Cubs announce minor league players of the month |
CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs today named Single-A Myrtle Beach catcher Jhonny Pereda and Single-A South Bend right-handed pitcher Cory Abbott the organization’s minor league player and pitcher of the month for May, respectively.
Pereda, 22, batted .287 (25-for-87) with six doubles, three homers and 16 RBI in 23 May contests. He drew 14 walks, contributing to a .386 OBP and .846 OPS. The right-handed batter went 9-for-19 with two doubles, a homer, five RBI and six runs scored during a five-game hitting streak, May 9-16, and hit safely in 18 of 23 games during the month. A native of Venezuela, Pereda is batting .297 (51-for-172) this season with six doubles, one triple, four homers and 30 RBI in 47 games. In his sixth pro season since signing with the club as a non-drafted free agent in April of 2013, he has batted a combined .247 (261-for-1,055) with 44 doubles, three triples, nine homers and 118 RBI in 313 games, reaching the High-A level for the first time this season. Abbott, 22, made six May starts with South Bend, going 3-1 with a 2.67 ERA (9 ER/30.1 IP). He struck out an organizational-best 41 batters, while walking just 11, and limited opponents to a .227 average against. In nine starts this season, all with South Bend, he has gone 4-1 with a 2.47 ERA (13 ER/47.1 IP) and 57 strikeouts. He this week was promoted to Single-A Myrtle Beach. A second-round selection in the 2017 MLB Draft out of Loyola Marymount University (Calif.), Abbott made five starts last season with Single-A Eugene in his first pro action, posting a 3.86 ERA (6 ER/14.0 IP). Overall, he has gone 4-1 with a 2.79 ERA (19 ER/61.1 IP) in 14 minor league starts.
