With a month of baseball already in the books, the Miami Marlins have some minor league awards to hand out. Outfielder Destin Hood earned the Minor League Player of the Month Award and right-hander Austin Brice won the Minor League Pitcher of the Month Award.

Destin Hood

Destin Hood is a 26-year-old outfielder playing for the Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs. He has yet to make a Major League appearance, but has spent time in the Washington Nationals, Philadelphia Phillies, and Cleveland Indians organizations before joining the Marlins prior to this season. He was originally drafted in 2008 by the Nationals in the second round. For his minor league career, spanning 784 games and 3177 plate appearances, Hood is slashing .268/.327/.409 with 57 home runs and 64 stolen bases. This season, he is slashing .282/.357/.553 with 6 home runs and 22 RBIs. At this point, he is a depth piece and perhaps a future reserve outfielder. The upside is limited, but it is always good to see player playing well in the high minors in case an injury strikes a member of the active roster.

Austin Brice

Austin Brice is a 23-year-old right-handed starting pitcher currently pitching for the Double-A Jacksonville Suns. He was drafted by the Marlins out of high school in the ninth round of the 2010 draft. He has spent his entire career in the Marlins organization, pitching to a 37-37 record with a 4.26 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP. While his career numbers aren’t particularly impressive, Brice seems to have “flipped a switch” this season and is producing much better results. The best part? They appear to be sustainable, not a product of a hot streak or a small sample size. In winning Pitcher of the Month for April, Brice pitched 28 innings, posting a 1-1 record and a 1.29 ERA. His 7.39 K/9 is unimpressive and lower than his career average, but his 1.93 BB/9 shows pinpoint command, much better than in previous seasons. Brice does not have ace upside, but he could be a solid contributor in the back of the Marlins rotation in the future.