HOUSTON, TX - The Houston Astros player development department has named its players of the month for June for both their full-season and Dominican Summer League clubs. The players of the month are as follows:
OF Kyle Tucker - Player of the Month
LHP Patrick Sandoval - Pitcher of the Month
1B/OF Victor Mascai - DSL Player of the Month
RHP Ernesto Jaquez - DSL Pitcher of the Month  
Tucker, 21, hit at a blistering .387 clip (41x106) in 26 games in June, posting eight doubles, one triple, six home runs, 21 RBI and a 1.078 OPS (.427 OBP/.651 SLG), while going 8-for-8 in stolen base attempts. During the month, the left-handed hitter led the Triple A Pacific Coast League in hits and ranked second in runs (22), second in total bases (69), third in batting average, third in slugging percentage and third in OPS. Ranked by MLB.com as the No. 8 prospect in baseball, Tucker put together a tremendous overall season at Triple A Fresno, where he hit .306 (100x327) with 24 doubles, 14 homers, 66 RBI, 14 steals and an .891 OPS (.371 OBP/.520 SLG) prior to making his Major League debut yesterday. Earlier this week, he was named a PCL Midseason All-Star.
Sandoval, 21, has gone his last 34.0 innings without allowing an earned run, a streak he continued with a 5.0-inning, one-hit, nine-strikeout performance on Thursday vs. Myrtle Beach. During the month of June, the southpaw combined to go 3-0 with a 0.00 ERA (0ER/24IP) and 24 strikeouts across five games (3 starts) between Class A Quad Cities (4g) and Class A Advanced Buies Creek (1g). An 11th round selection by the Astros in the 2015 draft, Sandoval was named to the Midwest League Midseason All-Star Team and is in the midst of a breakout season. Over 16 games between Quad Cities (14g) and Buies Creek (2g), he has gone 8-1 with a 2.19 ERA (18ER/74IP), 11 walks, 83 strikeouts and 63 hits allowed.
Mascai, 17, hit .261 (24x92) with five doubles, one triple, four homers and 14 RBI across 24 June games in the DSL. The native of Brazil led all DSL Astros hitters in home runs and RBI during the month.
Jaquez, 19, allowed just one earned run in his 21.0 innings pitched in June for a 0.43 ERA. In five total games (2 starts) during the month, he went 3-0 with 24 strikeouts and just six hits allowed for an .087 opponent batting average. Jaquez ranked second among all DSL pitchers in ERA during the month of June, and led the league in opponent batting average.
 -ASTROS-