The Knights’ six-game series against the Norfolk Tides (Orioles) in Charlotte was a tale of two teams — the one that had a red-hot Jake Burger in the lineup on Tuesday and Wednesday and the one that struggled for offense after his departure. That futility culminated with 2-1 loss to the Tides on Sunday.
Before leaving to join the White Sox, Burger had an amazing two games. On Tuesday, he needed just nine pitches to hammer a home run, double and two singles (plus two walks). He followed that up on Wednesday with a single and double, both with over 100 mph exit velos.
In its first game without Burger, on Thursday, the team banged out 14 hits, including five doubles and two homers. But the team hit just .181 with five extra-base hits in the final three games of the series, suggesting lean times ahead for the offense.
Demoted from Chicago, Yermin Mercedes joined the lineup for the final two games of the series and was hitless on Saturday but added a pop-up-turned-single and double on Sunday. Infielder Ti’Quan Forbes also was promoted from Birmingham to Charlotte in time for Sunday’s July Fourth game. With a career minor-league batting average of .253, Forbes was off to a terrific start in Birmingham this year, hitting .299 with 14 extra-base hits including four home runs.
At best, Forbes will continue getting on base at a solid clip. But he is unlikely to remedy the Knights power deficit. Manager Wes Helms acknowledged that the loss of Burger, and Sheets one week earlier, will require the team to play more small ball.
The Next Call-Up?
The White Sox have been decimated by injuries but should the unthinkable happen and they are forced to turn to the Knights for yet another bat — who is left that can help them? The Knights have played 52 games now (21-31). That’s a decent sample to draw some conclusions. And although players can and some will turn it around, we have a clearer picture of who could help the major-league team between now and the trade deadline.
Here are the options:
It isn’t Burger or Sheets who leads the Knights in home runs, it is Tim Beckham (11). The former #1 overall pick has steadily improved during the season and his average and OPS now stand at .279 and .875, respectively. But he’s battled through some type of leg injury this season and was removed from Saturday’s game after struggling to run the bases. He was not in the lineup on Sunday.
Marco Hernandez is another veteran who has quietly had a good year. With Burger’s departure, Hernandez is the only Knight (excluding Forbes, who was one for three in his first game) hitting over .300 (at .305). But he’s a slower version of Nick Madrigal, and may not be as good of a defender either. Among others, Seby Zavala was removed from Friday’s game and put on the White Sox taxi squad in case Yasmani Grandal needed an IL stint. But Zavala was given about 10 days off a month ago with concussion-like symptoms and has yet to come close to regaining his stroke since.
Luis Gonzalez has had two cups of coffee in the big leagues but has failed to stick yet. Blake Rutherford has flashed a smooth opposite-field, line-drive approach at times but not with anywhere near enough consistency. Nick Williams is a name that hasn’t been on White Sox fans’ radar but is finally getting regular at bats. He’s a tremendous defender and time will tell if his bat is up to the task but he could be the surprise here. He did hit 17 homers for the Phillies in 407 at bats in 2018 and is only 27.
So, in short, there are not a lot of immediate options that jump off the stat sheet.
But Don’t Forget Trade Bait
Even if some of these players aren’t ready for prime-time in Chicago, they are certainly prime trade candidates, especially Burger and Sheets, as well as Gonzalez. A playoff-bound team might also want a guy like Beckham for bench depth, assuming he is healthy, and a rebuilding team might take a chance on Rutherford or Williams.
And I’d be shocked if both of the Knights’ two best young pitching prospects, Jimmy Lambert and Jonathan Stiever, are still with the organization after the trade deadline.
On The Mound
Lambert turned in his best start of the season last week, with 5.2 innings of two-hit shutout ball. The Knights other young stud, Stiever, repeated a familiar pattern of his last few outings: a dominating start except one rough inning when he suddenly can’t locate his pitches. But it is all part of learning to be a major-league pitcher, and the only question is when will he turn that next corner.
One thing seems to be a certainty with the Knights’ staff — Mike Wright delivering a quality start, and the veteran right-hander did it again last week, with a strong seven-inning effort. Wright isn’t on the White Sox 40-man roster and it is unclear if he’d be in demand by another team at the trade deadline, given his lack of effectiveness in his first stint in the major leagues. But it is a joy watching him pitch this year and it’d be fun to see what he can do with another shot in the bigs.
Among the Knights’ two other starters, Reynaldo Lopez had another brutal start but Alex McRae seems to be taking well to his new role as a starter. McRae was especially impressive in Sunday’s loss, with six innings of three-hit ball, plus 10 strikeouts.
The bullpen remains a mixed bag. Overall, the staff is finally attacking hitters more aggressively, and walking far fewer batters, especially lead-off hitters. Three lefties — Nik Turley, Hunter Schryver and Kodi Medeiros — have had nice stretches of effectiveness of late, and Zack Burdi’s return from Chicago this week should also provide a lift to the pen. Tanner Banks and Kyle Kubat continue to share the middle-relief role adequately. But there’s no one who stands out as someone who needs to be in Chicago ASAP.
Up Next
The Knights make their first of three trips on the season to Jacksonville to square off against the Jumbo Shrimp (Marlins). The two teams met in Charlotte in mid-June with Charlotte winning three of five, with one rainout that will be made up in late-July.
Jacksonville stands in third place in the seven-team Triple-A East/Southeast Division at 29-23. The Jumbo Shrimp are 6th in the 20-team Triple-A East in batting average, at .256, and 13th in home runs. Its pitching staff ranks 14th in team ERA.
A tropical storm, Elsa, is expected to move into Florida this week, putting Tuesday and Wednesday’s games in jeopardy.
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Well reported, sir! Your knowledge of (and passion for) the game shines through.