stars of the sport hone their skills. From the electricity in the stands to the excitement on the field, Minor League Baseball has provided affordable family-friendly entertainment to people of all ages since its founding in 1901. 

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