Down on the farm: Arozarena, YaSenka named top Cards minor leaguers for July
One is a step away from the big leagues; the other is farther off. But both are turning heads in the Cardinals’ minor league system.
Randy Arozarena, an outfielder at Triple-A Memphis, and Michael YaSenka, a 2019 draftee who is pitching for Johnson City in the Rookie League, were named the organization’s Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Month, respectively, for July.
Arozarena, 24, hit .360 with nine doubles, one triple, three home runs and 14 RBIs in 25 games in July. Add in his June games since joining the Redbirds in the middle of the month and he has a .379 average with six homers and 26 RBIs in 45 Triple-A games. He has a combined .354 average with nine homers, 41 RBIs and 50 runs in 73 games between Memphis and Double-A Springfield this season.
It hasn’t been even two months since YaSenka, 21, was drafted by the Cardinals in the 17th round out of Eastern Illinois University. He is 2-1 with a 0.56 ERA in seven games (five starts) with Johnson City, including a 1-2 mark with a 0.64 ERA in July. The right-hander has 37 strikeouts in 30.2 innings this season.
