The Dodgers have announced the June winners of the Dodger Pride Awards. The Dodger Pride Awards were created in 2008 by General Manager Ned Colletti, and are issued on a monthly basis to the players at each level of the club’s minor league system who play the game with a hustling, smart, aggressive style. The players and staff on each respective club vote for the awards. The winners for June are as follows:
Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes
Pitcher – RHP Red Patterson posted a 2-1 record with a 2.13 ERA (6 ER/25.1 IP), striking out 21 batters against six walks in eight appearances (four starts) in June. The McKinney, Texas, native held opposing batters to a .269 batting average and ranked among the Pacific Coast League leaders in ERA (2.13, 5th) in the month. The 26-year-old was selected by the Dodgers in the 29th round of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft.
Player – OF Nick Buss posted a .289 (28-for-97) batting average, three home runs, nine doubles (T-4th, PCL) and 29 RBI in June. On the season, Buss has been a consistent hitter, batting .279 with 11 home runs and 62 RBI and was recently named a Pacific Coast League All-Star. The Michigan native was selected by the Dodgers in the eighth round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft.
Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts
Pitcher – RHP Ross Stripling posted a 4-1 record with a 2.29 ERA (9 ER/35.1 IP), striking out 29 against four walks in six June starts. The Pennsylvania native yielded just one home run in his 35.1 innings and held the opposition to a .206 batting average, while his four wins ranked atop the Southern League leaderboard in the month. Stripling has posted a 5-1 record with a 2.21 ERA (13 ER/53.0 IP) in 11 games (nine starts) this season for Chattanooga and will be one of seven Lookouts to represent the Southern League North Division in the All-Star Game. The 23-year-old was selected in the fifth round of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft out of Texas A&M University.
Player – OF J.T. Wise posted a team-leading .351 batting average (20-for-57) with 20 hits, six doubles, three home runs, 10 RBI and a .422 on-base percentage in 21 June games. The 27-year-old is the great nephew of former Yankee second baseman Bobby Richardson, an eight-time All-Star who was also the Most Valuable Player of the 1960 World Series. Wise, who attended the University of Oklahoma, was selected in the fifth round of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft.
Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
Player – RHP Jon Michael Redding went 1-1 in June with a 2.70 ERA (5 ER/16.2 IP) in nine games (two starts) for the Quakes. In the month, the 26-year-old did not surrender a home run while striking out 12 in his 16.2 innings and as a starter (last three appearances), has allowed only one run in 12.2 innings. On the year, the Valdosta, Georgia, native has posted a 2.00 ERA (10 ER/45.0 IP) in 22 games (three starts). Redding was selected by the Dodgers in the fifth round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft out of Florida Community College at Jacksonville.
Player – OF Scott Schebler batted .341 (29-for-85) with six homers and 17 RBI in 22 June games, ranking among the California League leaders in batting average (9th), homers (T-6th), extra-base hits (14, T-9th) and slugging percentage (.647, 5th). On the year, the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native has a .308 batting average (7th, Cal League), 15 home runs (T-7th, Cal League) 46 extra-base hits (1st, Cal League), a .616 slugging percentage (1st, Cal League), and a league-leading 10 triples. Schebler has hit safely in 22 of his last 23 games since June 12 and is hitting .415 (39-for-94) during that span. The 22-year-old was selected by the Dodgers in the 26th round of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft.
Single-A Great Lakes Loons
Player – RHP Scott Griggs went 2-0 and did not surrender a run in nine June relief appearances (16.2 IP), limiting opposing hitters to a .111 batting average with 25 strikeouts, while only yielding six hits. On the year, the La Jolla, California, native has a 2.61 ERA (11 ER/38.0 IP) with 61 strikeouts and is holding opponents to a .161 batting average. As a senior at UCLA in 2012, Griggs established the school’s single-season saves record with 15 in 17 opportunities. Griggs was selected by Los Angeles in the eighth round of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft.
Player – INF Leo Rodriguez batted .341 (30-for-88) with nine RBI and 16 runs scored in 24 games in June, recording eight multi-hit performances and a seven-game hitting streak from June 11-16, in which the infielder batted .444 (12-for-27). On the season, the 21-year-old is batting .306 with 49 hits and 14 walks in 47 games. Rodriguez has also excelled against right-handed pitching, posting a .325 batting average with five doubles and eight RBI. A native of the Dominican Republic, Rodriguez was signed as a non-drafted free agent on June 1, 2009.
Rookie-advanced Ogden Raptors
Pitcher – RHP Jonathan Martinez posted a 1-0 record with a 0.75 ERA (1 ER/12.0 IP) in his two starts for the Raptors, ranking atop the Pioneer League leaders in ERA and also ranking 14th in the league in with a 1.25 WHIP in June. Overall, Martinez has appeared in 11 games (seven starts) this season between Single-A Great Lakes and Rookie-level Ogden, combining for a 2-3 record with a 4.47 ERA (22 ER/44.1 IP). The 19-year-old was signed by the Dodgers as a non-drafted free agent on May 31, 2011.
Player – OF Gerson Nunez batted a team-high .364 (12-for-33) with three homers and seven RBI in the first eight games of the season (June), stringing together a seven-game hitting streak to kick off the year in which he hit .429 (12-for-28). The Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, native has excelled against right-handed pitching, hitting .448 (13-for-29), with all three of his home runs coming against righties. Nunez was signed by Los Angeles as a free agent on Feb. 9, 2012.
Rookie-level Arizona League Dodgers
Pitcher- RHP Robert Rogers posted a 0-0 record with a 1.50 ERA (1 ER/6.0 IP) in his four June appearances, notching three saves, which tied for the league lead. In his 6.0 innings of work for the month, opposing hitters batted .227 against the right-hander, while striking out four and not allowing a walk. While at Keystone College in Pennsylvania, Rogers set the school record with 245 strikeouts and his career 1.72 ERA is fourth-best in school history. The 22-year-old was drafted in the 32nd round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft by the Dodgers.
Player- INF Justin Chigbogu batted a team-high .342 (13-for-38) in nine June games for the Arizona League Dodgers. The infielder started the season on a nine-game hitting streak that stretched from June 20-30, batting .342 (13-for-38) with all five of his home runs coming during the streak. Chigbogu was recently promoted to Rookie-advanced Ogden, where he is batting .357, 5-for-14in four games. The 18-year-old out of Kansas City, Missouri, was signed by Los Angeles in the fourth round of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft.
Rookie-level Dominican Summer League Dodgers
Pitcher- LHP Wellington Serrano posted a 2-1 record with a 1.17 ERA (3 ER/23.0 IP) and 15 strikeouts against eight walks in five June starts. Serrano has limited right-handed hitters to a .159 batting average (10-for-63) with 14 strikeouts and was signed by Los Angeles on June 2, 2012 as a free agent.
Player- INF Jose Javier batted .296 with 8 RBI in 21 games in June. Javier has been clutch on the season, batting .350 with six RBI with runners in scoring position. The 20-year-old was signed by Los Angeles as a free agent on March 22, 2011.