July Awards: Beloit Snappers

I will continue my series on the July Awards as I will go over the Beloit Snappers today. The Snappers really struggled again in July as they went a disappointing 10-18 record in July as they faded from contention in the second half in the Midwest League. However, there were some good performances in July that need to be recognized because in the lower levels of the minors you don't hear about them as much as you do in the higher levels. Let me know if you agree or disagree with my picks so let me know by either leaving a comment in the comment box or emailing me at travis_aune@yahoo.com.

• Pitcher of the Month: Brad Tippett- Brad Tippett really has been good all year as he is 8-7 with a very good 3.13 era on the year. He was even better in July when he was pretty much unhittable for the Snappers. In July Tippett went 3-1 with a very good 1.57 era in 5 starts. Brad worked 34.1 innings which is just under 7 innings a start which is unbelievable for a team this bad. In 34.1 innings he only gave up 6 earned runs which is also unbelievable. He doesn't walk anybody as he only 6 batters in his 34.1 innings. He also struck out 20 batters in the 34.1 innings. Most impressive was he held opponents to a very good .208 average. Brad Tippett has had a very good season and I am shocked that he is still in Beloit because he has been a bright spot on a bad team as he has given the Snappers a chance to win just about every start. He does not project as someone that will continue to put numbers like this as he goes higher because he only has a mid 80's fastball. However, I am not going to put anything by him and look forward to seeing him in Fort Myers next year and see if he can make the next step in his career and continue pitching well.
• Others considered: Liam Hendricks, Steve Blevins, Billy Bulluck

• Hitter of the Month: Angel Morales- Angel Morales showed why he is so highly thought of in July. After struggling through the first half of the season Angel really came on in July. He had probably the best month of anybody not named Joe Mauer in the whole organization this year. Morales hit an unbelievable .361 in July with a homerun and 11 rbi's along with 6 doubles, a triple and 4 stolen bases. Morales really seemed to turn the corner in July and has kept it up August to put his season totals up to .265 with 12 homeruns and 56 rbi's along with 16 stolen bases. Those numbers are pretty impressive seeing how cold he was at the beginning of the year. Back to his July numbers he had a season low 12 strikeouts in July and had a very impressive .375 on base percentage for a power guy. He also had a very good .541 slugging percentage to bring his ops up to a very good .916. Angel Morales has really stepped forward and showed how good of a player he can be and how he can lead a lineup. I really expect him to be playing in Fort Myers next year and is back at the top of the boards for prospect lists again after his phenomenel month of July.
• Others Considered: Drew Thompson, James Beresford, Danny Rams