Arlington, Texas – The Texas Rangers announced today the club’s minor league award winners for June. Right-hander Alec Asher was named Pitcher of the Month, outfielder Jared Hoying was named Player of the Month, shortstop Michael De Leon was named Defender of the Month, and left-hander Alexander Claudio was named Reliever of the Month.
Asher, 22, went 2-2 with a 1.93 ERA (6 ER/28.0 IP) and 26 strikeouts against just 2 walks over 5 starts with Double-A Frisco in June. The right-hander also held Texas League batters to a .224 average (24-107) during the month, while his 0.93 WHIP in ranked 6th among all Double-A pitchers. The Florida native allowed 1 ER-or-less in 4 of his 5 starts during the month and matched a season high with 7.0 shutout innings on June 6 vs. San Antonio. Overall, Asher has gone 7-8 with a 3.91 ERA (44 ER/101.1 IP) over 18 starts with Frisco. He also claimed a Pitcher of the Month award in May 2013. Asher was selected in the fourth round of the 2012 June draft and signed by Cliff Terracuso.
Hoying, 25, batted .347 (33-95) with 6 doubles, 3 triples, 6 home runs, 21 RBI, 15 walks, and 23 runs over 26 games in May with Triple-A Round Rock. The University of Toledo product ranked among the Pacific Coast League June leaders in triples (T1st), slugging percentage (2nd, .663), OPS (3rd, 1.096), extra-base hits (T3rd), RBI (T4th), home runs (T8th), and batting (11th). Hoying hit safely in 17 of his last 18 games in June at .420 (29-69). Overall, he has batted .258 (84-326) with 20 doubles, 4 triples, 15 home runs, and 50 RBI over 88 games with the Express and will represent the club in the Triple-A All-Star Game tonight in Durham. The Ohio native was selected in the 10th round of the 2010 June draft and signed by Roger Coryell.
De Leon, 17, appeared in 21 games at shortstop and 2 games at second base in June for Low-A Hickory as the youngest player in the South Atlantic League. He committed just 2 errors during the month and owns a .974 fielding percentage (5 E/194 TC) in 46 games overall this season. At the plate, De Leon batted .284 (25-88) with 3 doubles, 2 triples, 6 RBI, 7 walks, and 16 runs scored for the Crawdads in June. De Leon was signed as a non-drafted free agent on July 2, 2013 by Danilo Troncoso.
Claudio, 22, combined to go 2-0 with a 0.48 ERA (1 ER/18.2 IP) and 2 saves over 6 games/3 starts with High-A Myrtle Beach and Double-A Frisco in June. The southpaw recorded 21 strikeouts against just 4 walks, while holding opponents to a .225 average (16-71). The Puerto Rico native compiled a 19.0-inning scoreless streak as a reliever with Myrtle Beach prior to a promotion to Frisco on June 25. Overall, Claudio has gone 5-2 with a 1.30 ERA (10 ER/69.1 IP) and 69 strikeouts against 10 walks over 21 games/6 starts with Myrtle Beach and Frisco. Claudio claims his second career Reliever of the Month award and was the organization’s Minor League Reliever of the Year in 2013. He was selected in the 27th round of the 2010 June draft and signed by Frankie Thon.
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