Minor League Baseball Announces its May Players of the Month (Press Release)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Minor League Baseball today announced the Player of the Month Award winners for each of the 10 full season leagues for the month of May. Each winner will receive an award from Minor League Baseball in recognition of the honor.

Toledo Mud Hens (Tigers) third baseman Ronny Rodriguez led the International League batting average (.383), hits (44) and RBI (24) before being promoted to Detroit on May 31, where he promptly doubled and tripled in his major league debut. Rodriguez hit safely in 25 of 28 games in May and hit in 18 straight games from May 4–22. He hit for the cycle May 30 against Syracuse. Rodriguez, 26, was originally signed by Cleveland out of Santiago, Dominican Republic, on Oct. 5, 2010.

Albuquerque Isotopes (Rockies) outfielder Mike Tauchman led the Pacific Coast League in hits (44), runs (31) and total bases (81), while finishing second in average (.379), extra-base hits (19), slugging (698), OPS (1.125) and RBI (24). His eight home runs were tied for third in the league and Tauchman posted 12 multi-hit games in May. Tauchman, 27, was selected by Colorado in the 10th round of the 2013 draft out of Bradley University.

New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Blue Jays) third baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. led the Eastern League in average (.438), hits (49), extra-base hits (19), total bases (86), runs (29), RBI (28), slugging (.768), OPS (1.248) and tied for first in home runs (nine). Guerrero posted 16 multi-hit games in May and had separate hitting streaks of seven, eight and 10 games as he reached base in 28 of his 29 games. Guerrero, 19, signed with Toronto on July 2, 2015.

Birmingham Barons (White Sox) right fielder Eloy Jimenez led the Southern League in hits (40), total bases (71), extra-base hits (18), doubles (11), slugging (.664) and OPS (1.082). He finished second in average (.374), RBI (25) and tied for third in home runs (six). He began the month with eight consecutive multi-hit games (part of a streak of nine straight) and posted 14 multi-hit games in the month. Jimenez, 21, was originally signed by the Chicago Cubs out of Santo Domingo Centro, Dominican Republic, on Aug. 1, 2013.

San Antonio Missions (Padres) shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. batted .336 in May and led the Texas League in doubles (12), runs (30), extrabase hits (21) and total bases (78). He finished second in slugging (.639) and third in hits (41), home runs (seven) and OPS (1.054). Tatis, 19, was originally signed by the Chicago White Sox out of San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, on July 2, 2015.

Lancaster JetHawks (Rockies) first baseman Roberto Ramos batted .345 in May and led the California League in home runs (nine), RBI (23), extra-base hits (17), total bases (64) and slugging (.762). Ramos finished the month second in OPS (1.201). Ramos, 23, was selected by Colorado in the 16th round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft out of the College of the Canyons Junior College in Santa Clarita, California.

Carolina Mudcats (Brewers) second baseman Keston Hiura led the Carolina League in hits (46), runs (29), extra-base hits (21), total bases (81), doubles (13), slugging (.664) and OPS (1.101). He was second in home runs (six) and third in average (.377) and on-base percentage (.437). Hiura, 21, was selected by Milwaukee in the first round of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of California-Irvine.

Charlotte Stone Crabs (Rays) first baseman Nate Lowe is a repeat winner in the Florida State League as he led the league in hits (32), extra-base hits (13) and OPS (1.053) and was second in runs (21), total bases (55), doubles (eight), home runs (five), RBI (19) and slugging (.611). He finished third in the league in average (.356) and on-base percentage (.442) and walked as many times as he struck out (14). Lowe, 22, was selected by Tampa Bay in the 13th round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of Mississippi State University.

Cedar Rapids Kernels (Twins) outfielder Alex Kirilloff batted .360 in 31 games in May and led the Midwest League in hits (41), RBI (25) and total bases (73), was second in extra-base hits (19) and triples (three). Kirilloff finished third in the league in doubles (11), slugging (.640) and OPS (1.063). Kirilloff, 20, was selected by Minnesota in the first round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of Plum High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Augusta GreenJackets (Giants) shortstop Manuel Geraldo led the South Atlantic League in average (.384), hits (38) and runs (23), and was second in total bases (62) and RBI (20). Geraldo finished the month third in slugging percentage (.626) and OPS (1.040). Geraldo, 21, was signed by San Francisco out of Azua, Dominican Republic, on July 2, 2013.

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 2017, Minor League Baseball attracted 41.8 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. For more information visit MiLB.com.

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