Carlos De La Cruz, Andrew Painter and Ben Brown earn organizational honors for the month of July
Reading outfielder Carlos De La Cruz, Jersey Shore right-hander Andrew Painter and right-hander Ben Brown have been named Phillies Minor League Hitter and Co-Pitchers of the Month, respectively, for July.
De La Cruz, who was recently promoted to double-A Reading, posted a .289/.368/.590 slash line (.958 OPS), going 24-for-83 with four doubles, seven homers, 15 RBI, 16 runs and three steals in 23 games last month with high-A Jersey Shore. The 22-year-old slugged five home runs in a six-game span from July 17-27, which included a multi-homer game on July 23 vs Brooklyn. Additionally, his seven homers in July ranked tied for second among all South Atlantic League players. The 6-foot-8 New York native was originally signed by the Phillies as a non-drafted free agent in August 2017.
Painter, 19, posted a 0.46 ERA (1 ER, 19.2 IP), 0.81 WHIP and had 25 strikeouts to two walks in five July starts with Jersey Shore. Also, last month, the 6-foot-7 righty held opponents to a .194 batting average (14-72) and .546 OPS. In his 15 starts overall this season – nine with single-A Clearwater and six with Jersey Shore – he has struck out 98 of the 241 batters he has faced (40.7%) while allowing 36 hits (.166 OPP AVG) and posting a 1.47 ERA (10 ER, 61.1 IP). Painter, who was born in Florida, was originally selected by the Phillies in the first round (No. 13 overall) of last year’s MLB Draft.
Brown posted a 1.57 ERA (4 ER, 23.0 IP) with 35 strikeouts to two walks in four outings (three starts) with Jersey Shore last month. The 22-year-old, who was originally selected by the Phillies in the 33rd round of the 2017 MLB Draft, was traded to the Chicago Cubs on Aug. 2 for right-handed reliever David Robertson.