Lincoln Saltdogs LHP Greg Minier Named July Pitcher of the Month by TWITA, GoMLSR
American Association Daily provides insights, features, and recaps of the action from around the American Association of Professional Baseball League, as well as player and coaching profiles and transactions. In today’s edition, This Week in the Association and Minor League Sports Report name Lincoln Saltdogs left-hander Greg Minier Pitcher of the Month for July.
Lincoln Saltdogs Left-Hander Greg Minier Named July’s Top Pitcher
On Monday, This Week in the Association and the Minor League Sports Report named Lincoln Saltdogs left-hander Greg Minier as the American Association Pitcher of the Month for July. Minier had an impressive month, going 3-1 with a 1.61 ERA in five starts.
After beginning the season 2-4 while posting a 2.86 ERA in his first eight starts, Greg Minier caught fire in July, beginning with a 4-1 victory over the Milwaukee milkmen on July 4. It was a celebratory occasion for the left-hander, as he allowed one run on five hits in 6.0 innings, striking out seven. Minier retired seven of the first eight batters he faced, but a two-out hit by Logan Trowbridge followed by a triple by Bryan Torres tied the score at one. Minier then took command of this game, not allowing another hit until two were down in the sixth. Then, the Milkmen loaded the bases on three straight singles, but the pitcher got a ground out to end the threat.
On July 10, Minier hamstrung the Kansas City Monarchs, allowing zero earned runs in 6.0 innings in a 4-1 victory. The Saltdogs staked their starter to a 4-0 lead through the first two innings, and he made that stand, tossing five scoreless frames to start the contest. In the sixth, an error put runners at the corners in a sacrifice fly finally brought home a run against the left-hander, but many are settled down, allowing seven hits and two walks while striking out eight in 6.0 innings.
On July 18, Minier came off the inactive list and suffered his only loss of the month, giving up four runs in 7.0 innings to the Sioux City Explorers. Sioux City scored three in the first, then Minier shut them down for the next five frames before they finally added one more run in the seventh. He allowed nine hits while striking out seven.
On July 23, the left-hander tossed three shutout innings against the Lake Country DockHounds before rains came, suspending the contest until the next day. He allowed two hits and no walks while striking out one.
The final start of the month came on Friday against the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks. The Lincoln ace was spectacular, allowing four hits and no runs in 6.0 innings, striking out 11. The 11 strikeouts were a season-high, and matched his 11 strikeouts against the Houston Apollos, set last September.
In July, Minier was 3-1 with a 1.61 ERA. In 28.0 innings he allowed 27 hits and seven walks while striking out 34. His 1.61 ERA with second best and the 34 strikeouts were third overall. He did not allow a homerun in any of his five starts.
Greg Minier was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 32nd round of the 2017 MLB amateur draft. He spent one season in the White Sox organization, playing eight games in the Pioneer League at Great Falls. Arm troubles kept him out of baseball for the next three seasons, but he returned to the mound in 2021, becoming the ace of the Saltdogs staff. In this season, he was 9-4 with a 3.87 ERA in 25 appearances, 13 of which were starts. The left-hander struck out 90 in 86.0 innings. This season he has struck out 73 in 72.0 innings.
2022 American Association Pitchers of the Month
May – Myles Smith, Milwaukee Milkmen
June – Luis Ramirez, Winnipeg Goldeyes
By Robert Pannier