This series will contain weekly recaps of the performances of each minor league affiliate. Here is the latest installment after the eleventh week of the minor league season.
Charlotte Knights (26-44)
Weekly Record: 1-5
Charlotte had a date with the Durham Bulls this week. Micker Adolfo made his Triple-A debut and Yermin Mercedes had a rather curious week (on a personal level), but things could’ve turned out better for the Knights as a club. Charlotte dropped five of six to the league leading Bulls as the Knights struggles continued. The Knights currently reside in sixth place and 23 games back in the Triple-A East Southeast Division.
Even though Charlotte lost five of six against Durham, the Knights had a respectable offensive week overall. Knights batters slashed .278/.315/.483, a 798 OPS with 26 runs scored, 57 hits in 205 at bats, seven doubles, one triple, 11 home runs, 25 RBI, 12 walks to 58 strikeouts, no stolen bases, and were caught stealing three times. Complete season totals for the Knights offense can be found here.
Knights pitching technically improved upon last weeks performance, but left much to be desired. Charlotte pitchers were hit around by Durham, concluding the week with a team ERA of 7.16, 1.63 WHIP, .262 Batting Average Against, 39 earned runs to 40 runs allowed, 51 hits to 49 innings pitched, 29 walks to 52 strikeouts, four hit batters, and allowed 12 home runs. To see Charlotte’s complete pitching totals for the season, click here.
Hot Player of the Week
Mikie Mahtook: Mikie Mahtook may have only played in four of six games in this series, but he made his presence felt. At the dish, Mahtook smacked Bulls pitchers to a .333/.375/.833 for a 1.208 OPS, scored three runs, two home runs, four RBI, had two walks to four strikeouts, and had four hits in 12 at bats.
Honorable Mentions: Yermin Mercedes, Micker Adolfo, and Mike Wright
Birmingham Barons (39-32)
Weekly Record: 5-1
For the second time this month, Birmingham took on the Chattanooga Lookouts. Yolbert Sanchez was also promoted to Double-A and made his debut this past week. The Barons must’ve been sick of seeing the Lookouts ahead of them in the standings, so they won five out of six games in the series. Birmingham is now in first place again and one game up in the Double-A South North Division.
The Baron batters were feasting on all the Chattanooga pitchers this series. Birmingham hitters finished their hot week by slashing .305/.359/.504 for an 863 OPS, 49 runs scored, 69 hits in 226 at bats, 19 doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 47 RBI, 17 walks to 56 strikeouts, six stolen bases, and were caught stealing once. Complete season totals for the Barons offense can be found here.
Birmingham pitching had a solid overall performance this past week. The Barons kept the Lookout bats in check for the most part, finishing the series with a 4.08 Team ERA, 1.32 WHIP, .282 Batting Average Against, 24 earned runs to 28 runs allowed, 61 hits to 53 innings pitched, nine walks to 59 strikeouts, four hit batters, and allowed three home runs. Birmingham’s full season pitching totals can be found here.
Hot Player of the Week
Tyler Neslony: The recently acquired Tyler Neslony was scorching this week for the Barons. The 27 year old finished the week by batting .476/.500/.762 slash line, a 1.262 OPS, four runs scored, four doubles, one triple, nine RBI, walked once (to five strikeouts), and had 10 hits in 21 at bats.
Honorable Mentions: Yolbert Sanchez, Ian Dawkins, Craig Dedelow, Joe DeCarlo, Andrew Perez, and Taylor Varnell
Winston-Salem Dash (29-43)
Weekly Record: 3-3
The Dash took on the Jersey Shore BlueClaws this past week, but what garnered more attention was Luis Robert‘s rehab assignment starting with Winston-Salem. The Dash took the first three games of the series before dropping the next three and ultimately working a series split. Winston-Salem is currently in last place in the High-A East South Division and 21 games out of first place.
Dash batters put some good wood on the ball this week against Jersey Shore pitching. Winston-Salem concluded the series with a .303/.380/.460 slash line, an 840 OPS, 38 runs scored, 64 hits in 211 at bats, 12 doubles, no triples, seven home runs, 36 RBI, 24 walks to 51 strikeouts, six stolen bases, and were caught stealing twice. Full season totals for the Winston-Salem offense can be found here.
After getting lit up last week, Dash pitchers still had struggles, but not nearly as severe as the previous week. The BlueClaws knocked around Dash pitchers to the tune of a team ERA of 5.67, 1.44 WHIP, .252 Batting Average Against, 34 earned runs to 34 runs allowed, 52 hits to 54 innings pitched, 26 walks to 69 strikeouts, hit three batters, and allowed 13 home runs. Full season totals for the Dash pitching staff are located here.
Hot Player of the Week
Luis Curbelo: Luis Curbelo was a dangerous man at the dish this week for the Dash. Curbelo owned Jersey Shore pitching, finishing the week with a .462/.481/.923 slash line, a 1.405 OPS, six runs scored, three doubles, three home runs, nine RBI, walked once (to three strikeouts), and had 12 hits in 26 at bats.
Honorable Mentions: Lazaro Leal, Alex Destino, and Davis Martin
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (23-49)
Weekly Record: 4-3
The Cannon Ballers squared up against the Fayetteville Woodpeckers in the rare seven game series (one was a makeup game). Kannapolis was able to secure a series victory against the Woodpeckers, going four up and three down to their divisional foe. Kannapolis is still in last place in the Low-A East Central Division and 21 games back of first place.
Collectively, the Cannon Baller batters had another so-so week at the dish. Kannapolis hit Fayetteville pitching to a .254/.338/.382 slash line, a 720 OPS, 40 runs scored, 58 hits in 228 at-bats, 11 doubles, no triples, six home runs, 36 RBI, 25 walks to 75 strikeouts, four stolen bases, and were caught stealing four times. Complete batting stats for the Cannon Ballers can be found here.
Kannapolis pitchers rebounded after a series worth of putrid performances in the prior week. The Cannon Ballers were able to mostly keep the Woodpeckers in check, as they finished the series with a team ERA of 4.15, 1.35 WHIP, .223 Batting Average Against, 26 earned runs to 28 runs allowed, 47 hits to 56.1 innings pitched, 29 walks to 58 strikeouts, hit eight batters, and allowed four home runs. To see Kannapolis’ team pitching stats for the year, click here.
Hot Player of the Week
Samil Polanco: Samil Polanco really busted out this week, hitting as many home runs this week as he had hit in his two prior seasons combined. The Dominican infielder slashed .387/.406/.645 for a 1.051 OPS, two doubles, two home runs, seven RBI, scored nine runs, had one walk to seven strikeouts, and had 12 hits in 31 at bats.
Honorable Mentions: Harvin Mendoza, Luis Mieses, Angel Acevedo, and Andrew Dalquist
ACL White Sox (5-13)
Weekly Record: 1-3
The struggles continued for the ACL White Sox, as they had another losing week under their belts. One game was postponed due to rain, but the club still dropped three of four. The ACL White Sox sit in second to last place and are nine and a half games back of first place. Full standings of the ACL can be found here.
While the standings don’t look great, the ACL Sox had a very strong week offensively. The team finished in the top third of all ACL offensive ranks this week, which is hopefully a sign of things to come for the club, especially if new draftees Colson Montgomery and Wes Kath join the squad in the near future. Complete batting stats for the ACL White Sox can be found here.
While the offense for the ACL White Sox improved, the pitching staff endured a step back this past week. The ACL Sox finished in the bottom third of all performers this week, allowing too many hits and free passes. Complete pitching stats for the ACL White Sox can be found here.
Hot Player of the Week
Misael Gonzalez: For the second week in a row, Misael Gonzalez takes the honors as the hot player of the week. In three games, the 20 year old outfielder out of Puerto Rico hit .357/.357/.714 for a 1.071 OPS, two doubles, one home run, six RBI, scored two runs, had no walks to four strikeouts, and had five hits in 14 ABs.
Honorable Mentions: Benyamin Bailey, Elijah Tatis, and Rigo Fernandez
DSL White Sox (5-5)
Weekly Record: 2-3
Concluding the second week of play, the DSL White Sox went two up and three down. The DSL Sox are in second place and three games back in the Dominican Summer League Baseball City Division.
The DSL White Sox are still trying to find their groove after the second week of play. The DSL squad is finishing near the bottom of the pack in regards to offensive output, and is working on finding a rhythm at the plate. Complete batting stats for the DSL White Sox can be found here.
The DSL White Sox pitching staff on the other hand had a very successful week. They were able to finish in the top third of of the weekly ranks, building some momentum after a tough opening week. Complete pitching stats for the DSL White Sox can be found here.
Hot Player of the Week
Alberto Bernal: Alberto Bernal has a very solid week for the DSL White Sox. In four games, Bernal slashed .364/.500/.727 for a 1.227 OPS, one double, one home run, six RBI, scored two runs, had two walks to five strikeouts, and had four hits in 11 ABs.
Honorable Mentions: Luis Pineda, Yohemy Nolasco, and Guillermo Cuevas
Photo credit: Anders Johanson/FutureSox
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