11
Aug
2014
Former Bandits Ruiz and Hader take home Lancaster accolades while Scribner and Melendez grab Tri-City and GCL awards
DAVENPORT, Iowa (August 7, 2014) - First baseman Chase McDonald is the Quad Cities River Bandits Player of the Month for July, and left-handed pitcher Albert Minnis is the team's Pitcher of the Month, the Houston Astros announced on Wednesday.
The Houston Astros Player Development Department named a Pitcher and Player of the Month at each of their four full-season affiliates, three short-season affiliates and two Dominican Summer League affiliates. These awards are chosen every month by the field staff of each team. Former River Bandits infielder Rio Ruiz and left-handed pitcher Josh Hader took home the honors at Class-A Advanced Lancaster, with Hader winning for the second time in three months. Current River Bandits outfielder Alexander Melendez was named the Gulf Coast League Astros Player of the Month. Current River Bandits right-handed pitcher Troy Scribner won Short-Season Class-A Tri-City's Pitcher of the Month for his second career honor; he also won Pitcher of the Month in July 2013 for the Gulf Coast League Astros.
McDonald, Houston's 12th-round pick in the 2013 First-Year Player Draft, won his second career monthly award and first since winning rookie-level Greeneville's Player of the Month in August 2013. In July, McDonald batted .362 with six home runs in 26 games. He clubbed nine doubles and six home runs with 19 RBIs, a .434 on-base percentage, .649 slugging percentage and 1.083 OPS. The Greenville, N.C., native launched a three-run walk-off home run July 21 to complete a sweep of Lake County and leads all current River Bandits on the season (minimum: 70 at-bats) in batting average (.278), on-base percentage (.358), slugging percentage (.473), OPS (.832), home runs (12) and RBIs (51).
Minnis, Houston's 25th-round pick in 2013, went 1-0 with a 1.72 ERA and 15 strikeouts in six July appearances covering 15 2/3 innings. The southpaw from Lawrence, Kan., was promoted to Quad Cities from the rookie-level GCL Astros on July 4. He responded with five straight scoreless outings, including three of at least three innings out of the bullpen. Minnis is 2-1 with a 4.15 ERA in 20 games this season. He has fanned 27 against 10 walks in 34 2/3 innings.
Below is a list of the Players and Pitchers of the Month this season for Quad Cities:
April
Player: Brett Phillips
Pitcher: Gonzalo Sanudo
May
Player: Brian Holberton
Pitcher: Jandel Gustave
June
Player: Tyler White
Pitcher: Evan Grills
July
Player: Chase McDonald
Pitcher: Albert Minnis
UP NEXT: Back-to-back Fireworks nights and two bobbleheads in three days both begin on Thursday. The first 700 fans to Modern Woodmen Park when the gates open at 5:30 p.m. Thursday will receive a Craig Biggio Bobblehead courtesy of Prairie Farms and FOX18. The first 500 fans who wear red to the ballpark will receive a koozie from HAVlife, which will also present a special postgame fireworks show on a Thirst-Day with $2 drink specials presented by the River Cities' Reader. Friday is the Autism Awareness Night, the award-winning promotion and the third annual photo jersey auction presented by KWQC, with Friday Fireworks presented by Smart Toyota of the Quad Cities, WQAD and WLLR. The Roger Clemens Bobblehead giveaway presented by Ruhl & Ruhl Insurance, West Bend and the Quad-City Times is Saturday, and the homestand continues through Sunday. Tickets are available at www.riverbandits.com.
ABOUT THE BANDITS: Having just been named Ballpark Digest's winner of Best Ballpark Improvement in America under $1 million, the River Bandits ownership recently made one of the biggest improvements to Modern Woodmen Park since the ballpark was first built back in 1931! A new Ferris wheel, standing 105 feet over the playing field, opened May 24, and Space Camp opened June 20; the newly expanded 300-foot long zip line has also reopened. In 2013, the team unveiled a new 220-foot long dual zip line, a rock climbing wall, and a number of new bounce houses. Last season, the team's major league affiliate, the Houston Astros, saw all six of its affiliates reach the playoffs - the first time in a decade any MLB team can claim such success. The River Bandits were one of three affiliates to reach the championship round and one of two to win their league championship.
