D-backs award Elmore and Gorgen with monthly honors

The Arizona Diamondbacks announced today Triple-A Reno infielder Jake Elmore and Double-A Mobile right-handed pitcher Matt Gorgen have been named the organization’s Minor League Player- and Pitcher-of-the-Month for May.

Elmore, 24, hit .448 (47-for-105) with 9 doubles, 26 RBI and 32 runs scored in 28 games in May for the Aces. He concluded the month leading the Pacific Coast League in average (.400) and on-base percentage (.491) while finishing second in hits (70) and stolen bases (16). Elmore collected a pair of 6-game hit streaks (May 4-9, 11-17) and finished the month with a 12-game hit streak (May 20-present), while reaching base safely in 27 straight games (May 3-present). Elmore became the fifth player in the PCL since 2005 to enter June with a .400 batting average, raising his average .089 points over the month of May. A native of Hanceville, Ala., Elmore was drafted by the D-backs in the 34^th round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft from Arizona State University.

Gorgen, 25, was 4-for-4 in save opportunities with a 0.00 ERA (0 ER in 13.0 IP) and 19 strikeouts in 9 games in May for the BayBears, recording at least 1 strikeout in each appearance during the month. In 9 games, he limited opponents to a .178 average (8-for-45) and did not allow an inherited runner to score (4 IR-0 IRS). Gorgen enters June averaging 13.9 strikeouts per 9 innings (32 K in 22.0 IP), good for second-best in the Southern League. Gorgen was acquired by the D-backs on September 9, 2010, to complete the July 31, 2010 trade that sent right-handed pitcher Chad Qualls to the Tampa Bay Rays. The Palo Alto, Calif. native was drafted in the 16^th round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft from the University of California, Berkeley.

Every month during the season, the D-backs Player Development staff chooses the player and pitcher most deserving of the honors based on nominations from coaches at each affiliate along with input from the Minor League coordinators. Below is a list of the overall winners as well as player nominated by each affiliate: