HOUSTON, TX - The Houston Astros Player Development Department has named July's Minor League Players and Pitchers of the Month at Triple A Fresno, Double A Corpus Christi, Class A Advanced Lancaster, Class A Quad Cities, Class A Short Season Tri-City, Rookie Level Greeneville and the Rookie Level GCL Astros, DSL Astros Blue and DSL Astros Orange.
IF Tyler White was named the July Player of the Month at Fresno after batting .322 (28x87) with three doubles, eight homers, 20 RBI and a 1.024 OPS (.392 OBP/.632 SLG) in 23 games during the month. White, who was recalled to Houston on July 29, ranked fifth among Pacific Coast League hitters in July OPS. Fresno's Pitcher of the Month honors went to RHP Joe Musgrove, who went 2-0 with a 1.89 ERA (4ER/19IP), 22 strikeouts and one walk in three July starts before making his Major League debut on Aug. 2.
At Corpus Christi, C Garrett Stubbs was named July Player of the Month while RHP Edison Frias was named July Pitcher of the Month. In 14 July games upon getting promoted to Corpus Christi, Stubbs hit .327 (18x55) with three doubles, one homer, seven RBI and a .413 on-base percentage. Frias made four starts in July at Double A, posting a 1-1 record and a 2.25 ERA (6ER/24IP) with 17 strikeouts before receiving a promotion to Triple A.
OF Ramon Laureano received Lancaster JetHawks July Player of the Month honors, as he hit a blistering .460 (29x63) with 12 extra-base hits (6 doubles, 2 triples, 4 homers), 15 RBI and a 1.350 OPS (.541 OBP/.810 SLG) in 17 games in July. RHP Trent Thornton went 4-0 with a 2.70 ERA (8ER/26.2IP), two walks and 28 strikeouts in four July starts en route to a JetHawks Pitcher of the Month nomination. Both Laureano and Thornton were recently promoted to Double A.
At Quad Cities, OF Myles Straw received his second consecutive Player of the Month award after hitting .423 (44x104) with seven doubles, one triple and a .478 on-base percentage. Among all Midwest League hitters in July, Straw ranked second in batting average and on-base percentage, and fifth in OPS (.988). He currently leads the Midwest League in batting average (.363, min. 200PA). The River Bandits Pitcher of the Month was RHP Elieser Hernandez, who struck out a Midwest League-best 40 batters across five July starts, posting a 1-1 record and a 2.45 ERA (8ER/29.1IP) with just six walks.
IF Randy Cesar was named the Tri-City ValleyCats July Player of the Month after batting .433 (26x60) with nine RBI and a .514 on-base percentage in 17 games. Cesar was leading the New York-Penn League in batting (.389, 42x108) prior to his promotion to Quad Cities on July 21. RHP Hector Perez pitched to a 2.12 ERA (4ER/17IP) while striking out 22 and walking six across four outings in July on his way to ValleyCats Pitcher of the Month honors. 
For the Greeneville Astros, IF Miguelangel Sierra was named July Player of the Month and RHP Devin Raftery was named Pitcher of the Month. Sierra slugged eight homers with 11 RBI, a .300 (27x90) batting average and a 1.000 OPS (.411 OBP/.589 SLG) in 24 July games. Prior to his promotion to Tri-City, the 18-year-old Sierra was tied for the Appalachian League lead in home runs with 11. Raftery made eight appearances in July, allowing just one run for a 0.73 ERA (1ER/12.1IP). He struck out 23 and walked just 3 during the month.
OF Wilson Amador was named the GCL Astros July Player of the Month after batting .293 (24x82) with eight extra-base hits, 10 RBI and five stolen bases in 23 games in July. RHP Dariel Aquino was named the GCL Astros Pitcher of the Month, as he allowed just one run in 10.0 innings (0.90 ERA) while striking out 12 and allowing five hits in eight July games.
Player and Pitcher of the Month honors for the DSL Astros Blue went to OF Angel Tejeda and RHP Felipe Tejada, respectively. Tejeda hit .357 (20x56) with a .464 on-base percentage in 17 July games, while Tejada went 1-0 with a 2.16 ERA (6ER/25IP) and 20 strikeouts in five July starts.
OF Gilberto Celestino, the DSL Astros Orange Player of the Month, hit .286 (20x70) with an .899 OPS (.342 OBP/.557 SLG) in 19 games in July. LHP Francisco Villegas picked up DSL Astros Orange Pitcher of the Month honors after posting a 1.29 ERA (3ER/21IP) and 23 strikeouts in six July appearances.
-ASTROS-