Vote for the Cubs Minor League Player of the Month

I’m not quite sure how we’re going to fit this in with the draft and a full slate of major and minor league games, but it’s time to vote for the Cubs Minor League Player of the Month for May!

Here’s a quick update on how this works. I nominate five players, one from each of the four full-season minor league teams and one “wild-card.” (Next month a nominee from Eugene will replace the wild card.) You vote for one of them. The only rule is that you vote for what the player did in the month of May. This is an award for performance and not for prospect status.

You can vote on the best pitching performances starting tomorrow.

If you’re reading on Apple News or Google AMP, you need to go to a web browser to vote.

The winner will be announced in Wednesday night’s Minor League Wrap.

Clicking on the player’s name will take you to his milb.com page for more information.

Here are the nominees!

Iowa Cubs 3B Robel Garcia

Garcia has done nothing but hit since the Cubs signed him out of the Italian league over the winter. He was nominated last month as a member of the Smokies and now he earns a nomination as a member of the I-Cubs.

For the record, Garcia played 22 games in Triple-A in May and hit .303/.376/.592 with six home runs and 14 RBI. He stole two bases in three attempts. He also played seven games in Double-A in May. He only had a .217 batting average in the month before the promotion, but he walked six times in 30 plate appearances for a .400 OBP. He also homered once for the Smokies in May.

His final combined line was .283/.383/.535 with seven home runs and 20 RBI in May.

Iowa Cubs 3B Phillip Evans

Two I-Cubs third baseman, although both players have been playing both first and second since Garcia’s promotion.

Evans also had a great month of May, hitting .291/.421/.466 with five home runs and 16 RBI in 31 games in May. Evans walked 18 times and struck out 18 times in May.

Tennessee Smokies INF Vimael Machin

Machin is a guy who doesn’t get much attention, but he’s been a solid player in the Cubs system over the past four season. But in May, he was a lot more than just solid. Machin played 27 games in May and he exploded for a line of .369/.440/.534 with 12 doubles, one triple and one home run. He walked 13 times in May and struck out just three times.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans OF Kevonte Mitchell

Mitchell was most of the offense for the Pelicans in May as he hit .254/.341/.535 with five doubles and five home runs over 22 games. Mitchell had a very poor month of April as he’s repeating High-A after a disappointing 2018 season. Maybe this month has been a sign that Mitchell is finally figuring out the Carolina League.

South Bend Cubs SS Andy Weber

Weber was the Cubs fifth-round draft pick last June and he’s following up a very good season in Eugene last year with a good season in South Bend. Weber played 29 games for South Bend in May and put up a line of .291/.339/.398 with six doubles, one triple and a home run. Weber scored ten runs and drove home eight.