The Barons led the way with a 5-1 record, but Danny Mendick stole the show in Triple-A
Charlotte Knights
Record 3-2 (last week), 8-12 (overall)
Knights Player of the Week
Danny Mendick 8-for-19, 5 HR, 2 2B, 7 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K
Oscar Colás 6-for-16, 2 HR, 3B, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 3 K
Colson Montgomery 0-for-11, 1 BB, 6 K
Carlos Pérez 6-for-19, 3 2B, RBI, 0 BB, 1 K
Zach Remillard 0-for-12, 0 BB, 3 K
Brad Keller 5 1⁄3 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 4 BB, 2 K
Chad Kuhl 5 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 4 BB, 4 K
Jared Shuster 4 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 2 K
Jake Woodford 4 1⁄3 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 8 K
Prelander Berroa 2 1⁄3 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 4 K
Lane Ramsey 3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 4 BB, 5 K
The main story here was Danny Mendick, whose performance had some asking the organization to promote him to The Show. It is important to bear in mind that Mendick is 30 and has accumulated exactly 0.0 fWAR with a 81 wRC+ at the MLB level. On the other hand, given the way the White Sox have performed (especially on offense) they should happily accept that level of performance right now. As a result, after Sunday’s loss, the White Sox promoted Mendick back to the majors while optioning Lenyn Sosa. Congratulations to Mendick. Hopefully, he can build on his hot streak at the highest level.
Oscar Colás also flexed his muscles, launching two home runs and a triple. He also displayed some good plate discipline by drawing three walks.
On the pitching side, no starting pitcher had a remarkable performance, but Jake Woodford led the way with eight strikeouts. Brad Keller and Chad Kuhl, who have the most MLB experience among Knights pitchers, did not exactly strengthen their case to join the big club.
2024 Charlotte Knights Players of the Week
Robbie Grossman (April 1-7)
Danny Mendick (April 8-14)
Danny Mendick (April 15-21)
Birmingham Barons
Record 5-1 (last week), 10-5 (overall)
Barons Player of the Week
Edgar Quero 8-for-18, 2B, HR, 5 RBI, 4 BB, 2 K
Brooks Baldwin 11-for-23, 3 2B, RBI, 0 BB, 4 K
Tim Elko 5-for-19, 2B, 1 BB, 10 K
Terrell Tatum 4-for-21, 3 BB, 4 K
Mason Adams 11 IP, 1 ER, 9 H, 1 BB, 17 K
Drew Thorpe 7 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 2 BB, 3 K
Ky Bush 5 1⁄3 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 4 H, 3 BB, 5 K
Jairo Iriarte 5 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 0 BB, 6 K
Jake Eder 4 2⁄3 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 4 BB, 8 K
It was another good week for the Barons, who are off to a strong start to the season, unlike all other teams within the organization. The biggest highlight came on Sunday afternoon, when Edgar Quero capped off a fantastic week with a walk-off home run.
When you hit a walk-off home run, you get double posted!
The Barons win the series 5-1!
Next week the Barons travel to Chattanooga for a 6 game series! #bhambarons
@SouthernIntrig1 pic.twitter.com/fQR1TWl2pG— Birmingham Barons (@BhamBarons) April 21, 2024
Brooks Baldwin was also very tough on opposing pitchers, as he collected 11 hits, including three doubles. Pitchers were also reliable nearly across the board, with Mason Adams, Drew Thorpe, and Jairo Iriarte posting exceptional numbers.
2024 Birmingham Barons Players of the Week
Drew Thorpe (April 8-14)
Edgar Quero (April 15-21)
Winston-Salem Dash
Record 2-4 (last week), 5-10 (overall)
Dash Player of the Week
Juan Carela 5 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 4 K
Loidel Chapelli 5-for-21, 3 2B, 3B, RBI, 1 BB, 8 K
Jordan Sprinkle 6-for-21, 1 BB, 7 K
Samuel Zavala 5-for-21, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 6 K
Bryce Willits 4-for-21, HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K
Wes Kath 4-for-20, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 2 BB, 10 K
Shawn Goosenberg 4-for-19, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 4 BB, 7 K
Noah Schultz 4 IP, 2 ER, 1 H, 3 BB, 6 K
Riley Gowens 6 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 8 K
Tyler Schweitzer 6 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 6 K
It was not the finest week for the Dash, but they salvaged it down the stretch with strong all-around performances on Friday and Saturday. Wes Kath (.923) and Shawn Goosenberg (.874) led the way in terms of OPS over the past week. One of the cornerstones of the Dylan Cease return, outfielder Samuel Zavala, was having a nightmarish week until Sunday, when he went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a walk.
Despite the 2-4 record, the starting pitchers performed quite well overall. Riley Gowens, Tyler Schweitzer, and Juan Carela all posted great starts. Noah Schultz, 2022’s first round pick, had some control issues during his start, but he was dominant otherwise, striking out six and only allowing two hits in four innings.
2024 Winston-Salem Dash Players of the Week
Jacob González (April 8-14)
Juan Carela (April 15-21)
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
Record 3-2 (last week) 7-7 (overall)
Cannon Ballers Player of the Week
Albertson Asigen 6-for-20, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K
Luis Pineda 2-for-21, HR, RBI, 3 BB, 7 K
Caden Connor 5-for-19, 2 2B, 5 RBI, 4 BB, 3 K
Ronny Hernández 4-for-15, 2B, 3 RBI, 5 BB, 5 K
Ryan Galanie 5-for-14, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 0 BB, 4 K
Seth Keener 4 2⁄3 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 4 BB, 5 K
Aldrin Batista 5 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 6 H, 0 BB, 5 K
Mark McLaughlin 5 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 2 BB, 2 K
On Wednesday, the Cannon Ballers offense exploded with a 17-run outburst, so their overall hitting stats were pretty solid this week. However, outside of that incredible performance, the offense averaged three runs per game, so reliable pitching was crucial to the Cannon Ballers’ 3-2 record this week. Mark McLaughlin, Aldrin Batista, and Seth Keener all contributed to the pitching staff’s good week. That trio combined for 14 2⁄3 innings and only two earned runs.
As for the hitters, Albertson Asigen made a great recovery from his slow start to the season by batting .300 with a pair of homers. Ryan Galanie posted a .357 average with two doubles, and Ronny Hernández was a tough out, posting a .450 OBP, largely thanks to five walks.
2024 Kannapolis Cannon Ballers Players of the Week
Aldrin Batista (April 8-14)
Albertson Asigen (April 15-21)