Diamondbacks Award Christian Cerda and Joe Elbis MiLB Player of the Month

Young Prospects Christian Cerda and Joe Elbis are awarded Diamondbacks MiLB players of the month. Here is how each of them performed.

Visalia Rawhide's Christian Cerda runs to first Tuesday, April 11, 2023 during their home opener against the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. 0411 Bb Rc Rawhide 8375t / Ron Holman / Visalia Times-Delta / USA

The Arizona Diamondbacks handed out some awards yesterday, crowning MiLB catcher Christian Cerda and RHP Joe Elbis with Player of the Month honors.

Every month during the regular season, a Diamondbacks Position Player and Pitcher are elected by the Player Development staff to fill the MiLB Player of the Month honors. This time, the title goes to a couple of players in High A Hillsboro.

The Diamondbacks originally acquired Christian Cerda, a 21-year-old Catcher out of New York, in a trade that sent David Peralta to the Tampa Bay Rays and was promoted to High A Hillsboro last July.

In June, Cerda hit .382 with a .907 OPS with 6 RBI and 11 runs scored. This includes 7 multi-hit games in only 18 games played. Among High A catchers, Cerda ranked 1st in OBP, 2nd in Average, and was tied for 6th in Hits and OPS. Cerda is currently the #23 ranked Diamondbacks prospect on MLB's prospect rankings.

Moving over to the pitching side of things, RHP Joe Elbis has had an incredible season for the Hops already. In 82 innings and 14 starts, he has recorded a 7-2 record with a 2.52 ERA and 71 Ks. In June he took things to another level, going 4-2 with a 2.08 ERA, allowing only 8 ER in 34.2 IP. Opponents hit only .227 against him, as he struck out 29 in 5 starts.

Elbis pitched 7 or more innings in 3 of his 5 outings and never allowed more than 2 walks. His command mixed with his strikeout stuff made him nearly untouchable throughout the whole month.

He was originally signed by the Diamondbacks in 2019 out of Venezuela and isn't listed among MLB's top 30 ranked prospects in the Diamondbacks system, though that may quickly change with his dominant 2024 season thus far.

These two young players are a representation of the young and talented system the Diamondbacks still possess. Even though it may not be as highly touted of a prospect group as it was a couple of years ago with the likes of Corbin Carroll and Brandon Pfaadt graduating, the new names coming up have a lot of potential to yield.