Collier, Leiter win August honors as Phillies Minor League Players of the Month

Reading outfielder Zach Collier is the Phillies Minor League Player of the Month for August. Pitching honors go to right-hander Mark Leiter of the Lakewood BlueClaws. 

Collier, a member of the Phillies 40-man roster, batted .327 with 33 hits, five triples, one home run, 10 RBI and a .918 OPS in 29 games during the month. The 22-year-old set career highs this season in games played (123), at-bats (446), runs (57), triples (9), and home runs (8) while matching his career high in RBI (36). 

A native of Long Beach, Calif., Collier was selected by the Phillies between the 1st and 2nd rounds of the June 2008 draft and signed by Darrell Conner. 

Leiter, 22, went 4-0 with a 0.64 ERA in six games (four starts) during the month, splitting time between Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, single-A Clearwater and low-A Lakewood. The Forked River, N.J. resident struck out 27 batters while walking only seven in 28.0 innings of work.

Selected in the 22nd round of this year's First-Year Player Draft, Leiter did not allow a run in 16.0 innings while holding opponents to a .193 average (11-57) in his three starts for Lakewood this month. 

He is the son of former Phillies pitcher Mark Leiter and the nephew of former MLB pitcher Al Leiter.