Southern League Player of the Month
Published on July 3, 2008 under Southern League (SL1) News Release
(Chattanooga, TN) July 3rd- Diamond Jaxx OF Mike Wilson has been named the Topps Player of the Month for June, as voted on by Southern League managers. The Topps Company of New York, makers of Topps Baseball Cards and in conjunction with Minor League Baseball, presents the award each month to the top performer in each of the ten full season leagues.
Wilson appeared in twenty-seven games for the Diamond Jaxx during the month of June. He hit .314 with nine homers and thirty-two RBI's. The thirty-two RBI's is the highest total by a Southern League player in one calendar month since Jerry Gil drove in thirty-three runs for the Tennessee Smokies in August of 2006.
Wilson played a vital role in the Diamond Jaxx first half Northern Division championship. Wilson drove in nine runs in the last two Diamond Jaxx first half wins and hit a two run double in the first inning of the title clinching game at Huntsville, a game the Diamond Jaxx won 5-1, putting the Jaxx in the playoffs for the first time since 2005.
Wilson is currently batting .271 with nineteen homers and fifty-six RBI's in seventy-two games played with the Diamond Jaxx this season. Wilson is currently tied for the Southern League lead in home runs with Huntsville's Matt La Porta. He is also tied for third in the league in RBI's and is fourth in the league with a slugging percentage of .562
With seven more home runs, Wilson will tie the Diamond Jaxx all-time record for home runs in a season, set by Brandon Sing in the 2005 campaign. Wilson will be the DH in the upcoming Southern League All-Star game in Zebulon, NC. He will be hitting in the cleanup spot for the Northern Division.
Wilson, who was an all-state LB in HS football, turned down an offer to play football at the University of Oklahoma when the Seattle Mariners drafted Wilson in the 2nd round of the 2001 draft. The 2007 season was his first season in the Southern League. Wilson missed three months of action due to a torn quad. He still managed to hit ten homers in fifty-five games with the Diamond Jaxx.
Southern League Stories from July 3, 2008
- Barons Sweep BayBears With 3-2 Win - Birmingham Barons
- BayBears road woes continue - Mobile BayBears
- Diamond Jaxx Endure Lookouts, 7-6 - Chattanooga Lookouts
- Mudcats' rally not enough - Carolina Mudcats
- Three Hits Not Enough For Smokies In 4-0 Loss - Knoxville Smokies
- Suns pull out victory over Carolina - Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp
- Ungs and Shiell Shut Down Smokies - Huntsville Stars
- Auburn and Alabama to play at Riverwalk Stadium - Montgomery Biscuits
- 2007 Number One MLB Draft Pick to Pitch at Pringles Park - Jackson Generals
- BayBears Roster Move - Mobile BayBears
- Four Mudcats Weigh Down All-Star Starting Lineup - Carolina Mudcats
- Southern League Player of the Month - SL1
- Biscuits Experience Highs and Lows In Rollercoaster Loss - Montgomery Biscuits
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