June 4, 2016 at 9:00 AM
May Players of the Month: Josh Ockimey and Aaron Wilkerson
First baseman Josh Ockimey (pictured) and right-handed pitcher Aaron Wilkerson are the Player and Pitcher of the Month for May, as voted on by the SoxProspects.com community.
Ockimey has arguably been the top performer in the system this season, with a current line that sits at .298/.437/.538 over 171 at-bats for Greenville. He took it to another level in May, batting .321/.467/.548 over 84 at-bats. Ockimey was a fifth-round pick in the 2014 draft out of Neumann-Goretti High School in Philadelphia, and he has continued to flash the power potential that made the Red Sox take a chance on him. Ockimey slugged four home runs and seven doubles in May to go along with 23 walks and 26 strikeouts. He reportedly began wearing contact lenses in 2016 that greatly improved his vision. The accolades have begun to trickle in for the 20-year-old slugger, as he won the SoxProspects.com Player of the Week awards for April 11-17 and May 9-15 of this season, and he was ranked 15th in the most recent Prospect Hot Sheet from Baseball America.
The subject of Matt Huegel's most recent feature, Wilkerson has put himself on the map in 2016 as he has been the most productive starter in the upper minors for Boston. Wilkerson has bounced around between Portland and Pawtucket this season, pitching for both teams in May with an ERA of 1.16 over 31 innings, with the majority of those innings coming with the Sea Dogs. Batters hit only .157 off the 27-year-old, and he struck out 31 while walking only 10. Wilkerson won the SoxProspects.com Pitcher of Week awards for April 11-17 and May 2-8 of this season, and his 2.20 ERA is the lowest among starters in the system.
Photo Credit: Josh Ockimey by Kelly O'Connor