While the season hasn't been successful for the Emeralds in terms of wins and losses, the Emeralds have had some  individuals stand out this season.  Players like Jedd Gyroko and Matt Lollis have had great seasons, and have since earned promotions to Fort Wayne.  Besides these two aforementioned prospects, a few Emeralds enjoyed solid months of July.  So let's take a look at the players of the month for July.

    Hitter of the Month:  Wesley Cunningham.  Cunningham, the Padres 17th round pick in the 2010 draft, has been one of the most consistent Emeralds this season.  For the month of July, Cunningham hit .333/.418/.423 with 1 HR and 11 RBI's.  He has also displayed versatility, playing first base, and the corner outfield.  He has even displayed a little speed, swiping 4 bags in 5 attempts.

   Pitcher of the Month:  Matthew Branham.  Branham,has been a solid contributor for the Emeralds, starting the season out of the pen, but in July he moved into the rotation.  Branham, the Padres 27th round pick in the 2010 draft, put up solid numbers in July.  Branham had a record of 2-2 with a 3.00 ERA in 24 innings.  He showed great control striking out 21 and walking just four.  At 6'5, Branham fits in with the collection of tall arms throughout the Padres system.

Congratulations to our players of the month.

 Players of the Month for June/July

 As the first month of play comes to an end in the Northwest League, The Emeralds currently stand in last place with a record of 9-14.  What that record does not indicate, is that more than a few Eugene Emeralds are enjoying fantastic individual seasons.  There were many candidates for both hitter and pitcher of the month.  But alas, only one player can win each award, so here are the winners.

Hitter of the Month:  Jedd Gyroko

Jedd, the Padres 2010 second round pick out of West Virginia University, has arguably been the best player so far in the Northwest League. He currently has a slash line of .354/.384/.610 in the first month of the season. He also leads the league with 5 HR's and is second with 16 RBI's. He has also hit .333 with runners in scoring position, showing that he is also a clutch performer

Pitcher of the Month:  Keyvius Sampson

Keyvius Sampson, the Padres 4th round pick in the 2009 draft, has been a dominant force so far for Eugene.  Keyvius currently sports a 2-0 record with a league-leading 1.88 ERA.  In 24 innings, he has 36 strikeouts(which lead the Northwest League) to go with just 5 walks.  He has also held righties to a .161 average.