It was a newsworthy week for Knights prospects highlighted by Jake Burger’s surprise move to second base. Top pitching prospects Jonathan Stiever and Jimmy Lambert had flashes of sheer dominance, Gavin Sheets continued to rake and Blake Rutherford broke out of a mini-slump with a dramatic grand slam.
Several other guys also got into the act, led by Tim Beckham, who smashed six homeruns in four games; Zach Remillard, who returned to the lineup with a two-homerun game; and Old Reliable, Mike Wright, who won his fourth in a row.
Overall, the team won three of five against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Marlins) and showed real signs of improved play. Matt Reynolds, Mikie Mahtook and Marco Hernandez also put together multiple nice at bats this week, and the bane of the team so far this season, the bullpen, may be turning a corner as well.
Let’s dive in.
The Stats
The team hit .333 in its three wins, and .292 for the five-game series, including 16 homeruns. Through 40 games, the team is hitting .246, 10th best in the 20-team Triple-A East. The team’s 57 homeruns is fifth best in the league.
The staff ranks 18th in ERA (5.47), 19th in WHIP (1.57), last in walks (224) and 7th in strikeouts (390).
Burger’s Move To Second
Manager Wes Helms said the idea to try Burger at second base was conceived with White Sox Director of Player Development Chris Getz before Nick Madrigal’s injury so fans shouldn’t dream of a swift call-up. It could happen, but apparently was not the motivation.
Burger played two games at second base. Helms said he thought it’d take a minimum of 25 games for Burger to get comfortable at the new position. Burger’s first game at second base was quiet, but he was involved in numerous, and various plays in his second game there and pretty much looked like a third baseman who had never played second base before.
This is a tough call. On the one hand, he doesn’t appear to have the quickness and footwork to play the position. But, then on Saturday, he moved back to third base late in the game and made a sensational diving grab on a hard grounder up the line.
So this will be a fascinating month. He has the grit and work ethic to get it done, and the perfect attitude — he is just so happy to be playing baseball regularly again. He may just pull this off.
The Bats
White Sox fans are generally dismissive of Tim Beckham’s amazing run, but he signed with the team for $1.35 million this year so it is hard to believe the brass wouldn’t seriously consider calling him up if he continues to hit, even if he isn’t on the 40-man roster.
Somewhat lost in the excitement of Beckham’s homeruns and Burger’s double play pivots was another exceptional week by Sheets. He was 5-16, with a double, homerun, five RBI and four runs scored. He is seeing the ball so well, as evidenced by his six walks, and making a lot of contact, as reflected in his just three strikeouts. His .288 batting average is 17th best in the league.
Burger also had a big week with the bat, going 8-21 and driving the ball for several extra-base hits — two homeruns, a triple and two doubles. He had seven RBI, scored four times and walked once.
On the season, Burger is striking out 28% of the time but fanned only four times this week. He said this week that he working on chasing less pitches out of the zone.
Rutherford’s grand slam came on the heels of a 1-12 week with six strikeouts. But the lefty also hit his grand slam against a left-handed pitcher, which is significant. Rutherford has been struggling against lefties but has taken a lot of extra batting practice lately against machines that replicate left-handed pitching.
And speaking of second basemen not named Madrigal, it was a nice return to the lineup this week for Remillard, who was 3-3 with two homeruns. A bruised hand prompted Remillard to work with hitting coach Chris Johnson on his grip, and the results were evident.
Hernandez and Reynolds have been solid all year, and that continued this week. Reynolds’ 11-game hit streak ended Friday but a new one resumed Saturday with a double. Mahtook also looked locked in this week and made nice contact.
One noticable bat who did not hit well this week was Seby Zavala. The catcher has been swinging the bat well this year, until a few weeks ago when he left the lineup with concussion-like symptoms. Chances are that he’ll regain his stroke sooner than later.
The Arms
Stiever and Lambert were both unhittable for the first few innings of their starts this week. But both ran into trouble in the fourth inning, Stiever losing the feel for his breaking pitches and Lambert becoming frustrated and over-compensating in an effort to get out of a jam.
Consistency is the challenge for young pitchers, and both studs continue to progress on that front. Throwing their secondaries for strikes is also an essential part of a young pitcher’s growth, and both had stretches this week of impeccable control.
Whether there’s a call-up in his future, or how much longer his run will continue remains to be seen, but Wright is having a season to remember. He has now gone at least six innings in five straight, has won his last four and has an ERA and WHIP on the season of 2.32 and 0.91, respectively.
Unfortunately, another starter, Reynaldo Lopez, continues to struggle.
The bullpen had its best week of the season. Most significantly, the guys stopped walking so many hitters. Helms and pitching coach Matt Zaleski have preached all year to trust your staff, be aggressive and pitch to soft contact. And, for the first time this season, the staff appears to be doing just that, with just three walks in its last four games.
Up Next
The Knights heads to Nashville to face the Milwaukee affiliate. The Sounds are 25-14, second in the seven-team Southeast Division (Charlotte is fifth, at 16-24).
It could prove to be one of the more pivotal series of the young season, and certainly one of the more fascinating ones. Does the team take its newfound offensive mojo on the road? What twists and turns lie ahead in the Burger-to-second-base experiment? Can the bullpen continue its recent improvement? Stay tuned.
Photo credit: Laura Wolff/Charlotte Knights
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The Sox don’t need to move Burger to second base. For what? Madrigal has it when he returns next year; Leury Garcia and Danny Mendick — both natural middle infielders — have t for now. If everybody else in the Sox lineup hit like they’re supposed to, you won’t nered your second baseman, whoever that is, to hit as well. Plus, there’s another seasoned middle infielder in Tim Beckham who should get the call up before Burger does, anyway. Where Jake could most benefit the Sox is in a move to right field, where his third baseman’s arm would fit in intrinsically. If Andrew Vaughn can learn to play left, in the absence of Eloy Jimenez, Jake Burger can learn to play right where his potentially big bat would “play” better than at second base. Adam Eaton is on the downslide, with only one year’s contract to consider before “he gone.” And no one else in the minors — with the possible exception of Gavin Sheets now — has the goods to take over in right. Adam Engel, when Jiminez and Robert return, is still figured to be a fourth outfielder. So…forget the “Mike Moustakis” experiment for Jake. Train him for right field. It’s where he’s needed most.
Interesting idea, Joel. Perhaps it means that the Sox have Sheets penciled in at RF in 2022, and see Burger more as 2B/3B/DH…or trade bait.