This series will contain weekly recaps of the performances of each minor league affiliate. Here is the latest installment after the seventh week of the minor league season.
Charlotte Knights (18-28)
Weekly Record: 2-4
For the second time this month, Charlotte took on the Nashville Sounds. The second meeting didn’t go the way the Knights intended, as they dropped four of six to the Sounds, losing three of four games decided by one run. The Knights currently reside in sixth place and 12.5 games back in the Triple-A East Southeast Division.
After absolutely torching the ball last week, the Knights offense came back down to earth against Sounds pitchers. Charlotte hitters had their moments in this series, slashing .262/.355/.390, a 745 OPS with 35 runs, 55 hits in 210 at bats, 11 doubles, two triples, four home runs, 33 RBI, 31 walks to 67 strikeouts, six stolen bases, and were caught stealing once. Complete season totals for the Knights offense can be found here.
Knights pitching endured some struggles against the Nashville offense, being saddled with a 4.91 team ERA, 1.29 WHIP, .262 Batting Average Against, 28 earned runs to 33 runs allowed, 54 hits to 51.1 innings pitched, 12 walks to 66 strikeouts, five hit batters, and seven home runs allowed. To see Charlotte’s complete pitching totals for the season, click here.
Hot Player of the Week
Marco Hernandez: Knights hitters continue to show up well, and Marco Hernandez is the latest Knight to excel at the plate. The infielder was extremely proficient against Nashville pitchers, ending the week with a .353/.476/.824 slash line for a 1.300 OPS, one home run, three doubles, one triple, six runs scored, six RBI, four walks to six strikeouts, one stolen base, and had six hits in 17 at bats.
Honorable Mentions: Matt Reynolds, Jake Burger, and Alex McRae
Birmingham Barons (27-20)
Weekly Record: 4-2
After two straight rough weeks, the Barons righted the ship and found their winning ways against a tough Pensacola squad. After dropping the opener, Birmingham was able to take four of the next five over the Blue Wahoos, securing a much needed series victory. Birmingham is back to leading the Double-A South North division by one game.
The Baron bats bounced back after struggling in the previous two weeks. Birmingham batters wrapped up their series win over Pensacola by hitting .235/.336/.406 for a 743 OPS, 29 runs, 44 hits in 187 at bats, six doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 27 RBI, 26 walks to 57 strikeouts, six stolen bases, and were caught stealing twice. Complete season totals for the Barons offense can be found here.
As the offense improved this past week, Baron pitching also showed big strides against Pensacola. Blue Wahoo batters struggled against the Birmingham pitching staff, as the staff finished the series with a 3.67 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, .210 Batting Average Against, 22 earned runs to 24 runs allowed, 41 hits to 54 innings pitched, 18 walks to 64 strikeouts, four hit batters, and allowed six home runs. Birmingham’s full season pitching totals can be found here.
Hot Player of the Week
Micker Adolfo: Micker Adolfo owned Pensacola pitching this week, and his power is one of the tools that has made him such a tantalizing prospect since joining the system. The 24 year old slugged his way to a .333/.462/.952 slash line for a 1.414 OPS, four home runs, one double, six runs scored, eight RBI, five walks to six strikeouts, and had seven hits in 21 at bats.
Honorable Mentions: Laz Rivera, Kade McClure, and John Parke
Winston-Salem Dash (22-26)
Weekly Record: 2-4
Winston-Salem traveled to Asheville this week, and in a series they’d most like to forget, dropped four of six to the Tourists. The Dash are in sixth place in the High-A East South Division and 10 games out of first place.
After facing some tough pitching the last couple of weeks, Winston-Salem bats found their groove against Asheville pitchers. Dash hitters squared up Tourist pitching to a .300/.394/.469 slash line, an 863 OPS, 43 runs scored, 64 hits in 213 at bats, 12 doubles, no triples, eight home runs, 38 RBI, 26 walks to 65 strikeouts, seven stolen bases, and were caught stealing once. Full season totals for the Winston-Salem offense can be found here.
Where the offense showed up, the pitching for the Dash did not this week. Dash pitchers had an extremely lackluster performance against Asheville hitters, concluding the series with a team ERA of 7.38, 1.80 WHIP, .313 Batting Average Against, 41 earned runs to 46 runs allowed, 66 hits to 50 innings pitched, 24 walks to 69 strikeouts, hit four batters, and allowed 10 home runs. Full season totals for the Dash pitching staff are located here.
Hot Player of the Week
Lenyn Sosa: Lenyn Sosa’s hot June continued into this most recent series, as he’s currently riding a 12 game hit streak. In six games, the Sosa slashed .500/.536/.731 for a 1.266 OPS, one home run, three doubles, five runs scored, seven RBI, one walk to seven strikeouts, and had 13 hits in 26 at bats.
Honorable Mentions: Yolbert Sanchez, Luis Curbelo, and Taylor Varnell
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (15-32)
Weekly Record: 4-2
June has been a very promising month for the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, and the trend continued against Fayetteville this past week. The Cannon Ballers won four of six games against the Woodpeckers, as the young team is starting to find its grove against their Low-A East counterparts. Kannapolis is still in last place in the Low-A East Central division and 13.5 games back of first place.
The Cannon Baller hitters, as a whole, faced some difficulties with Woodpecker pitching in this series. Kannapolis ended the series with a .215/.323/.297 triple slash, a 621 OPS, 31 runs, 42 hits in 195 at-bats, five doubles, one triples, three home runs, 28 RBI, 27 walks to 64 strikeouts, 11 stolen bases, and were not caught stealing. Complete batting stats for the Cannon Ballers can be found here.
Kannapolis pitchers had a solid week on the mound against the Fayetteville lineup. Cannon Baller pitching wrapped the series with a team ERA of 4.02, 1.20 WHIP, .221 Batting Average Against, 25 earned runs to 29 runs allowed, 46 hits to 56 innings pitched, 21 walks to 65 strikeouts, a whopping nine hit batters, and allowed two home runs. To see Kannapolis’ team pitching stats for the year, click here.
Hot Player of the Week
Harvin Mendoza: While the Kannapolis offense mostly struggled this week, Harvin Mendoza excelled. The 22-year-old first baseman had a great week against Woodpeckers pitching, hitting for a .429/.500/.476 slash line, a 976 OPS, no home runs, one double, one run scored, five RBI, three walks to three strikeouts, and had nine hits in 21 at bats.
Honorable Mentions: Luis Mieses, Angel Acevedo, Jesus Valles, and Andrew Dalquist
Photo credit: Caleb Probst/FutureSox
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