Former CWL players have been making big waves in the professional circuits this past month, and that continued with catcher Vincent DiFazio and Ryan Zimmerman being respectively named American Association Player and Pitcher of the Month for June. We are proud to see both players excelling in their post-CWL careers, and we hope to see a new crop of talented players come January for the 2016 CWL season.

Vincent DiFazio

DURHAM, NC- With a red-hot month at the plate that included being named the American Association Pointstreak Player of the Week for the week ending June 21, St. Paul Saints C Vinny DiFazio has been named the Rawlings Player of the Month for June.

DiFazio recorded an incredible 11 multi-hit games on the month, all coming consecutively from June 12-23. In his red-hot week from June 15-21, DiFazio was 18-for-29 with two doubles, two home runs and nine RBI.

DiFazio began his week with a 3-for-5 game on June 15 against the Winnipeg Goldeyes, a game St. Paul won 8-1. He hit the first of his two home runs in the game and drove in two. A day later, DiFazio went 4-for-5 in a game the Saints lost 4-3. He added another RBI in the losing effort. The Hampton, N.J. resident continued to tear up Winnipeg with a 4-for-5 game on June 17, picking up a double, an RBI and two runs scored in a 5-4 St. Paul win.

The Saints returned home to CHS Field on June 19 to face the Gary SouthShore RailCats. DiFazio kept on hitting, checking in with a 2-for-3 game with three RBI and two runs scored as the Saints rolled 15-2. The former University of Alabama player tuned in a 2-for-6 game on June 20, hitting his second home run of the week, driving in two and scoring two runs. Unfortunately for the Saints, they lost 8-5 in 11 innings. On Sunday, DiFazio finished his searing week with a 3-for-5 game against the RailCats. He hit his second double of the week and scored a run as St. Paul won 9-3.

On the year, DiFazio is now hitting a whopping .405 (45-for-111). He has five doubles, a triple and eight home runs with 34 RBI.

DiFazio was a member of the Grand Prairie AirHogs last season, and was named an American Association South Division All-Star.

Ryan Zimmerman

DURHAM, NC- After collecting a Pointstreak Pitcher of the Week Honor and winning all five of his starts, Sioux City Explorers RHP Ryan Zimmerman has been named the American Association Rawlings Pitcher of the Month for June. Zimmerman allowed only eight earned runs over 38 innings during the month, racking up 36 strikeouts along the way.

Zimmerman’s best effort of the month came on June 16 against the Lincoln Saltdogs. He fired a complete-game shutout, allowed only four hits and no walks in his outing, striking out six Saltdogs as Sioux City rolled 5-0. That performance earned him Pitcher of the Week for the week ending June 21.

He also worked eight innings on two other occasions. On June 5, he held the Grand Prairie AirHogs to just two runs while striking out four in an 8-2 win. The Fremont, Calif. resident logged eight more innings on June 26 in a 9-2 win over the Amarillo Thunderheads. He scattered seven hits and struck out 10 in that performance.

On the season, Zimmerman is now 6-1 with a 2.00 ERA. In 54 innings, he has 48 strikeouts and only 15 walks.

Zimmerman was picked by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 30th round of the 2010 Major League Baseball draft, but did not appear due to an injury. This is his first year with the Explorers after spending 2014 in the Frontier League.