Outfielder earns first career honor, right-hander recognized for second time in his career
DAVENPORT, Iowa. (May 5, 2014) - Outfielder Brett Phillips is the Quad Cities River Bandits Player of the Month for April, and right-handed pitcher Gonzalo Sanudo is the team's Pitcher of the Month, the Houston Astros announced on Monday.
The Houston Astros Player Development Department named a Pitcher and Player of the Month at each of their four in-season minor league affiliates. These awards are chosen every month by the field staff of each team. Former River Bandits infielders Jon Singleton and Tony Kemp were also named Players of the Month at Triple-A Oklahoma City and Class-A Advanced Lancaster, respectively.
Houston`s sixth-round pick in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft and the youngest player on the Quad Cities roster, Phillips posted a .301 batting average with three triples, two home runs and a team-high 13 RBIs in April. The 19-year-old Seminole, Fla., native had a .394 on-base percentage, .446 slugging percentage, and .840 on-base-plus-slugging (OPS) in 23 games. Phillips did not commit an error in April.
Sanudo won his second Pitcher of the Month award in the Houston minor league system since being acquired in a trade with Minnesota March 25, 2013. Also the August 2013 Pitcher of the Month for short-season Class-A Tri-City, Sanudo went 3-0 with a 0.50 ERA in the month of April, allowing just one earned run in 18 innings. The Tabasco, Mexico, native gave up his first run of the season April 27 at Peoria, which snapped a streak of 40 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings dating back to July 9 of last season. Sanudo fanned 14 in 18 innings over five games, including two starts.
UP NEXT: The Book Buddies program will be recognized Tuesday at the 11 a.m. River Bandits game presented by Pepsi, WOC and Q106.5. Tickets are available at www.riverbandits.com. To order any of the ticket plans - with new lower prices - call the River Bandits box office at 563-324-3000. Season ticket and mini-plan packages start at just seven games and begin at less than $40. Call a River Bandits account representative today to choose your seats and get the details of our various mini-plan packages.
ABOUT THE BANDITS: Having just been named Ballpark Digest's winner of Best Ballpark Improvement in America under $1 million, the River Bandits ownership is making one of the biggest improvements to Modern Woodmen Park since the ballpark was first built back in 1931! A new Ferris wheel, standing 110 feet over the playing field, is opening in May, along with a carousel, a new ride called a "Drop and Twist," an expanded 300-foot long zip line, and many other new games and attractions. In 2013, the team unveiled a new 220-foot long dual zip line, a rock climbing wall, and a number of new bounce houses. The team's major league affiliate, the Houston Astros, just 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.
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