Birmingham Barons 2021 Season Recap

Despite finishing the regular season with a solid 62-56 record and earning the first place spot in the Double-A South North Division, the Birmingham Barons ultimately fell short of the 2021 Minor League Postseason by 0.5 games. 

The Barons impressively swept their second-to-last series of the season versus the Rocket City Trash Pandas to improve their record to 62-52. Birmingham only needed one win in their final series against the Montgomery Biscuits to qualify for the postseason, but they would ultimately lose that series 4-0 and fell short of the playoffs. 

Yes, the Barons missed the playoffs, but that doesn’t mean that this season was a failure by any means. Especially considering the amount of roster changes that Birmingham went through, it’s impressive that this team managed to stay afloat and come within one win of a playoff appearance — especially in light of the pre-season outlook of the team.

OUT OF THE GATES SWINGING

Birmingham would begin the 2021 season with an impressive 20-10 record through their first 30 games. What made this Barons team dangerous was the fact that they could explode for 10+ runs on any given night, while often limiting their opposition to two runs or fewer, thanks to their steady starting pitching. 

If we’re talking about slugging, the one name that stands out the most for Birmingham was White Sox No. 11 prospect Micker Adolfo, who was promoted to the Triple-A Charlotte Knights on July 21. Across 57 appearances for the Barons, Adolfo totaled 15 home runs, 15 doubles, and 54 total hits on a .249 batting average. He was a steady source of offense for the Barons, who was really missed after getting the call-up to Charlotte in July. 

A few other offensive standouts include Ti’Quan Forbes, Laz Rivera, and No. 20 prospect Romy Gonzalez. Forbes would bat a stellar .299 in 40 games with Birmingham, while Rivera and Gonzalez batted .260 and .267, respectively. Unsurprisingly, each of these players would earn call-ups to the Charlotte Knights, which would leave the Barons with even fewer options offensively. 

ROTATION SOLID

Thankfully for the Barons, they maintained a solid rotation of starting pitchers throughout the season. Konnor Pilkington was Birmingham’s biggest standout to begin the season, recording an ERA of only 2.33 through his first seven starts. Despite Pilkington’s strong start to the 2021 campaign, he would be traded to the Cleveland Indians on July 29 in return for second baseman Cesar Hernandez. 

Even with this trade, the Barons had plenty of pitching depth throughout the first half of the season. Kade McClure started in 15 games for Birmingham and recorded his lowest ERA since 2019, while other arms such as John Parke and Emilio Vargas would combine to start 27 contests. Birmingham finished with a record of 12-12 in games where McClure, Parke, or Vargas started. 

CALL-UPS AND RETIREMENTS

In mid-July, the trio of Micker Adolfo, Ti’Quan Forbes, and Laz Rivera would be called up to the Charlotte Knights. Another one of Birmingham’s top offensive contributors, Zack Granite, would retire from baseball around the same time, leaving the Barons with four spots to fill in their starting lineup. 

Starting pitchers John Parke and Kade McClure, along with relievers Anderson Severino and Peter Tago, would also move on to Charlotte, leaving Birmingham with even more holes to fill in their pitching rotation. 

With over fifty games remaining in the regular season and so many of their key contributors gone, the Barons, despite sporting a solid 35-31 record on July 20, needed answers. Luckily for Birmingham, two young players who were called up from the High-A Winston Salem Dash would explode onto the scene, helping the Barons maintain a winning record for the remainder of the regular season.

CUBAN INFUSION

The first of these young stars was named Yolbert Sanchez. In Yolbert’s first two weeks with the Barons, he was scorching hot at the plate, batting 21-for-43 across his first 11 starts at the Double-A level. The 24-year old shortstop would end the season batting .343 with a slugging percentage of .433. He climbed the ranks and became the White Sox No. 15 prospect, and for good reason. Sanchez made the Barons better. 

Yoelqui Cespedes, a 23-year old outfielder, also starred for Birmingham after being called up from Winston-Salem in early August. Just like Sanchez, he showed absolutely no signs of struggling against Double-A pitching, and batted an impressive .298 for the Barons across 27 starts. Cespedes is currently the White Sox No. 2 prospect, and he immediately helped spark Birmingham’s offense after his call-up to Double-A. 

Other notable additions to the Barons roster towards the end of the season included No. 9 prospect Jose Rodriguez, No. 17 prospect Lenyn Sosa, and No. 21 prospect Caleb Freeman. Rodriguez and Sosa combined to start in 37 games for Birmingham, while Freeman appeared as a reliever in 14 games and recorded an impressive ERA of 2.70. 

POSITIVE RESULT

The 2021 Birmingham Barons may not have ended their season on the highest note possible, but this doesn’t mean that it wasn’t a good year for the team. Players such as Micker Adolfo and Romy Gonzalez were given a chance to shine and move one step closer to the big show, while younger prospects such as Yolbert Sanchez and Yoelqui Cespedes proved that it might not be very long before they make it to the big leagues themselves. 

Disappointing ending to the season? Sure. Disappointing season? No way. The Double-A Birmingham Barons will continue to move forward and play winning baseball, just as they have done for over 100 years, while helping to develop the White Sox’ next big stars along the way.

Photo credit: Caleb Probst/FutureSox

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