Tending to the Farm: Cristian Mena pitches lights out for Winston-Salem

By / / FutureSox

This series will recap the performances of each White Sox minor league affiliate throughout the previous week. Here is the 14th installment of the 2022 season.

Charlotte Knights (31-53)

Weekly Record: 2-4

The Knights went down to Georgia to try and steal some victories from the Gwinnett Stripers. Unfortunately for Charlotte, things didn’t quite work out in their favor, as they dropped four of six games in the series. The Knights reside in last place and are 14 games back in the International League East Division.

Charlotte had a pretty abysmal time at the plate last week. The Knights finished up the series with a .197/.273/.303 slash line and a .576 OPS. Further, they scored 13 runs, had 35 hits in 178 at-bats, eight doubles, one triple, three home runs, 17 walks to 50 strikeouts, and went 5-for-7 on stolen bases. Complete season totals for the Knights offense can be found here.

Despite the offensive struggles, the Knights pitching staff had a great showing on the bump. Charlotte left Gwinnett with a team ERA of 3.66, a 1.56 WHIP, and a .253 Batting Average Against. They also allowed 19 runs (19 earned), 43 hits to 46.2 innings pitched, 30 walks to 46 strikeouts, hit two batters, and allowed two home runs. Complete season totals for the Knights pitching staff can be found here.

🔥 Hot Player of the Week 🔥

Zach Remillard: Zach Remillard stood out in all the right ways for the Knights last week. The 28 year-old infielder slashed .316/.409/.632 for a 1.041 OPS, hit one double, one triple, one home run, three RBI, scored two runs, and had six hits in 19 at-bats.

Honorable Mentions: Adam Haseley and J.B. Olson

Birmingham Barons (38-43)

Weekly Record: 3-3
First Half: 31-38
Second Half: 7-5

The Barons welcomed the Tennessee Smokies to town to enjoy some fireworks and take part in some ballgames. Birmingham’s hot streak hit a bit of a roadblock, but they still worked a series split. The Barons are in second place and two games back in the second half in the Southern League North Division.

The Barons bats cooled off last week against Tennessee pitching. Birmingham slashed .242/.341/.407 for a .748 OPS. Additionally, the Barons lineup scored 31 runs, had 44 hits in 182 at-bats, 11 doubles, two triples, five home runs, 27 walks to 53 strikeouts, and went 9-for-12 on stolen bases. Complete season totals for the Barons offense can be found here.

The Birmingham suffered another round of bad times on the mound last week. The Barons got hit around by the Smokies, finished the series with a 6.30 team ERA, a 1.60 WHIP, and a .272 Batting Average Against. On top of that, Birmingham allowed 37 runs (35 earned), 52 hits to 50 innings pitched, 28 walks to 62 strikeouts, hit three batters, and allowed five home runs. Complete season totals for the Barons pitching staff can be found here.

🔥 Hot Player of the Week 🔥

Scott Blewett: Scott Blewett was fantastic for the Barons last week. In two starts, the 26 year-old threw 8.1 innings allowing four hits, one earned run, three walks, struck out nine, and had a .148 Batting Average Against with a 0.84 WHIP.

Honorable Mentions: Jose Rodriguez and Brian Glowicki

Winston-Salem Dash (42-39)

Weekly Record: 3-3
First Half: 33-33
Second Half: 9-6

The Dash had the Wilmington Blue Rocks in to visit last week to celebrate the holiday. Despite a sluggish start to the series for Winston-Salem, they managed to win the last two games and come away with a series split. The Dash are in third place and two games back in the second half in the South Atlantic League South Division.

The Dash offense sputtered against the Blue Rocks pitching staff last week. Winston-Salem finished the series with a .212/.345/.285 slash line and a .630 OPS. The Dash also scored 26 runs, had 38 hits in 179 at-bats, five doubles, one triple, two home runs, 35 walks to 50 strikeouts, and went 7-for-9 on stolen bases. Complete season totals for the Dash offense can be found here.

The Winston-Salem pitching staff rebounded after a sluggish previous week. The Dash concluded the series with team ERA of 3.57, a 1.40 WHIP, and a .248 batting average against. The Dash also allowed 23 runs (21 earned) on 51 hits over 53 innings, 23 walks to 49 strikeouts, hitting three batters and allowing three home runs. Complete season totals for the Dash pitching staff can be found here.

🔥 Hot Player of the Week 🔥

Cristian Mena: It’s Cristian Mena’s world and we’re all just living in it. The 19 year-old starter was fantastic in his two starts for the Dash last week, throwing 10 innings and allowing three hits, three walks, no runs, struck out 11, and had a .091 Batting Average Against with a 0.60 WHIP.

Honorable Mentions: Luis Mieses, Tyler Osik, and Garrett Schoenle

Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (37-44)

Weekly Record: 5-1
First Half: 26-40
Second Half: 11-4

The Cannon Ballers and Carolina Mudcats squared off at Atrium Health Ballpark last week. Kannapolis continues their hot start to the second half, winning five of six games in the series. Kannapolis is tied for first place in the second half in the Carolina League South Division.

Building off of the previous two weeks, the Cannon Ballers offense made their presence felt. The Ballers finished the week with a .245/.363/.457 slash line and an .820 OPS. Kannapolis also scored 32 runs, had 46 hits in 188 at-bats, six doubles, two triples, 10 home runs, 28 walks to 66 strikeouts, and went 3-for-6 on stolen bases. Complete season totals for the Cannon Ballers offense can be found here.

The Kannapolis pitching staff was once against outstanding, this time making the Mudcats lineup the recipients of their shoving. The Ballers staff had a team ERA of 2.67, a 1.00 WHIP, and a .206 Batting Average Against. In addition, they allowed 16 runs (16 earned) on 39 hits over 54 innings, issuing 15 walks against 48 strikeouts, while hitting one batter and allowing four home runs. Complete season totals for the Cannon Ballers pitching staff can be found here.

🔥 Hot Player of the Week 🔥

Andy Atwood: Andy Atwood led the charge for the Ballers offense last week. The 25 year-old slashed .455/.625/1.091 for a 1.716 OPS, had one double, two home runs, four RBI, scored three runs, went 1-for-1 on stolen bases, and had five hits in 11 at-bats.

Honorable Mentions: Logan Glass, Colby Smelley, DJ Gladney, Nick Gallagher, Jared Kelley, and Tommy Sommer

ACL White Sox (11-14)

Weekly Record: 3-2

The fifth week of the ACL season has come and gone, and it saw the White Sox come out with a winning record for the week. The ACL White Sox are in fifth place and seven games back in the ACL West. Full standings of the ACL can be found here.

The ACL White Sox offense saw their production improve from the previous week, although their output still left much to be desired. The club hit .225/.280/.365 for a .645 OPS. Additionally, the ACL White Sox scored 23 runs, had 40 hits in 178 at-bats, 10 doubles, no triples, five home runs, 12 walks to 62 strikeouts, and went 4-for-7 on stolen bases. Complete batting stats for the ACL White Sox can be found here.

The ACL White Sox pitchers rebounded for a tough previous week. The staff wrapped the week with a team ERA of 4.30, a 1.41 WHIP, and a .247 Batting Average Against. In addition, the staff was charged with 22 earned runs to 25 runs allowed, 42 hits in 46 innings pitched, 23 walks to 34 strikeouts, hit four batters, and allowed two home runs. Complete pitching stats for the ACL White Sox can be found here.

🔥 Hot Player of the Week 🔥

Layant Tapia: Layant Tapia was outstanding last week for the ACL White Sox. The 20-year-old infielder slashed .294/.429/.765 for a 1.194 OPS, two doubles, two home runs, five RBI, scored six runs, and had five hits in 17 at-bats.

Honorable Mentions: Jhoneiker Betancourt and Yohemy Nolasco

DSL White Sox (12-13)

Weekly Record: 1-4

The recent struggles for the DSL White Sox persisted last week. The DSL club dropped four of five, and have only won twice in the last two weeks. The DSL White Sox are in fifth place and five and a half games back in the DSL San Pedro Division. Full standings of the DSL can be found here.

The offense couldn’t muster up much for the DSL White Sox last week. The DSL Sox hit .199/.296/.321 for a .617 OPS. They also scored 19 runs, had 31 hits in 156 at-bats, seven doubles, no triples, four home runs, 20 walks to 43 strikeouts, and went 1-for-3 on stolen bases. Complete batting stats for the DSL White Sox can be found here.

Similarly to the offense, the DSL White Sox pitching staff had a rough week on the bump. The staff had a team ERA of 6.08, a 1.53 WHIP, .228 Batting Average Against, 27 earned runs to 32 runs allowed, 34 hits to 40 innings pitched, 27 walks to 39 strikeouts, hit nine batters, and allowed three home runs. Complete pitching stats for the DSL White Sox can be found here.

🔥 Hot Player of the Week 🔥

Godwin Bennett: Godwin Bennett was a bright spot in an otherwise lackluster week for the DSL Sox. The 19 year-old slashed .214/.267/.643 for a .910 OPS, two home runs, two RBI, scored two runs, and had three hits in 14 at-bats.

Honorable Mentions: Frankeli Arias