This series will contain weekly recaps of the performances of each minor league affiliate. Here is the next installment after the second week of the minor league season.
Charlotte Knights (6-6)
Weekly Record: 5-1
The Knights were on fire this week, securing five out of a possible six wins over the Norfolk Tides. Strong efforts on both sides of the ball helped guide the Knights through some close games as well as blowouts versus the Tides.
The Charlotte bats hammered Norfolk pitching, finishing the series with a .309/.363/.536 slash line, an .899 OPS with 37 runs, 64 hits in 207 at bats, 15 doubles, one triple, 10 home runs, 34 RBI, 17 walks to 53 strikeouts, one stolen base, and were not caught stealing. Complete season totals for the Knights offense can be found here.
The Knights pitching staff rebounded against the TIdes after a tough first series. Charlotte pitching concluded the week with a team ERA of 4.00, 1.56 WHIP, .249 Batting Average Against, 24 earned runs to 25 runs allowed, 51 hits to 54 innings pitched, 33 walks to 60 strikeouts, four hit batters, and allowed four home runs. To see Charlotte’s complete pitching totals for the season, click here.
Hot Player of the Week
Marco Hernandez: Gavin Sheets had a solid week all around and a fabulous Sunday, but Hernandez was far and away the top bat for the Knights this week. Hernandez wrapped up his stellar week with a triple slash of .478/.458/.913 for a 1.371 OPS, two home runs, four doubles, no triples, eight runs scored, seven RBI, no walks, two strikeouts, and 11 hits in 23 AB.
Honorable Mentions: Gavin Sheets and Jonathan Stiever
Birmingham Barons (9-3)
Weekly Record: 4-2
The Barons continued their strong start to the the season, winning four of six over the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. Backed by both strong pitching and offense, Birmingham secured their second series win in as many tries.
The Barons bats handled Pensacola pitching to the tune of a .271/.342/.482 slash line, .823 OPS, 40 runs, 59 hits in 218 at bats, 15 doubles, two triples, nine home runs, 38 RBI, 14 walks to 49 strikeouts, nine stolen bases, and were caught stealing once. Complete season totals for the Barons offense can be found here.
Birmingham’s pitching staff did very well against the Blue Wahoo bats, completing the series with a team ERA of 3.06, 1.08 WHIP, .185 Batting Average Against, 18 earned runs to 22 runs allowed, 34 hits to 53 innings pitched, 23 walks to 64 strikeouts, two hit batters, and allowed just two home runs. Birmingham’s full season pitching totals can be found here.
Hot Player of the Week
Craig Dedelow: Dedelow had a stellar week for the Barons. The 26-year-old owned Wahoo pitching, slashing .500/.545/1.150 with a 1.695 OPS, two home runs, five doubles, one triple, five runs scored, seven RBI, two walks to four strikeouts and had 10 hits in 20 at bats.
Honorable Mentions: Blake Battenfield, Romy Gonzalez, and Konnor Pilkington
Winston-Salem Dash (7-5)
Weekly Record: 5-1
The Dash took on the Hickory Crawdads in their second match-up of the season, securing five of six victories over their counterparts. Following the theme of the the two affiliates above them, a mix of great pitching and timely offensive contributions propelled the Dash this week.
The Dash bats, overall, were cool throughout the week, finishing with a .204/.266/.353 slash line, .619 OPS, 25 runs, 41 hits in 201 at bats, seven doubles, one triple, seven home runs, 24 RBI, 14 walks to 70 strikeouts, three stolen bases, and were caught stealing once. Full season totals for the Winston-Salem offense can be found here.
The pitching staff for the Dash excelled this series against the Hickory batters, ending the week with a team ERA of 2.89, 0.96 WHIP, .187 Batting Average Against, 17 earned runs to 17 runs allowed, 34 hits to 53 innings pitched, 17 walks to 66 strikeouts, five hit batters, and allowed two home runs. Full season totals for the Dash pitching staff are located here.
Hot Player of the Week
Luis Curbelo: This decision was tough, but once again, Curbelo takes the crown as the hottest player for the Dash. In five games, the third baseman battered Crawdad pitchers, hitting .278/.350/.833 for a 1.183 OPS, three home runs, one double, no triples, five runs scored, seven RBI, two walks to eight strikeouts, and five hits in 18 at-bats.
Honorable Mentions: Jason Bilous and Taylor Varnell
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (1-11)
Weekly Record: 1-5
The good news for Kannapolis: The team was able to secure its first win under its new moniker. The bad news: the Cannon Ballers dropped five of six games to the Fayetteville Woodpeckers. Poor pitching and cold bats were two of the main factors in Kannapolis’ struggles this past week.
For the week, Woodpecker pitching dazzled against the youthful lineup, as Kanny was no-hit on Friday night. As the week wrapped, the Ballers were only able to muster up a .115/.299/.137 triple slash, .435 OPS, 12 runs, 21 hits in 183 at-bats, 2 doubles, 1 triple, no home runs, nine RBI, 44 walks to 83 strikeouts, three stolen bases, and were caught stealing once. Complete batting stats for the Cannon Ballers can be found here.
On the pitching side, the Cannon Ballers scuffled all week long, limping to the end with a team ERA of 6.57, 2.01 WHIP, .314 Batting Average Against, 36 earned runs to 43 runs allowed, 65 hits to 49.1 innings pitched, 34 walks to 48 strikeouts, one hit batter, and allowed three home runs. To see Kannapolis’ team pitching stats for the year, click here.
Hot Player of the Week
Jeremiah Burke and Matthew Thompson: Both Burke and Thompson had similar pitching lines this week, and considering how the week went for the team as a whole, it felt right to give recognition to both players in this slot. Burke finished the week with five innings pitched, four hits allowed, two walks to four strikeouts, no earned runs or runs allowed, a 1.20 WHIP, and a .222 batting average against. Thompson also threw five innings, allowed four hits, two walks to three strikeouts, no earned runs or runs allowed, a 1.20 WHIP, and a .235 batting average against.
Honorable Mentions: Andrew Dalquist and Marcus Evey
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