Tortugas outfielder named top batter in league for second month of season
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—After an outstanding month at the plate, Daytona Tortugas outfielder Hector Rodriguez has been named the Florida State League Player of the Month for May, as announced by Minor League Baseball on Monday.
Rodriguez was honored alongside Bradenton Marauders RHP J.P Massey, who earned Florida State League Pitcher of the Month honors.
The 19-year-old rebounded after hitting just .185 in April to post a .357.394/.612 slash line in 23 games in May, good for a 1.006 OPS. Rodriguez was 35-for-98 (.357) with 23 runs scored, five doubles, four triples, four home runs, and 14 RBI. In the process, he led all FSL batters in hits, runs, triples, and OPS in the month, while finishing second in batting average and total bases (60). In addition, he posted a 13-game hitting streak from May 16-31, the longest by a Tortuga this season and hit safely in 21 of 23 games played in May.
For the season, Rodriguez is slashing .293/.352/.537 in 42 games, good for an .891 OPS. He has also posted 48 hits, 35 runs, six doubles, five triples, eight home runs, and 25 RBI. Rodriguez is tied for the FSL lead in home runs, is second in slugging, tied for second in triples, is third in total bases, and tied for fourth in runs scored, while ranking further down the top-10 in several other categories.
Rodriguez is in his first full season in the Cincinnati Reds organization after being acquired in a trade with the New York Mets on August 2, 2022, a deal that sent Tyler Naquin and Phillip Diehl to New York. A native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Rodriguez was signed by the Mets as an international free agent on January 15, 2021.
Rodriguez is the first Tortuga to earn a monthly award since RHP Javi Rivera earned FSL Pitcher of the Month honors in June, 2022 and the first Daytona batter to earn such an honor since INF Shed Long Jr. earned Player of the Month accords in May, 2017.
Daytona returns to action Tuesday, June 6 to begin a six-game series against the St. Lucie Mets at Clover Park in Port St. Lucie. The Tortugas will return to Jackie Robinson Ballpark on Tuesday, June 13 to begin a 12-game homestand, with six games against the Jupiter Hammerheads followed by six games with the Palm Beach Cardinals.
Single-game tickets, group packages, season tickets, and more are currently available and can be purchased online at www.daytonatortugas.com or by calling the Tortugas’ Ticket Office at (386) 257-3172.
