Tucker headlines monthly Minor League awards

HOUSTON -- It's a good time to be an Astro, and that extends beyond the first-place big league squad to every corner of the organization.

Entering Saturday, Triple-A Fresno is the only team in the entire Houston organization that doesn't lead its division, and the Grizzlies are only a game back of first place. That means the franchise's April Minor League Players of the Month, which the Astros announced Saturday, are some of the most accomplished at each level.

There's only one place to start and that's with outfielder Preston Tucker, who took home Player of the Month honors in Fresno. The left-handed slugger led the Minor Leagues in home runs (9) and RBIs (29) in April, all while hitting .329 and reaching base in more than 37 percent of his at-bats.

The outfielder's slugging credentials -- a 1.054 OPS and prodigious power to all fields -- already have fans clamoring for his presence at the big league level. He's not the only touted prospect fans want to see.

Shortstop Carlos Correa got some buzz for the callup when Jed Lowrie went to the disabled list last week, and Correa's play backs that up. He received the Double-A Player of the Month nod in Corpus Christi, where he hit .385 with 17 extra-base hits, including five homers, 22 RBIs, five steals and a whopping 1.198 OPS. MLB.com has him as the No. 3 prospect in baseball, and those numbers all rank among the top five at the Double-A level.

Righty Richard Rodriguez earned the Astros' Triple-A Pitcher of the Month honor, thanks to a 2.65 ERA in 17 innings of relief work. Starter Chris Devenski claimed the Double-A equivalent, holding opposing hitters to a .121 average while leading the Texas League in ERA.

At the Class A ranks, reliever Tyler Brunneman and outfielder Brett Phillips took home the honors in Lancaster, while pitcher Joe Musgrove and catcher Jamie Ritchie earned the monthly distinctions in Quad Cities.