The American Association has selected Chicago Dogs infielder Matt Bottcher and Milwaukee Milkmen starter Christian Young as Rawlings Batter and Pitcher of the Month for June, the league announced Sunday.
Bottcher was a hit machine for the Dogs, leading the league in total hits for the month of June by a good margin with 44 in 26 games played, hitting .386. Bottcher also hit five home runs in June while driving in 15 runs, walking seven times and hitting five doubles.
Bottcher also made a big impact on the base paths in June, stealing seven bases and scoring 23 runs, which was also amongst the league leaders this month.
The Illinois native is now leading the American Association with a batting average of .371 on the season and also leading the league in total hits with 65.
On the pitching side, Christian Young continues his outstanding season for the Milwaukee Milkmen. In June, Young made five starts for Milwaukee, finishing with a record of 4-1 and an ERA of 0.93.
Young pitched 29 complete innings in June, striking out 31 hitters and walking just 10 while allowing only three total earned runs. Arguably his best start of the month came on the road against nearby rival Chicago, where he went six shutout innings allowing just three hits and striking out seven Dogs.
The New York native is second on the league ERA leaderboard with an even 2.00 mark for the season, just behind his teammate Gregori Vasquez at 1.93. He’s also second in the league with 55 strikeouts and tied for first in the league with five wins.
Rawlings is the official baseball of the American Association.