Los Angeles Dodgers announce July winners of Dodger Pride Awards
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers today announced the July winners of the Dodger Pride Awards. The Dodger Pride Awards were created in 2008 by General Manager Ned Colletti, and are given on a monthly basis to the players at each level of the club’s minor league system who play the game with a hustling, smart, aggressive style. The players and staff on each respective club vote for the awards.
The winners for July are as follows:
Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes
Pitcher - RHP FERNANDO NIEVE ranked fifth in the PCL with a 2.17 ERA and had the circuit’s seventh-lowest opponents’ batting average with a .219 mark, going 2-0 in five July starts. The 30-year-old allowed two or fewer earned runs in each of his starts during the month, including three quality starts and his July 13 start at Nashville when he allowed just four hits in 6.0 scoreless frames. Overall, Nieve is 5-6 with a 5.44 ERA in 19 games (18 starts) with the Isotopes.
Player - 1B/OF JERRY SANDS tied for the Pacific Coast League lead with eight July home runs and tied for third on the circuit with 26 RBI, while batting .327 in 27 games in the month. Sands was named PCL Player of the Week for the period of July 23-29 after becoming just the fifth player in PCL history to hit two grand slams in a game, doing so in the second game of Albuquerque’s doubleheader on July 29 at Nashville. He joined Gregorio Petit (Oklahoma City, 2010), A.J. Pierzynski (Salt Lake, 2000), Babe Pinelli (San Francisco, 1929) and Pete Schneider (Vernon, 1923) as the only PCL players to accomplish the feat. Overall, the 24-year-old is batting .279, including a .311 mark with runners in scoring position, and ranks among the league leaders in home runs (19, T-7th) and RBI (79, 3rd).
Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts
Pitcher - RHP MATT MAGILL went 3-1 with a 2.48 ERA, the 11th-lowest mark in the Southern League, in five July starts. The 22-year-old limited opponents to a .215 batting average during the month while walking only three and striking out 30 in 29.0 innings. The Simi Valley native was honored with his third selection as Southern League Pitcher of the Week for the period of July 9-15, tossing 6.0 scoreless innings and striking out seven in his only start during the week against Pensacola. Overall, Magill leads the league with 119 strikeouts in 107.1 innings and is tied for third on the circuit with eight wins (8-5) and a 4.11 ERA in 20 starts. Magill is in his fifth professional season after being selected in the 31st round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft.
Player - IF RAFAEL YNOA led the Southern League with 39 hits and ranked second on the circuit with a .348 batting average, behind only teammate Nick Buss, in 27 July games. Ynoa, who will turn 25 on Tuesday, put together a 19-game hitting streak from July 4-26, batting .429 (33-for-77) during the run. Overall, Ynoa ranks fifth in the Southern League with a .292 batting average and has excelled in his role as the Lookouts’ primary leadoff hitter, posting a .331 batting average and .415 on-base percentage in 45 games batting first.
Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
Pitcher – RHP ANDRES SANTIAGO posted a 1.76 ERA (8 ER/41.0 IP) and went 2-0 in five July starts for the Quakes. The right-hander ranked among the California League’s best in the month in strikeouts (48, 1st), opponent’s average (.147, 2nd), WHIP (0.73, 2nd), ERA (1.76, 3rd) and innings pitched (41.0, 3rd). Overall, the 22-year-old is 5-3 with a 3.96 ERA (38 ER/86.1 IP) in 16 games (14 starts) this season and is limiting opponents to a .214 batting average, including a .188 mark at home. The Dodgers’ 16th-round selection of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft was recently promoted to Double-A Chattanooga.
Player – OF JOC PEDERSON batted .336 (39-for-116) with seven homers and 22 RBI in 28 July games, including a three-home run game on July 1 against High Desert. The Palo Alto native led Rancho Cucamonga in many offensive categories in July and ranked among the California League leaders in home runs (7, T-3rd), hits (39, T-4th), stolen bases (10, T-5th), runs (26, T-5th), RBI (22, T-8th), extra-base hits (13, T-10th), batting average (.336, 12th) and on-base percentage (.414, 12th). The 20-year-old is batting .300 with 11 home runs and 43 RBI in his third professional season after being selected by the Dodgers in the 11th round of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft out of Palo Alto High School.
Single-A Great Lakes Loons
Pitcher – RHP MICHAEL THOMAS went 2-0 and converted all three save opportunities, striking out 16 over 11.0 scoreless innings in 12 July relief appearances for the Loons to earn his recent promotion to Rancho Cucamonga. Overall, the Forest Hill, MD native went 4-2 with a 1.24 ERA (7 ER/51.0 IP) in 37 appearances with the Loons this season, limiting opponents to a .190 average. Thomas was selected by the Dodgers in the 35th round of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft.
Player – C PRATT MAYNARD led the Loons with 14 RBI in 22 games during the month, batting .296 (24-for-81) with seven doubles and a pair of home runs. The 22-year-old backstop hit safely in 19 of 22 July games, including seven multi-hit games. On the season, Maynard ranks second on the team with a .341 on-base percentage while batting .266 (65-for-244) with three homers and 30 RBI.
Rookie-advanced Ogden Raptors
Pitcher – RHP ROSS STRIPLING did not allow an earned run over 17.0 innings in six July starts for the Raptors. The right-hander fanned 19 and walked only one batter, limiting opponents to a .155 average and a 0.57 WHIP in July. Overall the 22-year-old is 1-0 with a 0.45 ERA (1 ER/20 IP) with 25 strikeouts and two walks in eight games (six starts). Before being drafted by the Dodgers in the fifth round of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft, Stripling twirled a no-hitter against San Diego State on May 12 as a member of the Texas A&M Aggies.
Player – OF JEREMY RATHJEN ranked second in the Pioneer League with a .394 batting average in 26 July games for the Raptors, which included a 12-game hitting streak and a Pioneer League Player of the Week honor for the period of July 16-22. The 22-year-old ranked among the Pioneer League leaders in July in hits (41, T-1st), on-base percentage (.496, 2nd), runs (25, T-3rd), stolen bases (7, T-6th) and RBI (18, T-12th). Since being selected in the 11th round of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft out of Rice University, the outfielder is hitting .363 with a .472 on-base percentage in 38 games and ranks among the Pioneer League leaders in many offensive categories.
Rookie-level Arizona Dodgers
Pitcher - LHP MIGUEL SULBARAN allowed just three combined earned runs in five starts during the month of July, going 2-1 with a 1.05 ERA and a 9.2 consecutive scoreless innings streak in his last two outings. The 18-year-old Venezuelan right-hander has struck out 34 batters and walked just four through seven starts for the season, while tossing at least 5.0 innings and allowing two earned runs or less in six of those games. Sulbaran currently ranks second in the league with a 1.51 ERA while holding the opposition to a .237 batting average (.225 in July).
Player – IF ZACH BABITT collected multi-hit games in five of 11 contests during the month. The 22-year-old second baseman walked eight times and struck out just once in his last eight games, while adding stolen bases in each of his last three contests. A 10th-round selection in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft, Babitt is batting .313 (5-for-16) with runners in scoring position and .333 (9-for-27) with runners on base this season.
Rookie-level Dominican Summer League Dodgers
Pitcher – RHP WASCAR TEODO joined the Dodgers’ rotation after 10 relief appearances, tossing 16.0 consecutive scoreless innings in his first three starts while allowing just seven hits and striking out 13 batters. The right-hander allowed two earned runs in his first appearance in July, but has not been scored upon since, shutting out the opposition over his last 23.2 innings overall. The 18-year-old is 2-0 with a 0.87 ERA in 13 appearances (three starts) this season, leading the team in ERA while holding the opposition to a .157 batting average in 41.1 innings of work.
Player – OF JORKY INFANTE began to heat up in July after a slow start to the season, batting .323 with four doubles, a triple and seven stolen bases in 25 games during the month. The switch hitting utility man drew 13 walks while striking out just eight times during July. He made starts at shortstop, third base and all three outfield positions and posted four consecutive multi-hit games as part of an eight-game hitting streak in which he hit .461 (12-for-26) with four walks, a double and three stolen bases.