Tending to the Farm: Tyler Neslony, Lenyn Sosa excel for Birmingham

By / / FutureSox

This series will recap the performances of each White Sox minor league affiliate throughout the week. Here is the fifth installment of the 2022 season.

Charlotte Knights (12-18)

Weekly Record: 2-4

The Knights went to Gwinnett this week to take battle with the Stripers. In what ended up being the final rehab tune-up games for both Yoan Moncada and Joe Kelly, the Stripers were still able to secure a series win, winning four of six against the Knights. Charlotte is now tied for fourth to last place and six games back in the International League East Division.

The Knights put up respectable offensive numbers this week, despite them being slightly down from the previous week. Charlotte hit .280/.316/.444 with a .760 OPS while also scoring 36 runs, 60 hits in 214 at bats, 12 doubles, one triple, seven home runs, 10 walks to 66 strikeouts, and went 4-for-5 on stolen bases. Complete season totals for the Knights offense can be found here.

The Knights did not have a good time pitching in Gwinnett this past week. The Charlotte pitchers ended up with a team ERA of 5.33, a 1.36 WHIP, .266 Batting Average Against, 30 earned runs to 34 runs allowed, 53 hits to 50.2 innings pitched, 16 walks to 36 strikeouts, with one hit batter and 10 home runs allowed. Complete season totals for the Knights pitching staff can be found here.

🔥 Hot Player of the Week 🔥

Carlos Perez: Carlos Perez continues to swing a hot bat in 2022. The 25 year old catcher slashed .333/.368/.778 for a 1.146 OPS, scoring four runs, knocking in six, with two doubles and home runs, part of six hits across 18 at-bats.

Honorable Mentions: Seby Zavala, Mark Payton, and Emilio Vargas

Birmingham Barons (11-16)

Weekly Record: 2-4

Birmingham hosted the Tennessee Smokies at Regions Field this week. Unfortunately for the Barons, their struggles continued, as they dropped four of six to their divisional counterpart. The Barons are in last place and are seven games back in the Southern League North Division.

The Barons had another week of solid offensive performance despite the poor team record this week. The Birmingham bats slashed .259/.342/.442 for a .784 OPS. Other notable stats: 36 runs scored, 51 hits in 197 at-bats, nine doubles, three triples, seven home runs, 23 walks to 53 strikeouts, and went 2-for-5 on stolen bases. Complete season totals for the Barons offense can be found here.

Another week, another poor Barons pitching performance. Birmingham was once again shellacked to a 6.00 team ERA, 1.74 WHIP, .297 Batting Average Against, 36 earned runs to 39 runs allowed, 65 hits to 54 innings pitched, 29 walks to 55 strikeouts, and hit two batters while allowing eight home runs. Complete season totals for the Barons pitching staff can be found here.

🔥 Hot Player of the Week 🔥

Tyler Neslony and Lenyn Sosa: Both Tyler Neslony and Lenyn Sosa were outstanding this week, and it felt unfair to have choose between the two. The 28 year-old Neslony slashed .381/.435/.857 for a 1.292 OPS, scoring seven runs, seven RBI, two triples, two home runs, and had eight hits across 21 at-bats. The 22-year-old Sosa hit .423/.464/.808 for a 1.272 OPS, scoring seven runs, seven RBIs, two doubles, one triple, two home runs, and 11 hits across 26 at-bats.

Honorable Mentions: Sammy Peralta

Winston-Salem Dash (15-11)

Weekly Record: 2-3

This past week, the Dash welcomed the Hickory Crawdads (and some inclement weather) to Truist Stadium. One of the games ended up being postponed, but the Crawdads got the better of Winston-Salem, handing the Dash their first series loss since opening week. The Dash occupy second place and are one game back in the South Atlantic League South Division.

Hickory pitching was able to stymie the Dash offense for the majority of the week. Winston-Salem left the series with a .224/.312/.368 slash line and a .680 OPS. The Dash also scored 22 runs, had 34 hits in 152 at bats, five doubles, one triple, five home runs, 18 walks to 44 strikeouts, and went 5-for-5 on stolen bases. Complete season totals for the Dash offense can be found here.

Facing some stiff competition in the Crawdad lineup, the Dash pitching staff saw some regression from the previous week. Winston-Salem concluded the series with a team ERA of 4.60, a 1.65 WHIP, and a .273 Batting Average Against. Winston-Salem also allowed 29 runs (22 earned) on 45 hits over 43 innings, 26 walks to 51 strikeouts, with three HBPs and three home runs allowed. Complete season totals for the Dash pitching staff can be found here.

🔥 Hot Player of the Week 🔥

Tyler Osik: Tyler Osik made loud contact against Hickory pitching last week. The 25-year-old slashed .308/.400/.846 for a 1.246 OPS, scoring three runs, knocking one double, two home runs, five RBIs, and had four hits across 13 at-bats.

Honorable Mentions: Harvin Mendoza, Adam Hackenberg, Sean Burke, and Vince Vannelle

Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (13-14)

Weekly Record: 3-3

Last week, the Down East Wood Ducks paid the Cannon Ballers and Atrium Health Ballpark a visit. While some poor weather suspended the game on Friday, both teams were able to get all six games in, with each securing three wins a piece. Kannapolis resides in fourth place and six games back in the Carolina League South Division.

After a very poor previous week, the Cannon Baller offense found considerably more success this week against Wood Duck pitching. Kannapolis slashed .253/.336/.448 for a .784 OPS, 26 runs scored, 49 hits in 194 at-bats, nine doubles, four triples, seven home runs, 20 walks to 57 strikeouts, and went nine-for-ten on stolen bases. Complete season totals for the Cannon Ballers offense can be found here.

Kannapolis pitching had a more difficult time with the Down East batters, but still had some successes last week. The Cannon Ballers had a team ERA of 4.15, 1.48 WHIP, and a .269 Batting Average Against, 29 runs (24 earned) on 53 hits over 52 innings. They also issued 24 walks against 54 strikeouts, hitting three batters and allowing nine home runs. Complete season totals for the Cannon Ballers pitching staff can be found here.

🔥 Hot Player of the Week 🔥

DJ Gladney: DJ Gladney had his power on full display last week against Wood Duck pitching. The 20 year old hit .333/.385/.708 for a 1.093 OPS, scoring five runs, hitting three doubles, two home runs, eight RBIs, and eight hits across 24 at bats.

Honorable Mentions: Wes Kath, Ivan Gonzalez, Colby Smelley, Garrett Schoenle, and Adisyn Coffey

3 thoughts on “Tending to the Farm: Tyler Neslony, Lenyn Sosa excel for Birmingham”

  1. JimMargalusBiggestFan

    Any chance we see the team go 20/20 on pitchers this draft? We saw other teams do so last year and minor league pitching in this organization is horrid.

    1. Sleepy Harold

      I’d say that’d be unlikely that they follow the 2021 Angels method, as the Sox can use help in all facets of young talent. However, I could see them doing a similar split of 2021’s results, where the majority of selections ended up being pitchers.

      1. Torpedo Jones

        I’d love to see an infusion of more pitching prospects, but I have my doubts that this org can actually develop starting pitchers. I want to believe in Matthew Thompson and Norge Vera to progress, but Jared Kelley and Andrew Dalquist seem stuck in neutral.

        We’ve seen back-end rotation fillers work up the levels like Stiever, Lambert, and McClure, but none of them seem destined to make a material impact in the majors. Has the organization made any adjustments that could provide hope for us to better identify good pitching prospects and/or develop them into higher value prospects?

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