SAL1 Lexington Legends

Former Wildcat Reed, Former Cardinal Duvall Among Leaders for Joe Bauman Award

Published on August 31, 2015 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Lexington Legends News Release


ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- With one week of games left in the 2015 Minor League Baseball season, four sluggers are making a push for the annual Joe Bauman Home Run Award, presented by Musco Sports Lighting. The top overall regular season home run hitter in the domestic-based leagues wins the Joe Bauman Trophy, which is presented at the Baseball Winter Meetings, as well as a check representing $200 for each home run he hits.

Corpus Christi (Astros) first baseman A.J. Reed leads the minors with 33 home runs, two ahead of Tacoma (Mariners) outfielder Jabari Blash, who has a career-high 31 homers. Louisville (Reds) INF/OF Adam Duvall and Bakersfield (Mariners) outfielder Tyler O'Neill are tied for third with 30 each.

Reed, 22, leads Minor League Baseball in homers and RBI (119) and is tied for the lead in hits (171). Reed hit 23 homers for Lancaster in the California League and has added 10 more since a July 12 promotion to Double-A Corpus Christi in the Texas League. Reed is attempting to be the third consecutive player under the age of 23 to win the award, following Kris Bryant (22) in 2014 and Joey Gallo (19) in 2013. Reed was selected by the Astros in the second round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Kentucky.

Blash, 26, has hit the most home runs in professional baseball in August (13, one more than Seattle's Nelson Cruz), and now leads all Triple-A players. Blash's 13 homers in August are the most in a month by a Minor League Baseball player this season and are tied for the most in a month at any level of professional baseball (Bryce Harper hit 13 homers in May and Albert Pujols hit 13 in June). Blash was selected by Seattle in the eighth round of the 2010 draft out of Miami Dade South Community College.

Duvall, 26, hit 26 home runs for Sacramento (Giants) in the Pacific Coast League before a July 31 trade to Cincinnati. Duvall joined Louisville in the International League and has added four more homers for the Bats. Duvall was originally selected by San Francisco in the 11th round of the 2010 draft out of the University of Louisville.

O'Neill, 20, has spent the entire season in the Bakersfield (Mariners) outfield, where he leads the Advanced Class-A California League by one homer over Rancho Cucamonga's Cody Bellinger. The Canadian-born slugger was selected by the Mariners in the third round of the 2013 draft out of Garibaldi Secondary School in Maple Ridge, British Columbia.

Classification leaders, provided they are not the overall winner, receive a $500 cash award. Blash's 31 homers lead the Triple-A leagues, while Chattanooga's Adam Brett Walker leads the Double-A level with 29 homers. The 2015 season will mark the fourth consecutive season Walker has led his league in homers as he led the Appalachian League with 14 homers in 2012 before leading the Midwest League with 27 in 2013 and the Florida State League with 25 in 2014. Walker was drafted by the Twins in the third round of the 2012 draft out of Jacksonville University.

O'Neill leads the Single-A ranks with 30, but Rancho Cucamonga's Cody Bellinger (29), Lancaster's Chase McDonald (28) and Visalia's Daniel Palka (28) are within striking distance.

Missoula (Diamondbacks) first baseman Austin Byler leads the Short Season-A and Rookie-level leagues with 13 homers, but is only one homer ahead of teammate Isan Diaz, Billings' Reydel Medina, West Virginia's Carlos Munoz, Danville's Austin Riley and Kingsport's Dash Winningham.

Minor League Baseball will announce the 2015 Joe Bauman Home Run Award winner Sept. 9. The recipient will receive his trophy and monetary award Monday, Dec. 7, at the Baseball Winter Meetings Awards Luncheon in Nashville, Tennessee.

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South Atlantic League Stories from August 31, 2015


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