Great Lakes Loons

Pitcher – Twenty-two year old right-hander Trevor Oaks who had pitched primarily in relief for the Ogden Raptors of the Rookie Pioneer League in 2014 began the present campaign as a starter in the Loons rotation. He opened his season with a one-hit, no-run outing of five innings gaining a victory over the West Michigan Whitecaps. He leads the Loons pitching staff with 23 innings pitched through his four starts. On the season Oaks has a 2.35 ERA along with a 0.96 WHIP. He has gone at least six innings in his last three starts. He was drafted by the Dodgers in the seventh round of the 2014 First Year Player Draft out of California Baptist University.

Trevor Oaks
(Photo credit – Emily Jones)

Hitter: In April twenty-three year old Mike Ahmed led the Loons in at bats (69), runs (10), hits (20), doubles (5), total bases (27) and stolen bases (7). He finished the month with a .290 batting average and a .355 OBP. He began the season with an eight game hitting streak and had nine multiple hit games during the month. Ahmed, the brother of shortstop Nick Ahmed of the Arizona Diamondbacks, was drafted by the Dodgers in the twentieth round of the 2014 June Draft out of College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA.

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes

Pitcher: It is difficult not to select Jose De Leon as the Pitcher of the Month as he dominated opponents with 26 strikeouts in 18 innings. However his teammate, left-hander Scott Barlow, led the Quakes starters in April with a 2.18 ERA, 20.2 innings pitched and WHIP of 1.06. Opposing hitters batted .194 against him. The 6’3” 170 lb lefty was drafted by the Dodgers out of Golden Valley High School in Santa Clarita, CA in the sixth round of the 2011 First Year Player Draft. Barlow missed the entire 2012 season following Tommy John Surgery.

Hitter: This one was a toss up among catcher Kyle Farmer, outfielder Adam Law and third baseman Jarek Cunningham. Second baseman Brandon Trinkwon should also receive consideration. The nod goes to Law who led the Quakes in April in at bats (71), runs (15), hits (28), stolen bases (7), OBP (.457) and batting average (.394). His batting average and on base percentage not only led the Quakes but also led the league. In April Law also posted an OPS of .950 good for seventh in the league. Law, the son of Vance Law and grandson of Vernon Law , was drafted by the Dodgers in the twelfth round of the 2013 June Draft out of Brigham Young University in Prova, Utah. Law and Farmer began the month of May with the Tulsa Drillers in the AA Texas League.

Adam Law
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Tulsa Drillers

Pitcher: Teenage Julio Urias could be the pitcher of the month on most occasions and he definitely deserved consideration in April. Like De Leon with the Quakes Urias dominated with 26 strikeouts in 20 innings. However his teammate, Deck McGuire , quietly led all Drillers starters in April in wins (4), innings pitched (27), ERA (1.33), and WHIP (0.74). He struck out 20 and walked but three. His four wins led the league while his WHIP raked second and his ERA fourth among league starters. McGuire, a former first round selection by the Toronto Blue Jays ,was signed by the Dodgers as a minor league free agent just before the start of the 2015 season.

Deck McGuire
(Photo credit – Rich Crimi)

Hitter: For the last time this season shortstop Corey Seager will be selected as the Drillers hitter of the month. Seager was promoted to the AAA Oklahoma City Dodgers on May 1st. In April with the Drillers he tore the league apart hi

tting .375 with five home runs and 15 runs batted in in 20 games while posting a .407 OBP and a 1.082 OPS. Seager, the brother of Seattle Mariner third baseman Kyle Seager, ranked near the top of the Texas league in most offensive categories.

Oklahoma City Dodgers

Pitcher: The candidates for pitcher of the month include starters Mike Bolsinger , Scott Baker and Zach Lee. Bolsinger pitched 14 innings over three starts. Baker excelled in 17 innings before being promoted to the parent Dodgers. Lee is the choice for the TBLA Pitcher of the Month. He led the team with three wins in April, in innings pitched with 25 over four starts and in strikeouts with 24. He posted a 1.80 ERA and a WHIP of 0.96. He walked only five hitters in his 25 innings. Lee’s ERA ranked third in the league while his WHIP ranked fifth.

Hitter: Third baseman Buck Britton made a good first impression in the Dodgers system in April. For the month he led the Dodgers in hits (24), Total Bases (37), Batting Average (.329), OPS (.889) and OBP (.402). He had two doubles, two triples and two home runs. Britton, the brother of pitcher Zack Britton of the Baltimore Orioles, was signed by the Dodgers as a minor league free agent last November.

Buck Britton
(Photo credit – E. David Guel)