Cubs name June's minor league players of the month |
CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs today named Single-A South Bend infielder Jared Young and Double-A Tennessee right-handed pitcher Duncan Robinson the organization’s minor league player and pitcher of the month for June, respectively.
Young, 22, hit .340 (34-for-100) with four doubles, two triples, five homers, 27 RBI and a .963 OPS in 27 June games. His 27 RBI ranked tied for first in the Midwest League while his .963 OPS was eighth. The right-handed hitter recorded an 11-game hitting streak, June 10-23, batting .341 (15-for-44) with five extra-base hits and nine RBI during the stretch. Young started the month by driving in 14 runs in seven games through June 8. Young, named a mid-season Midwest League All-Star, is hitting .304 (77-for-253) with 13 doubles, six triples, nine homers and 52 RBI in 67 games for South Bend this season. He has seen time primarily at first base (49 games), as well as left field (13 games) and second base (two games). Selected by Chicago in the 15th round of the 2017 Draft out of Old Dominion University, Young owns a .288 career batting average (113-for-393) with 19 doubles, seven triples, 10 homers, 67 RBI and 31 walks, contributing to a .341 on-base percentage in 106 games. Robinson, 24, was 2-0 with a 1.57 ERA (4 ER/23.0 IP) in four June starts for Tennessee, walking none and striking out 26 while posting a 0.91 WHIP. He limited batters to a .228 average and a .568 OPS, and struck out a season-high 11 batters in 6.0 innings, June 10 vs. Birmingham. He allowed two or fewer runs in each of the four starts, recording three quality starts. In his first season at the Double-A level, Robinson is 5-1 with a 3.10 ERA (30 ER/87.0 IP) in 16 starts for Tennessee, having walked just 12 while striking out 83, good for a strikeout to walk ratio of 6.92. In his last eight starts since May 19, he is 4-0 with a 2.15 ERA (11 ER/46.0 IP) with four walks compared to 50 strikeouts and a .262 opponent on-base percentage in that span. Robinson, selected by the Cubs in the ninth round of the 2016 Draft out of Dartmouth, is 16-11 with a 2.70 ERA (70 ER/233.1 IP) in 49 career minor league games (36 starts). He has walked 46, struck out 197 and allowed just 13 home runs with a 1.19 WHIP. Robinson was named a 2017 Midwest League All-Star with South Bend.
