It was a banner week for shortstops across the system, but Jose Rodriguez (No. 14) continued to fill the box score for Low-A Kannapolis to stand above the rest and earn the highlight spot in the FutureSox Team of the Week for the period of July 5-11, 2021.

FutureSox MiLB Team of the Week — July 5-11

By / / Analysis

It was a banner week for shortstops across the system, but Jose Rodriguez (No. 14) continued to fill the box score for Low-A Kannapolis to stand above the rest and earn the highlight spot in the FutureSox Team of the Week for the period of July 5-11, 2021. He’s joined by two additional Top 30 prospects in the organization.

Here’s a look at the full lineup:

Catcher — Yermin Mercedes (Triple-A) — 5 G, .300/.391/.650, 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 4 R, SB

  • A familiar friend made his way into the Team of the Week conversation as Yermin Mercedes, who suited up for 68 games with the big-league club to begin the season, earned the nod at catcher. Mercedes, 28, posted a pair of multi-hit performances in Triple-A Charlotte’s series against Jacksonville (MIA), which included home runs Friday and Sunday. Mercedes has hit safely in five of his seven games with the Knights since the White Sox optioned him July 2.

First baseman — Harvin Mendoza (Low-A) — 6 G, .318/.385/.409, 2 2B, RBI, 5 R

  • Unranked first baseman Harvin Mendoza finds himself locked in the first base slot for the second straight week after he extended his hot stretch at the plate for Low-A Kannapolis. The 22-year-old Venezuelan product produced three multi-hit games against Fredericksburg (WSH) and continues to pace the Cannon Ballers (among qualifiers) with a .293 clip at the plate.

Second baseman — JJ Muno (Double-A) — 5 G, .286/.412/.714, 2B, 3B, HR, RBI, 5 R, 2 SB

  • Unranked second baseman JJ Muno logged a standout .714 OPS across five games for Double-A Birmingham in its series against Biloxi (MIL). Muno, a former 27th-round selection out of UC Santa Barbara, doubled, tripled and homered in consecutive days to help the Barons nab a series split against the Shuckers. Muno’s five home runs this season represent a career-high and his 10 stolen bases, two of which came this past week, rank second on the club.

Third baseman — DJ Gladney (Low-A) — 5 G, .300/.500/.700, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

  • White Sox No. 17 prospect DJ Gladney stood out among a down week for third baseman throughout the system. The 19-year-old from Lansing, Illinois, hit safely in all three of his appearances against Fredericksburg (WSH), which included a two-run homer as part of a 14-2 rout for Low-A Kannapolis on Friday. Gladney, whom the White Sox selected in the 16th round of the 2019 draft, owns a .364/.481/.591 slash line in the month of July.

Shortstop — Jose Rodriguez (Low-A) — 6 G, .370/.414/.630, 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 6 R, 4 SB

  • White Sox No. 14 prospect Jose Rodriguez’s terror on Low-A pitching continued through the past week as the 20-year-old Dominican shortstop batted .370, homered twice, drove in seven runs and swiped four bases in a comprehensive showing against Fredericksburg (WSH). Rodriguez has hit safely in seven of the past eight games and owns six extra-base hits. He’s collected at least one RBI in five consecutive contests. Rodriguez ranks among the Top 3 on the club in batting average (.284), slugging percentage (.470), OPS (.796), home runs (8) and stolen bases (18).

Outfield — Micker Adolfo (Double-A) — 4 G, .333/.353/.600, 2B, HR, 6 RBI, 3 R

  • White Sox No. 6 prospect Micker Adolfo produced another steady week of offensive production with at least one RBI in three of his four games against Biloxi (MIL). Adolfo, 24, launched a three-run homer in Birmingham’s 12-2 win Thursday and followed with a run-scoring single and sacrifice fly the following day. Adolfo, who batted just .227 in June, owns a .300 clip at the plate through eight games in July.

Outfield — Nick Williams (Triple-A) — 6 G, .350/.409/.650, 3 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R, SB

  • Veteran outfielder Nick Williams posted a 3-for-3 performance with a pair of doubles and two RBI in a 4-3 win for Triple-A Charlotte on Wednesday to capture the second outfield spot in the Team of the Week. Williams, a former second-round selection of the Texas Rangers, hit safely in four of the six games against Jacksonville (MIA) and raised his season-long batting average by 23 points in that span.

Outfield — Alex Destino (Hi-A) — 4 G, .250/.438/.833, 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R

  • Hi-A outfielder Alex Destino delivered a pair of homers in Hi-A Winston-Salem’s series against Hickory (TEX) to earn the final outfield spot in the FutureSox Team of the Week. Destino, 25, ranks second on the Dash with nine long balls this season and his 29 RBI rank third. The South Carolina product has been tearing the cover off the ball in July to the tune of a .353/.542/.765 slash line.

Starting pitcher — Konnor Pilkington (Double-A) — W, 5.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K

  • Unranked southpaw Konnor Pilkington produced another steady start for Double-A Birmingham and worked five innings of one-hit ball in a 5-2 for the Barons against Biloxi (MIL). Pilkington, a former third-round pick out of Mississippi State, has allowed three runs or fewer in 10 of his 11 starts this season and paces the Barons in a number of categories, including WHIP (0.97) and opposing batting average (.175). Pilkington has also seen a bump in strikeout rate (up to 10.17 per nine innings from 9.03).

Relief pitcher — Emilio Vargas (Double-A) — 2 G, HLD, 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K

  • Right-handed reliever Emilio Vargas collected a hold and logged scoreless frames out of the bullpen for Double-A Birmingham to earn the Reliever of the Week honor. Vargas, whom the White Sox claimed off waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks in November 2020, paces the Barons with a 3.51 ERA this season (among qualifiers). The 24-year-old Dominican product has surrendered just one run across his past 10 innings of work.