Players of the Month:
Delaware Conference:
Batter of the Month: Peter Peters, New Castle Colonials
DDIV Batter of the Month Honors to Peters: When Peter Peters stepped up to the plate in May, he did it with confidence and today he was honored with the Delaware Conference Batter of the Month award. The young New Castle right fielder posted a .326 batting average with 8 home runs, 20 RBIs and scored 25 runs. Peters also worked pitchers for 17 walks to post a .434 on-base percentage. This season Peters is hitting at a .328 pace with 19 home runs, 49 RBIs and has scored 48 times.
Pitcher of the Month: Alfred Roberts, Milford Clippers
Milford Starter May's Best Pitcher: Alfred Roberts took a much-deserved turn in the spotlight earlier today as he accepted the Delaware Conference Pitcher of the Month award for May. The 23-year-old Clippers starter is a relative newcomer to the league, but nonetheless racked up an impressive 4-0 won-lost record in 6 starts. This month he fanned 39 batters in 38.2 innings and compiled a 1.86 ERA. Currently Roberts has a 5-2 won-lost record in 10 starts with a 3.13 ERA. He also has 55 strikeouts in 60.1 innings.
Rookie of the Month: Paul Coker, Milford Clippers
DDIV Selects Rookie Star of the Month: Paul Coker is still a bit shy, but then, who could blame the newest Delaware Conference Rookie of the Month honoree? He hasn't been around the league long enough to fully know the ropes yet, despite the fact that he's putting up veteran-like numbers. In May the Milford hitter tagged opposing pitching for a .355 average with 11 hits, 2 home runs and 10 RBIs. Coker is presently hitting at a .355 pace with 2 home runs and 10 RBIs. He has played in 17 games and scored 7 times.
MarVa Conference:
Batter of the Month: Pablo Freitas, Norfolk Cavaliers
Freitas Wins Best Bat Trophy in May: Pablo Freitas has been the model of consistency over the past month and has been a tough out, claiming the MarVa Conference Batter of the Month trophy for May. The Norfolk left fielder hit .343 with 7 home runs, 31 RBIs and 15 runs scored. He was also walked 11 times and posted a .405 on-base percentage. This year Freitas has 9 home runs and a .337 batting average.
Pitcher of the Month: Dalton Whitaker, Norfolk Cavaliers
Whitaker Named Top MVDIV Hurler: Dalton Whitaker is at the zenith of his career and today he was selected as the MarVa Conference Pitcher of the Month for May. He made 13 relief appearances for Norfolk last month, throwing 16 innings and collecting 8 saves, a 4-0 record, 23 strikeouts and a 1.69 ERA. Whitaker has nailed down 12 saves to date. In 24 innings he has fanned 35 batters and walked 10. His pitching record is 4 wins and 1 loss with a 2.25 ERA.
Rookie of the Month: Marcos Gomez, Baltimore Barons
MVDIV Chooses Rookie of the Month: Marcos Gómez of the Baltimore Barons has been chosen the top Rookie in the MarVa Conference. In May he racked up 38 hits, 3 home runs, 15 RBIs and 16 runs scored. He hit .355 with a .384 OBP. For the season Gómez has produced 58 hits in 192 at-bats for a .302 average with 5 home runs and gotten on base at a .340 clip.
League Leaders (as of June 1st 2016)
Delaware Division:
AVG: Fred Bishop (Wilmington Iron Pigs) .358*
HR: Peter Peters (New Castle Colonials) 19
RBI: Peter Peters (New Castle Colonials) 49
SB: Mark Morris (Newark Millers) 13
W: Jarred Perry (Lewes Braves) 7*
ERA: Jarred Perry (Lewes Braves) 1.63*
K: Marcos Estrada (Wilmington Iron Pigs) 74
SV: Cristo Rojas (New Castle Colonails) 14*
Marva Division:
AVG: Cliff Jones (Washington Senators) .365
HR: Alberto Trujillo (Annapolis Admirals) 17
RBI: Palo Freitas (Norfolk Cavaliers) 41
SB: Roberto Perez (Norfolk Cavaliers) 22
W: Jose Villa (Annapolis Admirasl) 7
ERA: Miguel Contreras (Ocean City Tourists) 2.58*
K: Barney Butler (Washington Senators) 77
SV: Brent Wagner (Annapolis Admirals) 13*
Standings as for June 1st 2016
Lewes Braves had a hot month and are starting to pull away from the pack. But you really can't count anyone out just yet. I think the Sixteens and the Generals will make a run at Lewes at some point, but the Braves have pitching and pitching is always key... The Northern Division looks to be another knockem down bout. With the Iron Pigs and the Colonials tied at the top and the Clippers right behind and the Millers in striking distance. I feel liket his is the year of the Colonials. Then again, I said that last year too. The Iron Pigs have one of the games best starters, and that always gives them an advantage... The Admirals and Blue Crabs will be fighting it out all season. I think the Tourists made some bad deals and just won't have the offense to keep in the race. The Admirals have been the front runner all year and I look for them to remain there. Then again the Blue Crabs made a big trade was it enough?... The Cavaliers have the biggest lead of anyone, but this isn't always a good sign. For the past few years August has been a down month for them. Plus you can't count out those pesky Senators. The Cavaliers do have pitching and just aquired some more, so maybe it will help. There is a long road ahead of us for sure.
Norfolk Recap
Not much I can say about this team, they seem to be doing everything they need to be doing. Pitching, fielding, and hitting... On the pitching side of things the aquisition of Jose Matos should give the rotation a nice bump. Sato will be missed, but he has been struggling this year and our scouts feel like he has taken a small ratings drop. Matos will help us out as Cooper gets his feet week and Sun Ho is on the DL. Sweetapple seems to have found some more life on his fastball, after last years "semi" off season. I feel like he is as good as ever. Karl Armstrong has been surprisingly great... The offense seems to be moving right along. We have 4 players in the starting 9 hitting over .300. This is from a team that hasn't had a player, play a full season and hit .300 yet. Signs are good. Plus you can't go wrong stealing as many bases as we do. Get on and run. By the end of the year we shoudl have 5 players with 15+ steals. Everyone seems to be hittin the ball well, so hopefully that continues for the season. I'd hate to see a huge drop off, as what happened last year... As long as we can stay relatively healthy, we should be able to hold on and finish with another divisional crown. Its a long season, so I am not going to get my hopes up too much.