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, the Minor League Sports Report and This Week in the Association name Kansas City Monarchs infielder Morgan McCullough as the PURE Performance Rookie of the Year in the American Association for the 2021 season.

This Week in the Association and Minor League Sports Report Sponsored by PURE

Morgan McCullough Given PURE Performance Rookie of the Year

The Minor League Sports Report and This Week in the Association announced that Kansas City Monarchs infielder Morgan McCullough was named as the PURE Performance Rookie of the Year in the American Association. The Monarchs infielder had a spectacular season, leading all rookies with a .333 batting average.

This season was made even more impressive by the fact that McCullough was not expected to even see much playing time early on. Injuries opened the door, and the rookie took full advantage. In May, McCullough appeared in seven games, hitting .250 in limited action.

In June, the rookie only saw a very limited amount as well, appearing in 15 games for just 46 at bats. McCullough hit .217 during the month, hitting three home runs and driving in six. He struck out 16 times and finished with a .280 batting average.

However, in July, McCullough caught fire. Earning a regular spot in the everyday lineup, he hit .420 in 25 games, scoring 23 runs and driving in 18. The infielder added 15 walks for a .515 on base percentage and finished with a .580 slugging percentage and a 1.096 OPS. He became the everyday shortstop for Kansas City and did a spectacular job defensively as well, committing just two errors.

In August, he continued to excel. McCullough hit .359 in 29 games with 18 extra-base hits. He scored 29 runs and drove in 29, hitting eight homeruns. McCullough finished with a .417 on base percentage and a 1.092 OPS. As he had in the previous month, he committed just two errors.

Over the final week of the season, McCullough hit .222 in four games. He still managed to have four RBI.

For the season, Morgan McCullough hit .333 with 66 runs scored and 59 RBI in 80 games. The Monarchs infielder hit 18 homers, three triples, and 13 homers. He led all rookies with a .406 on-base percentage and his .557 slugging percentage led all rookies as well.

Ulrich, Berry, Minier Recognized as Well

Sioux Falls Canaries infielder Wyatt Ulrich finished second in the voting for PURE Performance Rookie of the Year. The rookie finished with a .327 batting average, eighth best in the American Association. Ulrich had a thrilling couple of months as he put together the longest hitting streak in the league this season, stretching it to 29 games (6/5-7/10). He came five games short of the league record for reaching base in consecutive games, reaching in 51 consecutive contests before the streak ended.  The Canaries infielder finished second among rookies with a .402 on-base percentage.

Houston Apollos IF Blake Berry and Lincoln Saltdogs LHP Greg Minier also received recognition. Berry had a spectacular season for the Apollos, hitting .304 in 87 games with 57 runs scored and 32 RBI. Berry finished with a .398 on-base percentage.

Minier was spectacular for the Saltdogs, going 9-4 with a 3.87 ERA in 25 appearances, 13 of which were starts. The lefty started the season in the bullpen, but moved to the rotation where he was spectacular, going 6-4.

For earning PURE Performance Rookie of the Year, Morgan McCullough will receive a check for $1000 from PURE as well as a trophy recognizing him as the PURE Performance Rookie of the Year.

This Week in the Association and Minor League Sports Report Sponsored by PURE

About PURE

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by Robert Pannier