We've reached the point in the season where early trends start turning into something meaningful. Let's look at who made a name for themselves last month.
OKC
15-14 in May
Hitter of the Month: Mike Hessman
At 34 years old, Mike may be the old man in Oklahoma, but this RedHawks performed like a spring chicken in May. He hit .338/.460/.718 with eight home runs, 16 runs, and 17 rbi in 23 games while keeping first base warm for the Astros at AAA.
Pitcher of the Month: Jose Valdez
After earning an honorable mention last month, Jose grabbed the gold ring for May. In 13 appearances and 12 1/3 innings, Jose was 0-1 with seven saves while racking up 14 strikeouts to just five walks. He had a 2.92 ERA and 1.05 WHIP for the month and opponents hit just .174 against him.
Honorable Mention:
Justin Ruggiano hit .380/.426/.720 for OKC with four home runs and 18 rbi in just 15 games before being traded to Miami.
CC
13-15 in May
Hitter of the Month: Jon Singleton
Jonathan strengthened his push to take over for Mike Hessman by hitting .281/.400/.531 for the month with seven home runs, 20 runs, and 24 rbi.
Pitcher of the Month: Jason Stoffel
For the second month in a row, Stoffel dominated the Texas League out of the bullpen. In May he was 0-1 with four saves. In 12 appearances and 14 innings he posted a 1.29 ERA with 10 strikeouts and five walks, two of which were intentional.
Honorable Mention:
Ross Seaton went 3-1 with a 2.70 ERA in six starts for Corpus.
Jose Martinez hit .342/.383/.532 with eight doubles, two triples, and three home runs.
Lancaster
17-13 in May
Hitter of the Month: George Springer
Springer took a big bounce forward in May. On the month he hit .324/.382/.622 with three triples, eight home runs, and seven steals. He scored 26 times and batted in 21 runs.
Pitcher of the Month: Jose Trinidad
Jose took on the role of long man in May and thrived. He went 2-2 with a 2.42 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. In 22 1/3 innings across 10 games he struck out 13 and walked four.
Honorable Mention:
Domingo Santana hit .304/.362/.609 with seven doubles, two triples, and eight home runs while knocking in 25.
Lexington
17-11 in May
Hitter of the Month: Matt Duffy
Matt also made the jump from honorable mention to the big prize. In May Matt hit .343/.416/.556 with an amazing 11 doubles and four home runs. He also stole three bases while scoring 18 runs.
Pitcher of the Month: Carlos Quevedo
Carlos wins this month out of an entire pitching staff that excelled in May. Carlos posted a 4-0 record while holding a 1.40 ERA and 0.83 WHIP. Opponents hit just .209 and Carlos notched 19 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings while walking just two.
Honorable Mention:
Jason Chowning had six saves with a 1.42 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 12 2/3 innings.
Luis Cruz was 4-0 with a 1.85 ERA in six starts.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
