Cubs name OF D.J. Wilson organization’s Minor League Player of the Month for July … RHP Jen-Ho Tseng Takes Home Cubs’ Minor League Pitcher of the Month for July Honors
The Cubs named Low-A South Bend outfielder D.J. Wilson and Triple-A Iowa right-handed pitcher Jen-Ho Tseng the organization’s Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Month for July, respectively. This is Tseng’s second monthly award, as he previously earned the honor in July of 2014 with Low-A Kane County.
D.J. Wilson, 20, batted a combined .284 (23-for-81) with five doubles, seven home runs and 21 RBI in July, appearing in three games with Rookie League Mesa and 20 games with South Bend. Wilson began the month with Mesa in a three-game rehab assignment coming back from a right ankle injury, and hit .500 (4-for-8) with a double, three home runs and five RBI. He was activated by South Bend, July 8, and hit .260 (19-for-73) with four doubles, a triple, four homers, 16 RBI and 14 runs scored through the end of the month. Wilson had a career-day, July 10 at Dayton, going 4-for-5 with three runs scored and a career-high six RBI.
The five-foot, eight-inch, 177-pound center fielder is batting .242/.322/.447 (53-for-219) with 11 doubles, five triples, eight home runs, 37 RBI, 12 stolen bases, a .770 OPS and five outfield assists in 64 games with South Bend this season.
Selected by the Cubs in the fourth round of the 2015 Draft, Wilson was ranked as the ninth-best Cubs prospect by Baseball America prior to this season. In three seasons in the organization, Wilson is batting .256/.326/.419 (141-for-551) with 30 doubles, nine triples, 14 home runs, 77 RBI, a .746 OPS and 39 stolen bases in 152 games played.
Jen Ho-Tseng, 22, earned his first promotion to Triple-A following his first-career 10-strikeout game, July 3 versus Jacksonville with Double-A Tennessee. Tseng won all four of his July starts with Iowa, posting a 1.42 ERA (four earned runs in 25 1/3 innings), tied for the second-best mark in the Pacific Coast League in the month. His .204 opponent average (19-for-93) during July was the third-lowest in the PCL. Between Tennessee and Iowa, Tseng was 4-1 with a 2.25 ERA (eight earned runs in 32 innings) in five July starts with 33 strikeouts compared to seven walks.
The six-foot, one-inch right-hander immediately made an impact at the Triple-A level, netting PCL Pitcher of the Week (July 17-23) honors after going 2-0 with a 0.64 ERA (one earned run in 14 innings). He tossed seven innings in each of those two outings, July 17 versus Nashville and July 22 versus Oklahoma City, allowing just seven hits and striking out 13 batters.
In 20 starts (15 with Tennessee, five with Iowa) this season, Tseng is 11-4 with a 2.77 ERA (37 earned runs in 120 1/3 innings) and a 1.13 WHIP, good for the second-best ERA in the Cubs’ minor league system. He has fanned an organization-high 110 batters, while walking just 32. He was named a 2017 Mid-Season Southern League All-Star, his first-career selection to an All-Star roster. His 11 wins are tied for the most by any Cubs farmhand.
Tseng was signed as a non-drafted free agent by Chicago in July of 2013. He was named the organization’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year for the 2014 season, his first professional campaign. He holds a career 30-20 record, a 3.26 ERA (166 earned runs in 457 2/3 innings) and a 1.18 WHIP in 83 games (81 starts) across four seasons with the Cubs.