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Strasburg, Stanton Among May Topps Player of the Month Winners

June 10, 2010 - International League (IL1) News Release


ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.-Pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg and MiLB home run leader Michael Stanton, both of whom made their Major League debuts Tuesday, highlight the league honorees for the May Topps Player of the Month awards. The Topps Company of New York, in conjunction with Minor League Baseball, announces the winners.

Stephen Strasburg (21), of San Diego, Calif., went 3-1 with 33 strikeouts in 28.1 innings for the Syracuse Chiefs last month. The right-hander led International League pitchers with a 1.27 ERA and a .152 average against. The 2009 overall number one pick out of San Diego State University fanned 14 in seven innings for the Washington Nationals in winning his much-anticipated Major League debut.

John Lindsey (33), of Hattiesburg, Miss., led the Pacific Coast League with a .415 average, 12 doubles, 20 extra-base hits and a 1.192 OPS in May. The Albuquerque Isotopes first baseman hit in 23 of 27 games, including 17 in a row from May 7-27. The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Lindsey, who was originally drafted in the 13th round by Colorado in 1995, as a free agent in December.

Brandon Laird (22), of Garden Grove, Calif., hit .339 with nine doubles, a triple, six homers and an Eastern League-best 33 RBI in May. The Trenton Thunder third baseman also paced the league with 68 total bases and tied for tops in the EL with 25 runs scored. Laird had 10 games in which he plated at least two runs, including a club-tying seven RBI on May 16 against Binghamton. Ten days later, he smashed a walk-off homer to hit for the cycle and beat Erie. The New York Yankees picked him in the 27th round in 2007 out of Cypress (CA) College.

Mike Stanton (20), of Sunland, Calif., paced Southern League hitters with eight home runs, 14 extra-base hits and 25 RBI in May. The Jacksonville Suns outfielder hit .271 in 26 games and was leading MiLB in roundtrippers with 21 when the Florida Marlins called him up to the Majors. Stanton singled three times in five at-bats in his MLB debut. The Marlins drafted him in the second round in 2007 out of high school.

Mike Moustakas (21), of Northridge, Calif., led the Texas League in May in all three Triple Crown categories with a .393 batting average, nine homers and 32 RBI. The Northwest Arkansas Naturals third baseman also led the league with 22 runs, 16 extra-base hits, a .486 on-base percentage, .775 slugging percentage and a 1.262 OPS. He hit in 19 of 25 games, before injuring a knee in a May 27 contest. The Kansas City Royals drafted Moustakas in the first round (second overall) in 2007 out of high school.

Kyle Russell (23), of Magnolia, Texas, hit .350 with 10 home runs, five doubles, a triple and 22 runs for the Inland Empire 66ers. Russell's homers tied for most in the California League and he paced the circuit with 33 RBI and a .709 slugging percentage. The outfielder had eight games in which he drove in more than one run, including plating five on three occasions. The Los Angeles Dodgers, who took Russell in the third round in 2008 out of the University of Texas, recently promoted him to Double-A Chattanooga.

Brock Huntzinger (22), of Pendleton, Ind., led Carolina League pitchers with five wins and a 1.59 ERA last month. The Salem Red Sox right-hander won five of his six starts and didn't allow a run in either of his last two, a span of 12 innings. In 34 innings, Huntzinger allowed 22 hits, six earned runs, 10 walks and fanned 16. The Boston Red Sox took him in the third round in 2007 out of high school.

Cody Overbeck (24), of Atoka, Tenn., led the Florida State League in May with 12 doubles, 18 extra-base hits and a .595 slugging percentage. The Clearwater Threshers third baseman hit .333 and finished tied for second in the league with five home runs and 23 RBI. The Philadelphia Phillies selected Overbeck in the ninth round in 2008 out of the University of Mississippi.

Jerry Sands (22), of Clayton, N.C., had a dozen multi-hit games and a 14-game hit streak last month for the Great Lakes Loons. The outfielder hit .336 against Midwest League pitchers with six doubles, seven homers and 15 RBI. The Los Angeles Dodgers selected Sands in the 25th round in 2008 out of Catawba (NC) College.

Kody Hinze (22), of Houston, Texas, finished in the top 10 among South Atlantic League hitters in seven categories. The Lexington Legends first baseman led the league with 28 RBI and tied for third with six longballs. Hinze also ranked among the leaders in on-base percentage (.413); OPS (.961); walks (15); extra-base hits (12); and slugging percentage (.548). The Houston Astros signed him as a free agent in 2007 out of Angelina (TX) College.

PLAYER-OF-THE-MONTH STATISTICS FOR MAY 2010

League Winner Club/Org. POS. AVG. HR RBI W-L ERA

International Stephen Strasburg Syracuse/WAS P 3-1 1.27

Pacific Coast John Lindsey Albuquerque/LA-NL 1B .415 7 25

Eastern Brandon Laird Trenton/NY-AL 3B .339 6 33

Southern Mike Stanton Jacksonville/FLA OF .271 8 25

Texas Mike Moustakas NW Arkansas/KC 3B .393 9 32

California Kyle Russell Inland Empire/LA-NL OF .350 10 33

Carolina Brock Huntzinger Salem/BOS P 5-0 1.59

Florida State Cody Overbeck Clearwater/PHI 3B .333 5 23

Midwest Jerry Sands Great Lakes/LA-NL OF .336 7 15

S. Atlantic Kody Hinze Lexington/HOU 1B .317 6 28

Statistics provided by Major League Baseball Advanced Media

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