Nationals Farm Authority

With the first month of the season in the books, here are the NFA Hitters and Pitchers of the month:

• Columbus 10-13, 4th place in the International League West division
  • Hitter of the Month: Kory Casto LF. Casto made the most of the 10 games he played for the Clippers in April, hitting 324/419/730 in only 37AB while leading the team in HRs with 4. He was also 2nd in total bases (27) to the honorable mention player of the month, 3B Tony Batista (42). Batista hit 309/363/519
  • Pitcher of the Month: Winston Abreu RP. It really could have been any of the top three Clippers bullpen arms (along with Chris Schroder and Chris Booker), but Abreu was practically untouchable with 23 strikeouts in 14.67IP. He had a WHIP of 0.89 and an ERA of 0.61 in 8 appearances. Honorable mention goes to SP Joel Hanrahan who was 1-1 in 4 starts with a 0.94WHIP and 1.69ERA in 21.33IP.
• Harrisburg 5-17, 6th place in the Eastern League Southern division
  • Hitter of the Month: Josh Whitesell 1B. Whitesell was by far the strongest presence on offense for a struggling Senators team. While he did not begin the season as a starter (Robin Jennings started at 1B), Whitesell quickly grabbed the position batting 354/447/585 in 18 April games. He even began to demonstrate plate patience with 11BB to 16K in 65AB. Honorable mention go to Jennings who rode a 282/341/449 April to a promotion to Columbus.
  • Pitcher of the Month: Mike Hinckley SP. The former top Expos prospect had a bit of a resurgence in April tallying 3 of the 5 Harrisburg wins in April with a 1.09 WHIP and 2.45 ERA in 22IP. His strikeout numbers are returning with 20K. Honorable mention goes to SP Collin Balester who was 1-2 with a 2.30 ERA and 1.35 WHIP in 27.33IP.
• Potomac 12-9, 1st place in the Carolina League Northern division
  • Hitter of the Month: Marvin Lowrance LF/RF. This was a tough choice with the high level of offense demonstrated by the P-Nats in April who are among the league leaders in most offensive categories (hitting 270/357/446 as a team). Lowrance earns the nod on the back of a 274/416/613 April in 18 games (62AB). Lowrance led the team in RBI, tied for team league in HRs (4) and was second in TB (38). What set Lowrance apart was his plate discipline where he walked 15 times to 12 strikeouts. Honorable mention goes to RF/LF Dee Brown who blistered the ball 358/422/531 in 20 games (81AB).
  • Pitcher of the Month: John Lannan SP. This was the easiest choice of all. Lannan finished April with a 4-0 record with a 2.56 ERA and 0.82 WHIP in 31.67IP. The soft-tossing LHP also struck out 20 batters en route to being the April ace of the staff. Honorable mention goes to RP Alexis Morales who did not allow an earned run in 11.33IP over 8 April appearances while striking out 16.
• Hagerstown 9-15, 7th in the South Atlantic League Northern Division
  • Hitter of the Month: Mike Daniel RF. Daniel was a clear leader on offense for the suns leading the team in hits, doubles (tied with 2B Leonard Davis), HR, RBI, and TB while hitting 300/400/567 in 24 games (90AB). Honorable mention goes to the aforementioned Davis who hit 298/305/561 in 57 April AB.
  • Pitcher of the Month: Cory VanAllen SP. This was the most dificult selection given the inconsistency in the Suns rotation. VanAllen was a mid-April addition who immediately took charge with a 2.45ERA and 0.82 WHIP over 14.67IP in April while amassing 18 strikeouts (to 0 walks!). Honorable mention goes to SP Jhonny Nunez who was 1-1 with a 3.97 ERA and 1.19 WHIP over 22.67IP.