McCutchen hit .347/.447/.495 in June.
As we do every month, let’s take a look back at June to point out the top performers at each level of the organization.
The month of June saw the Pirates win 16 games, the most in a month since they won 17 in August of 2007.
This is also the first month that State College and the GCL Pirates appear on this list as they kicked off their seasons this past month. Neither State College nor the GCL Pirates played many games, so those clubs’ winners all come with a very small sample size.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Pitcher – Jeff Karstens
Karstens went 3-0 with a stellar 1.52 ERA over 6 starts this June. In 41 1/3 innings, which led the team, he struck out only 15 and walked 7. However, he only allowed 27 hits, which is good for a minuscule 0.82 WHIP.
Hitter – Andrew McCutchen
‘Cutch led the club in BA (.347), OBP (.447), and SLG (.495). Hard to argue with those numbers. He also tallied 8 doubles, 2 homers, and stole 5 bases in 6 attempts.
AAA Indianapolis Indians
Pitcher – Garrett Olson
Olson quietly has been pitching extremely well this year for the Indians. In June, he made 5 starts and was 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA. Over 25 innings, he struck out 18 and walked 9 while holding opponents to a .145 batting average.
Hitter – Matt Hague
Hague absolutely erupted in June and has burst on to the scene as a legitimate option for a Major League call up. He hit .402/.449/.645 with 5 homers and 11 doubles in 107 AB. He collected an extra base hit in each of his last 6 games of the month.
AA Altoona Curve
Pitcher – Jeff Locke
Locke was almost a shoe-in to be at AAA by this point, however he ran into some issues starting off the season and remains in AA. Hopefully he has turned the corner. In 6 June starts, Locke was 2-2 with a 2.30 ERA. In 31 1/3 innings, he struck out 32 and walked 13.
Hitter – Starling Marte
As hot as Marte started the season, he has gotten better each and every month, with June obviously being his best. It would be nice to see Marte walk more as he only drew 4 walks all month, but there is no doubt he can hit. In 92 AB, he posted a line of .337/.378/.522 with 2 homers and 11 doubles.
A+ Bradenton Marauders
Pitcher – Brett Lorin
Lorin continued his solid year for Bradenton as he went 1-2 with a 1.71 ERA in 4 starts in June. He also was selected to participate in the FSL All-Star Game last month, as well. In 21 innings, he struck out 20 and walked just 4.
Hitter – Robbie Grossman
Boy, this was a tough one as I have to give props to both Ramon Cabrera and Adalberto Santos also. A ton of players had excellent Junes for Bradenton. However, Grossman gets the edge here with his .341/.500/.495 line. A lead off hitter with a .500 OBP is obviously doing his job. Grossman also hit 2 homers, 8 doubles, and stole 4 bases in 5 attempts.
A West Virginia Power
Pitcher – Colton Cain
Cain’s first season in full season ball is going pretty smoothly and June was his best month so far. In 5 starts, he was 1-1 with a 2.17 ERA. Over 29 innings, he struck out 19 and walked 7. He held opponents to a .187 average.
Hitter – Drew Maggi
Maggi finally looks to be getting in gear as he broke out in June with a .351/.439/.495 line over 97 AB. He homered twice, hit 2 triples, 4 doubles, and stole 7 bases.
A- State College Spikes
Pitcher – Matt Benedict
This year’s 30th round pick is dominating the NY-Penn League early on. Benedict went 1-0 with a 0.73 in 3 starts for the Spikes. In 12 1/3 innings, he has struck out 6 and has yet to walk a batter.
Hitter – Samuel Gonzalez
The hitting has been pretty suspect to start the season for the Spikes, but Gonzalez has easily gotten off to the best start. Through 8 June games, Gonzalez hit .440/.448/.600 in 25 AB.
R GCL Pirates
Pitcher – Orlando Castro
This is the first year in the states for the 19-year old lefty and he’s off to a solid start with a 2.00 ERA in 2 June starts. Over 9 innings, he has struck out 12 and walked only 2.
Hitter – Alen Hanson
Hanson is quickly making a name for himself and might be someone to keep an eye on to see if he can continue what he’s doing. The 18-year old, switch-hitting 2B from the Dominican Republic hit .400/.488/.800 in 35 AB. He has 2 homers, 2 triples, and 4 doubles to go along with 5 stolen bases in 6 attempts.
