Great Lakes Loons

Hitter: Fortunately in May the Loons’ bats, at least some of them, have started to catch fire. Manager Luis Matos has kept reassuring Loons followers that the offense will be fine. During the month left fielder Alex Santana, second baseman Jimmy Allen and first baseman Josmar Cordero all had hot streaks. Perhaps the best month at the plate was that of Jacob Scavuzzo. The 21-year-old center fielder struggled in his first year with the Loons in 2014 hitting .209 before returning the Ogden Raptors in August. He was selected by the Dodgers in the 21st round of the 2012 First Year Player Draft out of Villa Park High School in California. After a bit of a slow April in 2015 he hit his stride in May hitting .301 for the month with three home runs, three triples, 10 doubles and 16 runs batted in.

Jacob Scavuzzo
(Photo credit – Matt DeVries)

Pitcher: Right-hander Grant Holmes was selected by the Dodgers in the first round of the 2014 First Year Player Draft out of Conway High School in South Carolina. He made six starts in May compiling a 1.55 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. Unfortunately two of his starts were cut short to three innings by rain delays. In 29 innings he struck out 36. In two consecutive starts on May 15th and May 20th Holmes pitched 12 scoreless innings while giving up only three hits and striking out 16 along with four walks.

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes

Hitter: Nineteen-year old Cody Bellinger had as strong a May as any player in the California League. The young left-handed swinging first baseman was picked by the Dodgers in the fourth round of the 2013 June Draft. During the month Bellinger had a 15-game hitting streak that was interrupted when he was held hitless on May 22nd. The next game he started an 11-game streak that has extended into June. In 28 games in May Bellinger hit .314 with an OBP of .371 while hitting nine doubles and seven home runs. He scored 23 runs and drove in 27. For good measure he was successful in all five stolen base attempts. Bellinger should receive serious consideration as the May Player of the Month in the California League.

Cody Bellinger
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Pitcher: John Richy had a good month for the Quakes and except for a hiccup on May 23rd would have had a stellar month. The 6’ 4” 215 lb right-hander was selected by the Dodgers in the fourth round of the 2014 First Year Player Draft out of UNLV. Including his one forgettable appearance in May Richy went 4-1 with a 3.02 ERA in six appearances with a 1.18 WHIP and 29 strikeouts in 41 innings pitched. In his last start on May 28th he pitched a nine inning complete game shutout giving up four hits while striking out five and issuing no free passes.

Tulsa Drillers

Hitter: The Drillers are dead last in most offensive categories in the Texas League so most hitters are looking for more consistency. Second baseman Brandon Dixon was the most consistent hitter during the month of May. He hit .257 while producing eight doubles, two triples and two home runs along with 12 runs scored and 15 runs batted in. Dixon was selected by the Dodgers in the third round of the 2013 First Year Player Draft out of the University of Arizona. Batting mostly third or fifth in the batting order he had consecutive three hit games on May 20th and 23rd.

Pitcher: While the Drillers hitters have had a slow start to the season the pitching staff ranks at or near the top of the league in a number of pitching categories including ERA, WHIP, strikeouts and fewest runs allowed. With Julio Urias on the disabled list and Deck McGuire now with the Oklahoma City Dodgers of the Pacific Coast League right-hander Jeremy Kehrt provided a steadying influence on the pitching staff. For the month he posted a 2.51 ERA and a WHIP of 1.15. In 28 innings he struck out 23 and walked eight. During three consecutive starts in May he pitched a total 19 innings and gave up only two earned runs. A former 47th round draft selection by the Boston Red Sox in 2008 Kehrt was acquired by the Dodgers in 2014 in a trade with Boston and re-signed as a minor league free agent during the off season.

Jeremy Kehrt
(Photo credit – Rich Crimi)

Oklahoma City Dodgers

Hitter: First baseman O’Koyea Dickson and shortstop Corey Seager pretty much went head-to-head during the month of May. While Seager continued to amaze his month was highlighted by an incredible hot streak of four games against the Salt Lake Bees. Dickson was more steady throughout the month posting similar numbers to Seager in 20 fewer at bats. He was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 12th round of the 2011 amateur entry Draft out of Sonoma State University. During the month of May Dickson scored 14 runs while driving in 12 with three home runs and six doubles. He hit .308 with an OBP of .337.

O’Koyea Dickson
(Photo credit – Nick Falzerano)

Pitcher: Selected by the Giants in the first round of the 2003 First Year Player Draft 33-year-old David Aardsma was signed to a minor league contract by the Dodgers in the off-season. He and fellow right-hander Josh Ravin both had effective months with the OKC Dodgers. Aardsma attempting to make it back to MLB has been the Dodgers closer in 2015 and gets the nod. He presently leads the Pacific Coast league in saves with 15, eight of those coming in the month of May. During the month he was 8-for-8 in save opportunities while striking out 14 in 9.2 innings. He gave up seven hits and limited his opponents to a .194 batting average against him. On three consecutive nights – May 22nd, 23rd and 24th – Aardsma gained a save against the powerful hitting Las Vegas 51’s.