Cubs Minor League Daily: The Cubs Player and Pitcher of the Month for June

ian happ pelicansYesterday, even though it was a holiday, the Cubs named their minor league Player and Pitcher of the Month for the month of June.

The Player of the Month will be no surprise. Ian Happ, recently promoted to Tennessee, adds yet another piece of hardware to his already somewhat crowded mantle. Between his two June levels, Happ hit a combined .422/.500/.699 with four homers and five steals. Now that Willson Contreras has moved to the major leagues, Happ looks like a very strong candidate for the best overall prospect in the organization when the list are re-ranked mid-year. If we take out players in Chicago, that honor comes down to Gleyber Torres or Happ.

Preston Morrison with South Bend picked up Pitcher of the Month honors. Morrison has flown under the radar for a lot of Cubs fans since being the team’s 8th round pick out of TCU last year, but since then, all this guy has done is quietly get batters out. In June he pitched 32.2 innings over five starts, compiling an ERA of 0.83 in the process. He struck out 26 in that span. For the season his ERA is a very good 2.68. If he continues pitching like he has in June, Morrison should be a candidate for promotion just as soon as the Cubs find an opening at a higher level.[adinserter block=”1″]

Triple A: Iowa Cubs
Iowa 4, Omaha 3
Once again, the Iowa Cubs benefited from some pretty good pitching.

  • Aaron Brooks: 3.1 IP, 3 R, 6 H, 5 K
  • Starling Peralta: 3.2 IP, 3 H, 2 K
  • Tommy La Stella: 2 for 3, BB
  • Mark Zagunis: 2 for 4, HR
  • Dan Vogelbach: 1 for 2, 2B, 2 BB
  • Matt Murton: 2 for 4
  • David Freitas: 3 for 4
  • Double A: Tennessee Smokies
    Tennessee 4, Jackson 3
    By the end of the second the Smokies were done scoring, but the pitching made those runs hold up.

  • Jen-Ho Tseng: 7 IP, 3 R, 7 H, 1 BB, 3 K
  • Jose Rosario: 1 IP, 3 K
  • Chesny Young: 1 for 3, BB, HR. He was playing third base in this one.
  • Ian Happ: 1 for 3, 2B, SB
  • Ben Carhart: 1 for 4, HR
  • Trey Martin: 1 for 2, BB, SB
  • High A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans
    Winston-Salem: 8, Myrtle Beach 0
    The bat were very quiet in this one.

  • Pedro Araujo: 2.2 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 K
  • Charcer Burks: 1 for 4, SB
  • Rashad Crawford: 2 for 3, 2B, BB[adinserter block=”2″]
  • Low A: South Bend Cubs
    Fort Wayne 6, South Bend 3
    The SB-Cubs fall two games behind Chicago in the win column.

  • Carson Sands: 2.2 IP, 4 R, 8 H, 1 BB, 1 K
  • John Williamson: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K
  • Tyler Alamo: 1 for 3, BB
  • Jesse Hodges: 1 for 4, 3B
  • Roberto Caro: 1 for 4, 3B
  • Short Season A: Eugene Emeralds
    Eugene 7, Everett 5
    The offense was quiet early, but woke up with a five run sixth.

  • Pedro Silverio: 4 IP, 3 R, 4 H, 4 BB, 5 K
  • Tommy Nance: 1.2 IP, 2 BB, 5 K
  • Andruw Monasterio: 3 for 4
  • Chris Pieters: 2 for 4, BB
  • Kevonte Mitchell: 0 for 4. His ten game hitting streak came to an end.
  • Marcus Mastrobuoni: 2 for 4, 2 HR. The first homer was a grand slam.
  • Michael Foster: 1 for 3, BB
  • Rookie: Arizona Cubs
    Indians 14, Cubs 2
    The Cubs’s pitching did strikeout fifteen, alongside giving up eleven hits and four walks.

  • Junior Marte: 3.1 IP, 5 R, 3 H, 3 BB, 7 K
  • Yapson Gomez: 5.1 IP, 4 R (2 ER), 5 H, 8 K
  • Issac Paredes: 2 for 3, 2B
  • Reuben Reyes: 2 for 4, 2 2B[adinserter block=”3″]
  • Other Notes

  • A very cool event took place in North Carolina this holiday weekend. Major League Baseball and the players union teemed up to fund a major league game between the Braves and the Marlins in a temporary stadium built for the purpose on the grounds of Fort Bragg. The playing surface was built out of an old golf course with the help of the grounds crews from local minor league teams, and the 12,500+ fans were mostly military personnel and their families. Baseball America has perhaps the best write up of the event I have found so far.
  • written by

    Luke Blaize is the Minor League Editor at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @ltblaize.

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