June was certainly an interesting month for the Boston Red Sox minor league system. As the calendar turns over to July, we get to reminisce about the last 30 days.
While we think back on that time, we might as well hand out some awards. We're looking for the best starting pitcher, relief pitcher, offensive player, defensive player, and baserunner of the month.
The rules are simple. You need to be a prospect, and you can't have time spent in the big leagues. Let's get started.
Red Sox Minor League Awards for June: 2024 fourth-round pick wins two categories
Dedgar Jimenez Award (starting pitcher of the month)
Winner: Payton Tolle
Runner-ups: Eduardo Rivera, Blake Aita, Connelly Early, David Sandlin, Tyler Uberstine
You could make a legitimate case for a few pitchers here. No one was as dominant as Payton Tolle, though. The fact that he was stellar in his first Double-A start certainly helps.
Tolle posted a 2.86 ERA, .173 BAA, and 0.91 WHIP in four appearances (three starts) in June. The left-handed pitcher walked seven batters in 22 innings and struck out 34. THIRTY-FOUR.
Tolle is quickly becoming one of the more dominant pitchers in the minor leagues. What's scary is he had a lower ERA and a higher K/9 in May. However, his BAA and WHIP made drastic improvements in June, helping the 22-year-old secure the award.
Joan Martinez Award (relief pitcher of the month)
Winner: Calvin Bickerstaff
Runner-ups: Alex Hoppe, Noah Song, Cooper Adams, Shea Sprague, Jay Allmer, Isaac Stebens, Drew Ehrhard
Multiple pitchers were more than good enough to win this award in a normal month, but you can call Calvin Bickerstaff "Will Ospreay" because he was on another level (bruv) in June.
Bickerstaff made four appearances out of the bullpen for Salem. The right-handed pitcher posted a 0.87 ERA, .194 BAA, and 0.97 WHIP in 10 1/3 innings. He struck out 10 batters and only walked three.
Bickerstaff has looked fantastic in a limited time with Salem over the last two seasons. The 23-year-old could be due for a promotion to High-A soon.
Special shoutout to Drew Ehrhard. He's not a pitcher, but he made three appearances out of the bullpen in Double-A in June and only allowed one run on two hits (and no walks) over three innings.
Chih-Hsien Chiang Award (offensive player of the month)
Winner: Zach Ehrhard
Runner-ups: Blaze Jordan, Allan Castro, Natanael Yuten, Andruw Musett, Jhostynxon Garcia
The offensive output wasn't at a premium in June in Boston's system. Natanael Yuten was the only prospect to hit over .300 (.306). Andruw Musett just missed out with a .299 average.
Zach Ehrhard gets the award despite a slightly lower .278 average. That's because the right-handed hitting outfielder also held a .363 OBP and a .500 slugging percentage. He hit five doubles and five home runs. Ehrhard drove in 10 runs and scored 15 more. He's also riding a six-game hitting streak at the moment.
The 22-year-old took a bit of time to get acclimated to Double-A but started off June with a two-homer performance. That was the perfect indication that he'd have a strong month.
Deiner Lopez Award (defensive player of the month)
Winner: Blaze Jordan
Runner-ups: Jhostynxon Garcia, Ahbram Liendo, Franklin Arias, Miguel Bleis
Blaze Jordan continues to look like a genuine Gold Glover at first base. I've loved his defense for a few years over there. He was thrown back at third base more in recent days and has looked sharp there as well.
The improved conditioning has helped him, and his arm shines at third base. I still believe he's best utilized at first because the defense there is so strong, but he's also improving at the opposite corner.
Danny Mars Award (baserunner of the month)
Winner: Zach Ehrhard
Runner-ups: Max Ferguson, Miguel Bleis, Yophery Rodriguez, Enddy Azocar
That's right, we've got a double award winner in June. Ehrhard takes home the offensive player of the month and the baserunner of the month for June.
Max Ferguson deserves a shoutout. He's 19-for-21 in stolen base attempts this year. However, Ehrhard impresses simply because he's not as fast as Ferguson. Ehrhard seems to be a savvy baserunner with good enough speed to make it work.
The Oklahoma State product went 8-for-10 on stolen base attempts this month. It's a great mix of aggressiveness and smarts. He's now 17-for-19 on the year.