David Cook wins Topps Player of the Month Award for June
July 9, 2009 - Southern League (SL1) News Release
MARIETTA, GA - Birmingham Barons outfielder David Cook has been named the Topps Player of the Month for June, as selected by the Southern League field managers. The Topps Company of New York, in conjunction with Minor League Baseball, presents the award each month to the top performer in each of the 10 full-season leagues. Before his promotion to Triple-A Charlotte on July 8, the 27-year-old Cook was one of the most productive hitters in the potent Barons lineup. At press time, Cook was tied with teammate Stefan Gartrell for the league lead with 59 RBI. Add in Southern League All-Stars Jordan Danks, C.J. Retherford and Dayan Viciedo, and it's no wonder that the Barons led professional baseball with a 48-21 first half record.
Cook finished June on a high note, blasting two homers and driving in seven runs in his last five games of the month. His two-run homer in the top of the 11th against Mississippi on June 25 proved to be the game-winner in a 7-5 Barons victory. He followed that heroic effort with five RBI in the next two games, both wins. He led Birmingham to a 19-8 June record and a .282 team batting average, both league bests. From April 30 to June 3, Cook reached base in 28 straight games, the third longest such streak this season. He hit 10 homers and drove in 25 runs during that stretch, which started seven days after his 29-game consecutive on-base streak ended.
Cook, a native of Columbus, Ohio, established a season-high six RBI in a 4-for-5 performance against Huntsville on June 1. He blasted a grand slam to left in the second inning and added a run-scoring single in the sixth and a solo shot in the ninth in a 14-5 Barons rout. He followed that performance with three RBI the following day, including a run-scoring single that sparked a five-run ninth that forced extra innings, where Birmingham would prevail 13-12 in 10 frames. In all, Cook recorded eight multi-RBI games in June and drove in three or more runs five times.
A product of Miami (OH), Cook led all Southern Leaguers in homers (8), RBI (29), total bases (65) and ranked 14th in batting (.302) in June. As of July 9, he ranked second in the league with 17 home runs, was tied for first with 59 RBI and was tied for fourth in slugging percentage (.520).
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