This series will contain weekly recaps of the performances of each minor league affiliate. Here is the latest installment after the sixteenth week of the minor league season.
Charlotte Knights (38-63)
Weekly Record: 2-4
The Knights welcomed the first place Durham Bulls to town and things did not go well for Charlotte. The Knights dropped four of six to their divisional counterpart. Charlotte is in seventh place and 27 games back in the Triple-A East Southeast Division.
Knight batters faced stiff competition in the Durham pitching staff, and that was reflected in the offensive output for the week. Charlotte hitters slashed .221/.284/.442 for a 726 OPS, 25 runs scored, 40 hits in 181 at bats, 10 doubles, no triples, 10 home runs, 23 RBI, 14 walks to 63 strikeouts, one stolen base, and were caught stealing once. Complete season totals for the Knights offense can be found here.
Charlotte pitching had another unimpressive week on the mound. Durham hitters blasted the Knights staff to a team ERA of 6.48, a 1.46 WHIP, .281 Batting Average Against, 36 earned runs to 36 runs allowed, 55 hits to 50 innings pitched, 18 walks to 57 strikeouts, one hit batter, and allowed eight home runs. To see Charlotte’s complete pitching totals for the season, click here.
Hot Player of the Week
Blake Rutherford: Blake Rutherford was scorching hot against the Durham Bulls this week. Rutherford slashed .333/.364/.857 for a 1.221 OPS, scored five runs, hit two doubles, three home runs, six RBI, had no walks (to three strikeouts), and had seven hits in 21 at bats.
Honorable Mentions: Jake Burger, Gavin Sheets, and Jace Fry
Birmingham Barons (54-47)
Weekly Record: 3-3
The Barons squared up against the Montgomery Biscuits this week. In what was a pretty evenly matched series, Birmingham split the series with the Biscuits. Birmingham is in first place and two and a half games up in the Double-A South North Division.
Baron hitters had another unproductive week at the plate against Montgomery pitching. Birmingham batters mustered up a .238/.302/.326 slash line for a 628 OPS, 19 runs scored, 46 hits in 193 at bats, eight doubles, no triples, three home runs, 18 RBI, 13 walks to 46 strikeouts, stole six bases, and were not caught stealing. Complete season totals for the Barons offense can be found here.
Birmingham pitching rebounded nicely after a tough previous week. The Barons staff finished their series against Montgomery with a 3.83 team ERA, 1.31 WHIP, .255 Batting Average Against, 23 earned runs to 23 runs allowed, 53 hits to 54 innings pitched, 18 walks to 65 strikeouts, three hit batters, and allowed eight home runs. Birmingham’s full season pitching totals can be found here.
Hot Player of the Week
Blake Battenfield: Blake Battenfield was outstanding in his lone start of the week versus the Biscuits. The 27 year old right hander went five innings, allowed two hits, no runs, walked two batters, struck out eight, and had a 0.80 WHIP with a .111 Batting Average Against.
Honorable Mentions: Luis Ledo, Brian Glowicki, Jagger Rusconi, Jameson Fisher, and Craig Dedelow
Winston-Salem Dash (38-63)
Weekly Record: 3-3
Hudson Valley traveled to Winston-Salem this week to take on the Dash. The Dash had some solid success against the first place Renegades, working a series split. Winston-Salem is in last place in the High-A East South Division and 30.5 games out of first place.
Dash hitters were slowed this week against solid Hudson Valley pitching. Winston-Salem batters worked a .234/.309/.418 slash line, a 727 OPS, 32 runs scored, 47 hits in 201 at bats, 13 doubles, three triples, six home runs, 30 RBI, 16 walks to 46 strikeouts, three stolen bases, and were caught stealing three times. Full season totals for the Winston-Salem offense can be found here.
Dash pitching had their best collective week in a long time. The Winston-Salem hurlers were able to hold down Hudson Valley and finish the series with a team ERA of 3.93, a 1.25 WHIP, .217 Batting Average Against, 24 earned runs to 32 runs allowed, 44 hits to 55 innings pitched, 25 walks to 62 strikeouts, hit five batters, and allowed five home runs. Full season totals for the Dash pitching staff are located here.
Hot Player of the Week
Luis Mieses: Ever since he’s returned to Winston-Salem, Luis Mieses has been swinging the bat very well for the Dash. The 21 year old outfielder slashed .348/.444/.826 for a 1.271 OPS, seven runs scored, three doubles, one triple, two home runs, six RBI, walked three times (struck out twice), and had eight hits in 23 at bats.
Honorable Mentions: Luis Curbelo, Kevin Folman, Kaleb Roper, Dan Metzdorf, and Karan Patel
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (30-72)
Weekly Record: 3-3
The Lynchburg Hillcats came to town this week to take on the Cannon Ballers. Kannapolis was able to string together some solid play, winning three games in a row and working a series split. The Cannon Ballers are in last place in the Low-A East Central Division and are 31 games back of first place.
To put it simply, the Cannon Ballers offense has hit a rough patch. Kannapolis had trouble with Lynchburg pitching, finishing the series hitting .196/.278/.299 for a 577 OPS, 21 runs scored, 38 hits in 194 at-bats, five doubles, no triples, five home runs, 17 RBI, 17 walks to 82 strikeouts, one stolen base, and were caught stealing once. Complete batting stats for the Cannon Ballers can be found here.
Kannapolis pitching didn’t have a week they’ll be telling their grand-kids about. The Balllers concluded the series with a team ERA of 6.00, 1.85 WHIP, .274 Batting Average Against, 36 earned runs to 45 runs allowed, 58 hits to 54 innings pitched, 42 walks to 60 strikeouts, hit six batters, and allowed four home runs. To see Kannapolis’ team pitching stats for the year, click here.
Hot Player of the Week
Adam Hackenberg: Adam Hackenberg enjoyed his first full week with the Ballers. In five games, the 2021 18th rounder hit .450/.500/.650 for a 1.150 OPS, two runs scored, one double, one home run, two RBI, walked once (struck out three times), and had nine hits in 20 at bats.
Honorable Mentions: Samil Polanco, Bryan Ramos, Andrew Dalquist, and Angel Acevedo
ACL White Sox (18-26)
Weekly Record: 2-3
The ACL White Sox suffered a small setback, as they dropped three of five games this week. The ACL White Sox sit in sixth to last place and are 14 games back of first place. Full standings of the ACL can be found here.
The ACL White Sox scuffled at the plate this week. The ACL Sox finished with a .224/.297/.315 slash line, a 612 OPS, scored 19 runs, 37 hits in 165 at bats, 12 doubles, no triples, one home run, 15 RBI, 15 walks to 59 strikeouts, no stolen bases, and were caught stealing twice. Complete batting stats for the ACL White Sox can be found here.
Once again, the ACL White Sox pitching staff showed another week of improvement. The ACL Sox wrapped the week with a team ERA of 3.56, a 1.14 WHIP, .197 Batting Average Against, 17 earned runs to 19 runs allowed, 30 hits to 43 innings pitched, 19 walks to 59 strikeouts, hit two batters, and allowed four home runs. Complete pitching stats for the ACL White Sox can be found here.
Hot Player of the Week
Ronaldo Guzman: Ronaldo Guzman was stellar in his relief outing this week. The recently turned 19 year old southpaw threw four innings, allowed one hit, one run (one earned), one walk, struck out eight batters, had a 0.50 WHIP, and a .077 Batting Average Against.
Honorable Mentions: Wilfred Veras, Terrell Tatum, Victor Torres, Homer Cruz, Haylen Green, and Cristian Mena
DSL White Sox (14-19)
Weekly Record: 1-4
The DSL White Sox had another tough weeks worth of performances, as they lost four out of five games this week . The DSL Sox are in fourth place and 11.5 games back in the Dominican Summer League Baseball City Division.
The DSL White Sox offense collectively had a pretty average week at the dish. The DSL Sox slashed .259/.322/.407 for a 729 OPS, 17 runs scored, 42 hits in 162 at bats, seven doubles, one triple, five home runs, 14 RBI, 14 walks to 44 strikeouts, 13 stolen bases, and were caught stealing four times. Complete batting stats for the DSL White Sox can be found here.
DSL White Sox pitching showed some improvement from their line the prior week. DSL Sox pitching concluded the week with a team ERA of 4.57, a 1.45 WHIP, .253 Batting Average Against, 21 earned runs to 27 runs allowed, 40 hits to 41.1 innings pitched, 20 walks to 51 strikeouts, seven hit batters, and allowed three home runs. Complete pitching stats for the DSL White Sox can be found here.
Hot Player of the Week
Victor Quezada: Victor Quezada is beginning to heat up at the plate. The 17 year old third baseman slashed .333/.368/.722 for a 1.091 OPS, one double, two home runs, two RBI, scored four runs, had one walk (to six strikeouts), stole four bases, and had six hits in 18 ABs.
Honorable Mentions: Luis Pineda, Alvaro Aguero, Carlos Jimenez, Francisco Benitez, Emerson Talavera, and Gabriel Rodriguez
Photo credit: Sean Williams/FutureSox
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