Astros announce Minor League Players of the Month for August

HOUSTON, TX - The Houston Astros Player Development Department has named August's Minor League Pitchers and Players of the Month at each of their minor league affiliates. These awards are chosen every month by the field staff of each team.

The Astros have the best combined overall minor league record among all MLB organizations at 481-390 (.552). Six of the Astros nine minor league clubs have qualified for the playoffs (Fresno, Corpus Christi, Lancaster, Quad Cities, Greeneville, DSL Astros Blue), while the Tri-City ValleyCats are in first place by 4.5 games with six games remaining.

At Triple A Fresno, IF Tyler White picked up his second consecutive Player of the Month award after hitting .375 (36x96) with seven doubles, one triple, four homers, 32 RBI and a 1.094 OPS (.500 OBP/.594 SLG) in 27 games in August. Among all Triple A players during the month, White ranked first in on-base percentage and third in OPS. RHP Jordan Jankowski was named Fresno's August Pitcher of the Month after tossing 12.0 scoreless innings in 10 August appearances. Jankowski, who has gone 8-3 with a 3.34 ERA (22ER/59.1IP) at Fresno this season, went 3-0 while recording 19 strikeouts, four walks and a .150 opponent batting average in August.

OF Jon Kemmer was named the Double A Corpus Christi Player of the Month, as he led all Texas League hitters in batting average (.376, 38x101) and OPS (1.145, .462 OBP/.683 SLG) in August while adding 13 doubles, three triples, four homers and 19 RBI. Kemmer, who was also named the Texas League August Player of the Month, currently leads the Texas League in batting average (.328) and OPS (.993), while ranking second in homers (18). For the second straight month, Corpus Christi Pitcher of the Month honors went to RHP Michael Feliz, who went 1-1 with a 0.87 ERA (3ER/31IP), nine walks, 33 strikeouts and a .176 opponent batting average in five starts in August. Since his first start with Corpus Christi on May 26 following a promotion from Class A Advanced Lancaster, Feliz has ranked among the top five Double A pitchers in ERA (5th, 2.17), opponent batting average (1st, .185) and WHIP (2nd, 0.92).

At Class A Advanced Lancaster, OF James Ramsay was named August Player of the Month and RHP Francis Martes was named August Pitcher of the month. A seventh round pick in the 2013 draft, Ramsay hit .373 (44x118) with 12 extra-base hits, 24 RBI and a .441 on-base percentage in 28 games in August. He currently ranks third in the California League in batting average (.322) and OBP (.385). In four August starts with Lancaster prior to a promotion to Double A, the 19-year-old Martes went 4-0 with a 0.68 ERA (2ER/26.1IP) and 25 strikeouts. Martes, who is currently the youngest pitcher in the Double A Texas League, has gone 7-3 with a 2.06 ERA (21ER/91.2IP) between Lancaster (6g), Corpus Christi (1g) and Class A Quad Cities (10g) in what has been his first full season with the Astros since getting acquired from Miami in the RHP Jarred Cosart trade in 2014.

OF Bobby Boyd was named the Quad Cities August Player of the Month after hitting .330 (32x97) with 10 stolen bases and a .405 on-base percentage in 24 games in August. Boyd, an eighth round pick in last year's draft, ranks tied for fourth in the Midwest League with 34 steals on the year. River Bandits Pitcher of the Month honors went to RHP Dean Deetz, as he posted the lowest ERA among all full-season minor league pitchers during the month of August. In 27.0 August innings, he allowed just one earned run for a 0.33 ERA, going 4-1 with 22 strikeouts and a .106 opponent batting average.
At Class A Short Season Tri-City, 2015 draftees OF Johnny Sewald (14th round) and RHP Kevin McCanna (13th round) were named August Player and Pitcher of the Month, respectively. Sewald batted .340 (32x94) with 11 steals and a .451 on-base percentage in 27 August games. He currently leads the New York-Penn League in steals (29). McCanna went 3-0 with a 2.18 ERA (5ER/20.2IP), three walks and 19 strikeouts in six August games.

Appalachian League Postseason All-Star Connor Goedert was named Greeneville's August Player of the Month after going 27x111 (.243) with seven doubles, three homers and 15 RBI in 28 August games. RHP Samil De Los Santos earned the August Pitcher of the Month Award for Greeneville, as he posted a 1.80 ERA (2ER/10IP) with 13 strikeouts, no walks and just three hits allowed in seven August appearances.

For the GCL Astros, IF Marcos Almonte was named August Player of the Month, and RHP Hector Perez was named August Pitcher of the Month. Almonte hit .299 (23x77) in 19 August games, while Perez threw 12.2 scoreless innings in the GCL across five outings during the month.

For the DSL Astros Blue club, OF Andy Pineda was tabbed the August Player of the Month after hitting .273 (18x66) with four doubles, eight RBI and a .400 on-base percentage in 18 August games. RHP Cristian Javier went 1-0 while tossing 10.0 scoreless innings, striking out 12 en route to August Pitcher of the Month honors.

The DSL Astros Orange August awards went to IF Nicolas Miranda and RHP Juan Cuevas. Miranda posted a .403 (27x67) batting average with a .908 OPS in August, while Cuevas went 2-1 with a 2.08 ERA (4ER/17.1IP) in four August games.

-ASTROS-