Tyler Carpenter and Jose Briceno Win Angels Organizational Player of the Month Awards for April

SAN BERNARDINO >> The Los Angeles Angels announced on Monday that Inland Empire 66ers Starting Pitcher Tyler Carpenter and Catcher Jose Briceno were named top pitcher and top defensive player in the organization for the month of April. Carpenter, originally slated for the bullpen, was moved to the starting rotation following an injury to the starting staff. The Georgia Gwinnett alum never relinquished his spot going 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA over his four starts in the month of April. His last start of the month was his strongest as he threw eight innings of one run ball against Rancho Cucamonga striking out seven Quakes while only yielding five hits. The strong start to the season earned Carpenter a promotion to AA Arkansas on Thursday, May 5th. Jose Briceno, who came to the Angels along with Andrelton Simmons in the deal that sent Erik Aybar, Chris Ellis and Sean Newcomb to the Braves, was a defensive stalwart behind the plate. The Maracaibo, Venezuela native has thrown out 37% of would be base-stealers and recorded 19 assists to start the season.