Bonifacio Named NL Player Of The Month

MIAMI (CBSMiami.com) – When the Florida Marlins began trying to rebuild after a miserable June, one player took the team and led by example. Now, Emilio Bonifacio has been rewarded for his stellar play in July.

Bonifacio was named the NL Player of the Month in July, Wednesday. In July, Bonifacio hit .380, had an on-base plus slugging percentage of .916, and put together a career-best 26-game hitting streak.

Plus, Bonifacio was just as lethal on the basepath as he was at the plate. The Marlins utility man stole 16 bases in July, which put him sixth in the entire NL for stolen bases.

"He causes the pitchers to think a little about what he might do and concentrate on that, and he might give the hitter something good to hit. He applies so much pressure when he's on the bases," Marlins manager Jack McKeon told MLB.com.

Bonifacio leads all Marlins batters with a .295 average for the season, and leads the team in stolen bases with 25.