(Gary, IN) With the month of July coming to a close, the Gary SouthShore RailCats have announced their Methodist Hospitals July Player of the Month. The honor goes to left fielder Kevin Watson Jr. 

Watson Jr. joined the team late in spring training and was batting second in the lineup on Opening Day. The left-handed hitter opened the month with a 3-for-4 performance, including two triples, against the Kane County Cougars and never slowed down. 

In 27 games during July, Watson recorded 28 hits, with half of them going for extra-base hits, including eight doubles, two triples, and four home runs. He posted a .318 batting average, a .591 slugging percentage, and a 1.021 OPS. His slugging percentage and OPS both led the RailCats. League-wide, his OPS ranked eighth and his slugging percentage ranked seventh in the American Association. 

“Watty (Watson) gave a jolt to our offense when we really needed it,” RailCats manager Jeff Isom said. “He really showed his ability to hit for power, run the bases well, and come through in clutch spots for us.” 

The RailCats will hit the road tomorrow to begin a series against the first-place Milwaukee Milkmen. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Franklin Field. 

The RailCats will return home for a weekend series against the Kane County Cougars. Friday will be Union Night, and Sunday will be Sensory Awareness Day, with the RailCats wearing specialty jerseys that will be auctioned off. Tickets are available at Tixr.com/RailCats, and a free livestream of all games can be viewed on AABaseball.tv.