FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – Fort Wayne TinCaps right-handed pitcher Miguel Mendez has been named the July Midwest League Pitcher of the Month, Minor League Baseball announced Wednesday.
He is the second TinCap this season to win a Midwest League Player/Pitcher of the Month award, with former TinCaps shortstop Leo De Vries winning April’s Player of the Month award.
The team released the following:
The No. 4 Padres prospect went 3-1 across four starts, allowing 10 hits and six walks across 24.0 innings pitched. He led the Midwest League in ERA (0.00), wins (three), hits allowed per nine innings (3.75), and WHIP (0.67) while ranking second in batting average against (.132), strikeout to walk ratio (4.67), and strikeouts per nine innings (10.50). He also finished third in strikeouts (28) before his promotion to Double-A San Antonio on Aug. 1.
The 23-year-old is the third TinCap to win the Midwest League Pitcher of the Month award since the league began issuing the award in 2021. He joins Victor Lizarraga (Sept. 2023) and Ethan Elliott (May 2021).
Across 12 starts (61 1/3 IP) with Fort Wayne following his promotion on May 9, Mendez held a 1.32 ERA while opponents batted .180 against him, both of which led High-A amongst arms with 35-plus innings pitched. It is also the lowest ERA and batting average against in Fort Wayne TinCaps history among arms with at least 50 innings pitched.
A native of San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic, Mendez struck out 70 opposing batters, ranking second in the Midwest League since his call-up to High-A. The flamethrower hit 100 mph 11 times and across two levels, he struck out 29.6% (81-274) of batters faced. Mendez recorded at least five strikeouts in 13 of his 15 total starts.
On Thursday, July 24, he leaped from unranked in MLB.com’s Top 30 Padres prospects to No. 7, the highest jump of any player, and is now No. 4.
Mendez allowed four earned runs across his final nine starts in Fort Wayne before joining Garrett Hawkins, Eric Yost, and Oswaldo Linares amongst the TinCaps promoted to Double-A.
Following a six-game road trip to South Bend this week, the TinCaps are back at home Tuesday, August 12, taking on the West Michigan Whitecaps (Detroit Tigers affiliate) for a six-game series. Tickets are available through TinCaps.com, by calling 260-482-6400, and at the Parkview Field Ticket Office.
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