D-backs give monthly honor to minor leaguers
Aug 1, 2012, 9:34 PM | Updated: 10:58 pm
Every month during the season, the Arizona Diamondbacks Player Development staff, their minor league affiliate coaches, and their coordinators award a player and pitcher honors based on their performance in their respective leagues.
Triple-A Reno outfielder Adam Eaton and Dominican Summer League pitcher Jose Martinez were named the organization’s Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Month for July.
Eaton was selected in the 19th round of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft from Miami University of Ohio. Joining the Triple-A Reno Aces for the 2012 season, the 23-year-old hit .393 with 23 runs scored, 10 doubles, and four home runs. Eaton leads all minor leaguers in hits (162) and runs scored (116), and no other player since 2005 has had as many hits or runs before the first of August. The outfielder collected 14 multi-hit games in July, including a streak of eight straight games in which he batted .563.
Signed as a minor league free agent on June 29, 2011, the 18-year-old Martinez went 3-0 with a 0.70 ERA during four starts in July. The right-handed pitcher averaged 9.48 strikeouts per nine innings and limited opponents to a .176 average, and has not allowed an earned run to score in his last 20 innings pitched.
Eaton and Martinez were chosen among a pool of nominations from each of the D-backs’ eight minor league affiliates. Among the 17 nominated were Double-A Mobile catcher Rossmel Perez, Class-A South Bend third baseman Matt Helm and Triple-A Reno pitcher Tyler Skaggs.