This series will contain weekly recaps of the performances of each minor league affiliate. Here is the latest installment after the nineteenth week of the minor league season.
CHARLOTTE KNIGHTS (45-75)
WEEKLY RECORD: 1-5
The first place and Triple-A East leading Durham Bulls paid the Knights a visit, and things did not go well for Charlotte. The Knights dropped five of six to the Bulls as their tough season approaches its end . Charlotte is in last place and 32 games back in the Triple-A East Southeast Division.
Charlotte’s offense bounced back in the power department after a trying previous week. Knights hitters slashed .237/.291/.455 for a 746 OPS, 23 runs scored, 47 hits in 198 at bats, six doubles, two triples, 11 home runs, 23 RBI, 13 walks to 63 strikeouts, three stolen bases, and were caught stealing once. Complete season totals for the Knights offense can be found here.
After a couple of stellar weeks on the mound, Knights pitching regressed against Durham. The Bulls destroyed Charlotte pitching to a 6.17 team ERA, a 1.65 WHIP, .291 Batting Average Against, 37 earned runs to 38 runs allowed, 65 hits to 54 innings pitched, 24 walks to 54 strikeouts, no hit batters, and allowed five home runs. To see Charlotte’s complete pitching totals for the season, click here.
HOT PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Mikie Mahtook: Mahtook was outstanding against Durham pitching. He slashed .304/.360/.870 for a 1.230 OPS, five runs scored, one double, four home runs, seven RBI, two walks (to five strikeouts), one stolen base (wasn’t caught stealing), and had seven hits in 23 at bats.
Honorable Mentions: Peter Tago, Anderson Severino, Blake Rutherford, Seby Zavala
BIRMINGHAM BARONS (62-56)
WEEKLY RECORD: 0-4
The Barons traveled to Montgomery for a playoff-deciding series. The weather wasn’t exactly cooperative, as the last two games (a double-header) were cancelled on Sunday. This resulted in the Barons getting swept and missing the playoffs by one game. Birmingham actually finished their season in first place in the Double-A South North Division (playoffs were determined by winning percentage for this season).
The Birmingham bats picked a rather inopportune time to go cold. The Barons slashed .239/.257/.385 for a 642 OPS, 12 runs scored, 26 hits in 109 at bats, with four doubles, no triples, four home runs, and 12 RBIs. They finished the week with three walks to 17 strikeouts, stole two bases, and were caught stealing twice. Overall, the Barons were a top tier offense in the Double-A South. Final season totals for the Barons offense can be found here.
Similar to the offense, the Barons pitching staff picked a bad time to underperform. The Biscuits knocked around Birmingham’s pitching staff this series and left them with a 6.84 team ERA, 1.90 WHIP, .333 Batting Average Against, 20 earned runs to 21 runs allowed, 36 hits to 26.1 innings pitched, 14 walks to 35 strikeouts, and one hit batter. The unit allowed three home runs. Despite that rough outing, the Barons pitching staff was also a top tier performer in their league. Birmingham’s final season pitching totals can be found here.
HOT PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Tyler Neslony: Neslony was one of few bright spots in the final series for the Barons. He slashed .308/.357/.923 for a 1.280 OPS, two runs scored, two doubles, two home runs, six RBI, one walk (to one strikeout), and had four hits in 13 at bats.
Honorable Mentions: Yoelqui Cespedes, Johan Dominguez
WINSTON-SALEM DASH (43-76)
WEEKLY RECORD: 2-4
The Dash concluded their season against the Asheville Tourists. The series went on par with how the majority of the Winston-Salem season went, as the Dash dropped four of six games. Winston-Salem finished the season in last place of the High-A East South Division and a substantial 39.5 games back of first.
The Winston-Salem offense had a slight setback in their final week. The team concluded their final series by slashing .224/.332/.318 for a 650 OPS, 23 runs scored, 43 hits in 192 at bats, seven doubles, one triple, three home runs, 23 RBI, 28 walks to 54 strikeouts, six stolen bases, and were not caught stealing. At season’s end, the Dash were a mid-to bottom tier offensive club. Final season totals for the Winston-Salem offense can be found here.
Dash pitching was horrific in the final series of the year. Asheville lit up Winston-Salem pitching to a team ERA of 7.67, a 1.56 WHIP, .298 Batting Average Against, 46 earned runs to 47 runs allowed, 67 hits to 54 innings pitched, 17 walks to 69 strikeouts, hit two batters, and allowed 11 home runs. When the dust finally settled, Winston-Salem pitching was one of the worst in all of the HIgh-A East this year. Final season totals for the Dash pitching staff are located here.
HOT PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Alex Destino: Destino had a very fine series against Tourist pitching. The 25 year-old outfielder hit .267/.476/.533 for a 1.010 OPS, four runs scored, one double, one home run, three RBI, walked six times (struck out twice), and had four hits in 15 at bats.
Honorable Mentions: Samir Duenez, Wilber Perez, Yoelvin Silven, Karan Patel
KANNAPOLIS CANNON BALLERS (35-79)
WEEKLY RECORD: 5-0
The Cannon Ballers took on the Fireflies in their final series of the season. In what was a nightmarish beginning to the season, Kannapolis sure ended on a high note as they swept Columbia five games to none (one game was cancelled due to rain). The Cannon Ballers finished the season in last place in the Low-A East Central Division and 31.5 games back out of first place.
Kannapolis had a solid final week of the season in the batters box. The team hit .268/.356/.452 for an 808 OPS, with 23 runs scored, 42 hits in 157 at-bats, 10 doubles, five triples, three home runs, 20 RBI, 19 walks to 49 strikeouts, and one stolen base. They were caught stealing twice. At the conclusion of the season, the Ballers were a bottom-tier offensive club in the Low-A East. Final batting stats for the Cannon Ballers can be found here.
Kannapolis pitching was absolutely outstanding against Columbia. The Cannon Ballers produced a final line of a 1.98 team ERA, a 1.07 WHIP, .211 Batting Average Against, nine earned runs to 10 runs allowed, 31 hits to 41 innings pitched, and 13 walks to 41 strikeouts. They hit two batters, and allowed two home runs. With the conclusion of their season, Kannapolis was a bottom tier pitching unit in the Low-A East. Final pitching stats for Kannapolis can be found here.
HOT PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Gil Luna: Luna finished the season just as he started it since joining the White Sox organization: strong. Through three appearances, Luna threw four and a third innings, allowed two hits, no runs, no walks, struck out six, recorded two saves, and had a 0.46 WHIP with a .143 Batting Average Against.
Honorable Mentions: Misael Gonzalez, Bryan Ramos, AJ GIll, Shawn Goosenberg, Matthew Thompson, Theo Denlinger, Andrew Dalquist, Zach Cable
ACL WHITE SOX (25-34)
WEEKLY RECORD: 3-2
The ACL White Sox ended the season strong, putting together two consecutive winning weeks. They won three and lost two this week to conclude their season. The ACL White Sox finished in sixth to last place and were 18 games back of first place. Final standings for the ACL can be found here.
The ACL Sox had a so-so week to end their season. The squad produced a .281/.321/.366 slash line, a 687 OPS, scored 21 runs, had 43 hits in 153 at bats, nine doubles, two triples, no home runs, 18 RBI, eight walks to 54 strikeouts, one stolen base, and were caught stealing twice. Overall, the team was a bottom-tier club offensively this season. Final batting stats for the ACL White Sox can be found here.
The ACL White Sox pitching staff piggybacked off their solid performance last week with another solid showing on the mound. The pitchers finished the week with a team ERA of 3.55, a 1.34 WHIP, .241 Batting Average Against, 15 earned runs to 16 runs allowed, 35 hits to 38 innings pitched, 16 walks to 51 strikeouts, hit two batters, and allowed one home run. Overall, the ACL White Sox pitching staff was a mid/bottom tier pitching staff. Final pitching stats for the ACL White Sox can be found here.
HOT PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Wilfred Veras: Once again, our number 30 prospect Wilfred Veras takes the honors as the hot player of the week. The 18 year-old Dominican wrapped up his fantastic season by slashing .500/.533/.786 for a 1.319 OPS, four runs scored, two doubles, one triple, two RBI, walked once (struck out twice), and had seven hits in 14 at bats.
Honorable Mentions: Colby Smelley, Colson Montgomery, Cristian Mena, Conner O’Neil, Erick Bello
DSL WHITE SOX (22-26)
WEEKLY RECORD: 4-2
The DSL White Sox had six games on the docket this week — one was a makeup of a previous suspended game from 9/11. The young club was up for the extra games, procuring a winning week with four wins to two losses. The DSL Sox are in fourth place and nine games back in the Dominican Summer League Baseball City Division.
The DSL White Sox had a productive week at the plate. In the five games accounted for this week (the stats from the makeup game from 9/11 fall back to that week), the DSL Sox slashed .283/.431/.395 for an 826 OPS, 39 runs scored, 43 hits in 152 at bats, nine doubles, one triple, two home runs, 29 RBI, 39 walks to 40 strikeouts, 17 stolen bases, and were caught stealing four times. Complete batting stats for the DSL White Sox can be found here.
The DSL White Sox pitching was rather lackluster this week. The staff wrapped with team ERA of 5.93, a 1.71 WHIP, .290 Batting Average Against, 27 earned runs to 34 runs allowed, 47 hits to 41 innings pitched, 23 walks to 45 strikeouts, six hit batters, and allowed four home runs. Complete pitching stats for the DSL White Sox can be found here.
HOT PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Victor Quezada: Quezada was scorching hot this week for the DSL club. The 17 year-old Domincan third baseman slashed .500/.619/1.071 for a 1.690 OPS, five runs scored, two doubles, two home runs, six RBI, six walks (struck out four times), five stolen bases (was caught stealing once), and had seven hits in 14 at bats.
Honorable Mentions: Roberth Gutierrez, Cesar Jimenez, Godwin Bennett, Norge Vera, Francisco Benitez
Photo credit: Sean Williams/FutureSox
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