Hermosillo hit .324 in June (Photo courtesy: Iowa Cubs)
Hermosillo hit .324 in June (Photo courtesy: Iowa Cubs)

Cubs announce their minor league player and pitcher of the month


by -

CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs today named Triple-A Iowa outfielder Michael Hermosillo as the organization’s minor league player of the month for June, while Iowa right-handed pitcher Ben Leeper was named the club’s minor league pitcher of the month.

Hermosillo, 26, hit .324 (24-for-74) with five doubles, four homers and 15 RBI in 22 games in June, and is batting .333 (29-for-87) with seven doubles, four homers and 18 RBI in 24 games for Iowa this season. The right-handed hitter is batting .419 (13-for-31) with four home runs vs. left-handed pitching, seeing time at all three outfield spots. Hermosillo collected hits in eight of nine games from June 9-17, batting .480 (12-for-25) with two homers and nine RBI during that stretch, including a season-high four RBI game, June 9 vs. Columbus.

Selected in the 28th round of the 2013 draft by the Angels, Hermosillo signed a minor league contract with the Cubs on November 12, 2020. Hermosillo owns a .267 (499-for-1,867) average with 49 homers and 238 RBI in 511 career minor league games and has hit .188 (19-for-101) with one homer and six RBI in 56 career major league games with the Angels from 2018-20.

Leeper, 24, went 1-0 with a 1.32 ERA (2 ER/13.2 IP), with five walks, 26 strikeouts and one save in 10 outings between Double-A Tennessee and Iowa in the month of June, holding the opponent to a .089 batting average (4-for-45) and a .285 OPS. He is 2-2 with a 1.09 ERA (3 ER/24.2 IP) and one save in 18 relief appearances this season. The righthander has held opponents to a .106 average (9-for-54) and did not allow a hit (0-for-31) in eight appearances for Tennessee before being promoted to Iowa on June 8.

Leeper singed with the Cubs as a non-drafted free agent, July 21, 2020, after pitching four seasons for Oklahoma State University. The Bedford, Tex., native made his professional debut this season.

Comment on this story
Print   
Post your comments!