Topps Southern League Player of the Month Award
August 3, 2007 - Southern League (SL1) News Release
MARIETTA, GA - West Tenn Diamond Jaxx outfielder Charlton Jimerson has been named the Topps Player of the Month for July, 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.
Jimerson feasted on Southern League pitching in July, batting .343 (34-for-99) and leading the circuit with eight home runs, 27 RBI and 67 total bases. It was the second consecutive month in which he topped the league in homers and total bases.
The 27-year-old Jimerson began the month with five hits and six RBI in a doubleheader sweep of Huntsville on July 2. It was the beginning of a 14-game hitting streak for Jimerson, who batted .404 (21-for-52) and scored 13 runs during that stretch. Although the hitting streak ended on July 19, Jimerson launched a pair of two-run homers in an 8-2 victory at Mobile the following evening en route to Southern League Hitter of the Week honors.
A native of San Leandro, CA, Jimerson belted a grand slam against Birmingham on July 25 and added a two-run shot four days later. Despite not joining the circuit until the second week of May, Jimerson was tied for the Southern League lead with 21 home runs through the end of July. In six professional seasons entering 2007, Jimerson never had reached the 20-homer plateau.
In addition to being a force at the plate, Jimerson was a terror on the basepaths in July. He swiped eight bases during the month, giving him 30 for the season. Jimerson has a chance to become the first Southern League player with at least 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in the same season since 1981, when Willie Royster had 31 homers and 53 steals for the Charlotte O's.
Jimerson played in 17 major league games last year for the Houston Astros, who selected him in the fifth round of the 2001 draft. One month after being released by the Astros in late March, Jimerson signed a one-year minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners. Through the end of July, Jimerson was leading his new organization in stolen bases while ranking third in home runs.
AVG AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SB
Jimerson .343 99 24 34 7 1 8 27 13 8
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