This series will contain weekly recaps of the performances of each minor league affiliate. Here is the latest installment after the thirteenth week of the minor league season.
Charlotte Knights (29-54)
Weekly Record: 1-5
The scuffling Knights went to Gwinnett to take on the Stripers this week. Charlotte dropped five of six games as their struggles continued. The Knights are in seventh place and 26 games back in the Triple-A East Southeast Division.
It was not one of the finer performances of the Charlotte offense this week. Knights batters slashed .249/.318/.368 for a 686 OPS, 23 runs scored, 50 hits in 201 at bats, nine doubles, no triples, five home runs, 22 RBI, 19 walks to 53 strikeouts, three stolen bases, and were caught stealing three times. Complete season totals for the Knights offense can be found here.
Once again, the Knights pitching improved upon their totals from the previous week, but there is still work to be done. Striper hitters pushed Charlotte pitchers around to finish the series with team ERA of 4.84, a 1.32 WHIP, .266 Batting Average Against, 26 earned runs to 32 runs allowed, 51 hits to 48.1 innings pitched, 13 walks to 55 strikeouts, two hit batters, and allowed seven home runs. To see Charlotte’s complete pitching totals for the season, click here.
Hot Player of the Week
Mikie Mahtook: Mikie Mahtook was one of a handful of bright spots for Charlotte this past week. Mahtook slashed .350/.409/.550 for a 959 OPS, scored five runs, hit one double, one home run, four RBI, had two walks (to five strikeouts), one stolen base (was caught stealing once), and had seven hits in 20 at bats.
Honorable Mentions: Matt Reynolds, Laz Rivera, John Parke, and Jace Fry
Birmingham Barons (44-39)
Weekly Record: 2-4
The Barons welcomed the Mississippi Braves to Regions Field this week and were treated rather rudely by their guests. Birmingham dropped four of six to the now first place (in the South Division) Braves. The Barons are in first place and two games up in the Double-A South North Division.
Baron hitters had a very poor week at the plate against Mississippi pitching. When the dust settled, Birmingham batters slashed .216/.291/.332 for a 623 OPS, 14 runs scored, 43 hits in 199 at bats, nine doubles, one triple, four home runs, 14 RBI, 21 walks to 71 strikeouts, nine stolen bases, and were caught stealing twice. Complete season totals for the Barons offense can be found here.
Baron pitching was pretty solid this week despite a poor team record. The Barons limited Braves batters, ending the week with a 4.02 team ERA, 1.20 WHIP, .228 Batting Average Against, 25 earned runs to 27 runs allowed, 50 hits to 56 innings pitched, 17 walks to 63 strikeouts, one hit batter, and allowed six home runs. Birmingham’s full season pitching totals can be found here.
Hot Player of the Week
Emilio Vargas: Emilio Vargas was stellar in his start this week for Birmingham. The 24 year old was nearly untouchable, throwing five innings of one hit ball. Vargas didn’t allow any walks or runs and struck out 12 Braves.
Honorable Mentions: Tyler Neslony, Ian Dawkins, Kade McClure, and Zach Muckenhirn
Winston-Salem Dash (33-51)
Weekly Record: 3-3
The Dash took a visit to Asheville this week and fared much better than the prior week. The Dash worked a series split with the Tourists, alternating wins and losses throughout the week. Winston-Salem is in last place in the High-A East South Division and 26 games out of first place.
The Winston-Salem bats remained hot against Tourists pitching this week. Dash hitters knocked Asheville pitching around to a .272/.369/.471 slash line, an 840 OPS, 41 runs scored, 52 hits in 191 at bats, 14 doubles, no triples, eight home runs, 39 RBI, 27 walks to 57 strikeouts, two stolen bases, and were not caught stealing. Full season totals for the Winston-Salem offense can be found here.
The Dash and Tourists had something in common this week. Both teams had above average offensive performances and well below average pitching performances. The pitching line did improve for the Dash from their previous week, but Asheville hitters crushed Winston-Salem pitchers to a team ERA of 6.13, a 1.87 WHIP, .301 Batting Average Against, 32 earned runs to 38 runs allowed, 55 hits to 47 innings pitched, 33 walks to 64 strikeouts, hit one batter, and allowed an five home runs. Full season totals for the Dash pitching staff are located here.
Hot Player of the Week
Luis Mieses: Since Luis Mieses was promoted back up to Winston-Salem, he’s been swinging a hot bat. The 21 year old outfielder finished the week with a .391/.440/.696 slash line, a 1.136 OPS, three runs scored, four doubles, one home run, seven RBI, walked once (to five strikeouts), and had nine hits in 23 at bats.
Honorable Mentions: Yoelqui Cespedes, Lenyn Sosa, Jagger Rusconi, Samir Duenez, and Davis Martin
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (26-58)
Weekly Record: 1-5
Kannapolis played division leading Carolina last week, and things did not go great for the Cannon Ballers. Kannapolis lost five of six games to the Mudcats, and the Cannon Ballers still occupy last place in the Low-A East Central Division and are 25 games back of first place.
Carolina pitching proved to be a tough task for the young Kannapolis lineup. The Cannon Ballers could only muster a .221/.318/.284 slash line, a 602 OPS, 16 runs scored, 45 hits in 204 at-bats, 13 doubles, no triples, no home runs, 11 RBI, 23 walks to 74 strikeouts, 10 stolen bases, and were caught stealing twice. Complete batting stats for the Cannon Ballers can be found here.
Kannapolis pitchers improved some from last week, but the final line isn’t all that pretty. The Cannon Ballers were knocked around by the Mudcats and concluded the series with a team ERA of 5.76, 1.64 WHIP, .296 Batting Average Against, 32 earned runs to 35 runs allowed, 60 hits to 50 innings pitched, 22 walks to 52 strikeouts, hit seven batters, and allowed six home runs. To see Kannapolis’ team pitching stats for the year, click here.
Hot Player of the Week
Andrew Dalquist: Andrew Dalquist was outstanding in his lone start of the week. Despite only pitching 4.2 innings, the 20 year old allowed three hits, one run (one earned), walked one, struck out eight, and finished with a 0.86 WHIP.
Honorable Mentions: Angel Acevedo, Jared Kelley, Yoelvin Silven, Bryan Ramos, and Jose Rodriguez
ACL White Sox (9-18)
Weekly Record: 3-2
The ACL White Sox got some reinforcements this week, most notably the 2021 first and second round picks, Colson Montgomery and Wes Kath. While the top draft picks only played in two games, the ACL Sox are now undefeated in the Montgomery/Kath era and finished with a three up and two down record for the week. The ACL White Sox sit in fourth to last place and are 12.5 games back of first place. Full standings of the ACL can be found here.
For the second week in a row, the ACL White Sox finished near the middle of the pack for offensive output. To conclude this week of action, they finished with a .236/.331/.439 slash line, a 771 OPS, scored 23 runs, 35 hits in 148 at bats, nine doubles, three triples, five home runs, 22 RBI, 14 walks to 49 strikeouts, five stolen bases, and were not caught stealing. Complete batting stats for the ACL White Sox can be found here.
While the pitching line isn’t necessarily pretty, ACL Sox pitching did improve on their line from the previous week. The hurlers wrapped the week with a team ERA of 5.63, 1.83 WHIP, .291 Batting Average Against, 25 earned runs to 26 runs allowed, 48 hits to 40 innings pitched, 25 walks to 59 strikeouts, hit no batters, and allowed three home runs. Complete pitching stats for the ACL White Sox can be found here.
Hot Player of the Week
Wilfred Veras: For the first time in a few weeks, someone that isn’t Misael Gonzalez sits atop as the hot player for the ACL White Sox. Wilfred Veras had a fantastic offensive week, as the 18 year old Dominican product hit .412/.474/.765 for a 1.238 OPS, one double, one triple, one home run, five RBI, scored two runs, had one walk to four strikeouts, stole one base, and had seven hits in 17 ABs.
Honorable Mentions: Misael Gonzalez, Adam Hackenberg, and Fraser Ellard
DSL White Sox (10-10)
Weekly Record: 2-3
The DSL White Sox scuffled this week, dropping three of five total games. The DSL Sox are in fourth place and four and a half games back in the Dominican Summer League Baseball City Division.
The DSL White Sox still are struggling with the bats, but did show some improvement this past week. The DSL Sox hit .229/.344/.305 slash line, a 650 OPS, 18 runs scored, 30 hits in 131 at bats, five doubles, one triple, one home run, 14 RBI, 20 walks to 46 strikeouts, two stolen bases, and were caught stealing twice. Complete batting stats for the DSL White Sox can be found here.
The DSL White Sox pitching suffered a setback this past week. The staff concluded the week with a team ERA of 5.03, 1.65 WHIP, .286 Batting Average Against, 19 earned runs to 26 runs allowed, 38 hits to 34 innings pitched, 18 walks to 41 strikeouts, hit four batters, and allowed three home runs. Complete pitching stats for the DSL White Sox can be found here.
Hot Player of the Week
Randel Mondesi: Randel Mondesi swung a hot bat this week for the DSL White Sox. The 18 year old Dominican outfielder slashed .385/.529/.769 for a 1.299 OPS, two doubles, one home run, two RBI, scored two runs, had three walks to four strikeouts, stole one base, and had five hits in 13 ABs.
Honorable Mentions: Manuel Guariman, Fernando Vargas, Emerson Talavera, and Guillermo Cuevas
Photo credit: Caleb Probst/FutureSox
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