The first month of the Minor League season is over. The Cincinnati Reds put together a winning month overall, with only the Louisville Bats posting a losing record in the month of April. Let’s take a look at who the top players of the month were for the Reds organization in the month.
Hitter of the Month
There were a few players that had outstanding months of April, but the nod goes to Juan Perez for best April. The Louisville Bats infielder hit .301/.393/.548 in 19 games. In 84 plate appearances he had four doubles, a triple, and four home runs. He would also walk 10 times and steal five bases. From April 10th through the 23rd Perez ran off a 12-game hitting streak.
Honorable Mention: Gavin LaValley (1B – Daytona Tortugas)
Starting Pitcher of the Month
Usually there might be a question as to who it could be, but in April there simply wasn’t any option not named Tyler Mahle. In five starts the Pensacola Blue Wahoos right hander allowed just two earned runs. One came on April 6th and the other on April 17th. On the 12th he tossed 7.0 shutout innings, on the 27th he threw 6.0 shutout innings and on April 22nd he tossed a perfect game. In total, he racked up 32.2 innings with a 0.55 ERA. Mahle gave up just 11 hits, no home runs, six walks and he struck out 34 batters.
Honorable Mention: Austin Ross (Pensacola Blue Wahoos)
Reliever of the Month
There was more than a few good months by relievers in April for the Cincinnati Reds organization, but the best one came fro the right arm of Tanner Rainey. The Daytona Tortugas reliever allowed two runs in 12.0 innings on the month, good for a 1.50 ERA. He gave up just three hits and a walk over the span of 11 games. He also added in 20 strikeouts for the month.
Honorable Mention: Jimmy Herget (Pensacola Blue Wahoos)