Tending to the Farm: Yoelqui Cespedes pounds the Biscuits

This series will recap the performances of each White Sox minor league affiliate throughout the previous week. Here is the 15th installment of the 2022 season.

Charlotte Knights (33-57)

Weekly Record: 2-4

Lehigh Valley came to Truist Field to square up against the Knights last week. While Charlotte came out hot winning the first two games of the series, they couldn't keep up the momentum and proceeded to drop the next four and the series. The Knights reside in last place and are 16 games back in the International League East Division.

The Knights offense was still below average, but outperformed themselves from the previous week. Charlotte concluded the series with a .243/.319/.370 slash line and a .689 OPS. Further, they scored 17 runs, had 46 hits in 189 at-bats, seven doubles, one triple, five home runs, 18 walks to 45 strikeouts, and went 4-for-7 on stolen bases. Complete season totals for the Knights offense can be found here.

Charlotte's pitching staff couldn't keep the positive momentum going against the Iron Pigs lineup. For the week the Knights had a team ERA of 4.67, a 1.65 WHIP, and a .285 Batting Average Against. They also allowed 30 runs (28 earned), 61 hits to 54 innings pitched, 28 walks to 54 strikeouts, hit one batter, and allowed four home runs. Complete season totals for the Knights pitching staff can be found here.

🔥 Hot Player of the Week 🔥

Mark Payton: Mark Payton was one of the key standouts for the Knights last week. The 30 year-old outfielder slashed .381/.409/.714 for a 1.123 OPS, hit two doubles, one triple, one home run, two RBI, scored five runs, and had eight hits in 21 at-bats.

Honorable Mentions: Xavier Fernandez, Yasmani Grandal (rehabbing), and Blake Rutherford

Birmingham Barons (41-46)

Weekly Record: 3-3

First Half: 31-38

Second Half: 10-8

The Montgomery Biscuits came to town to take on the Barons last week. In what turned out to be a pretty evenly matched series, Birmingham and the Biscuits both took home three wins a piece. The Barons are in first place and one game up in the second half in the Southern League North Division.

The Barons offensive output was quite similar to the previous week. Birmingham slashed .269/.349/.406 for a .755 OPS. Additionally, the Barons lineup scored 32 runs, had 57 hits in 212 at-bats, 15 doubles, one triple, four home runs, 22 walks to 50 strikeouts, and went 10-for-11 on stolen bases. Complete season totals for the Barons offense can be found here.

Birmingham's pitching staff had an extremely underwhelming week on the mound. Montgomery left the Barons with a 6.38 team ERA, a 1.58 WHIP, and a .273 Batting Average Against. Additionally, Birmingham allowed 44 runs (39 earned), 62 hits to 55 innings pitched, 25 walks to 75 strikeouts, hit one batter, and allowed seven home runs. Complete season totals for the Barons pitching staff can be found here.

🔥 Hot Player of the Week 🔥

Yoelqui Cespedes: Yoelqui Cespedes was on another level last week for the Barons. The 24 year-old Cuban annihilated Biscuits pitching, slashing .412/.565/.941 for a 1.506 OPS, hit three doubles, two home runs, five RBI, scored three runs, went 4-for-4 on stolen bases, and had seven hits in 17 at-bats.

Honorable Mentions: Evan Skoug, Oscar Colas, Raudy Read, Taylor Broadway, Edgar Navarro, and Felix Paulino

Winston-Salem Dash (43-44)

Weekly Record: 1-5

First Half: 33-33

Second Half: 10-11

Winston-Salem went to Asheville to take on the Tourists where video feeds of games are only myths. The Dash struggled mightily all week long, dropping five of six to their divisional foe. The Dash are in fourth place and five games back in the second half in the South Atlantic League South Division.

Offensive production wasn't the main cause of the Dash's struggles last week. Winston-Salem left the series with a .293/.362/.502 slash line and an .864 OPS. The Dash also scored 35 runs, had 60 hits in 205 at-bats, 10 doubles, no triples, 11 home runs, 21 walks to 53 strikeouts, and went 3-for-5 on stolen bases. Complete season totals for the Dash offense can be found here.

The word atrocious doesn't even begin to describe how the Winston-Salem pitching staff fared against the Tourists last week. The Dash were pulverized all week long, being carted out of the the series with team ERA of 9.19, a 1.85 WHIP, and a .320 batting average against. The Dash also allowed 51 runs (49 earned) on 64 hits over 48 innings, 25 walks to 45 strikeouts, hitting four batters and allowing 12 home runs. Complete season totals for the Dash pitching staff can be found here.

🔥 Hot Player of the Week 🔥

Luis Mieses: In a week of lowlights for the Dash, Luis Mieses was one of the few bright spots. The 22 year-old slashed .364/.400/.727 for a 1.127 OPS, hit two doubles, two home runs, seven RBI, scored four runs, and had eight hits in 22 at-bats.

Honorable Mentions: Alsander Womack, Colson Montgomery, and Karan Patel

Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (39-48)

Weekly Record: 2-4

First Half: 26-40

Second Half: 13-8

Last week Kannapolis took the trip to Salem to face the Red Sox. After a hot start in the second half, the Cannon Ballers endured a setback, dropping four of six games. Kannapolis is tied for first place in the second half in the Carolina League South Division.

The Ballers offense scuffled mightily against the Salem pitching staff. Kannapolis had a .219/.293/.294 slash line for a .587 OPS. Kannapolis also scored 21 runs, had 44 hits in 201 at-bats, 10 doubles, one triple, one home run, 20 walks to 60 strikeouts, and went 5-for-8 on stolen bases. Complete season totals for the Cannon Ballers offense can be found here.

The Cannon Ballers pitching staff continued their hot streak over the last month of games. Kannapolis left the series with a team ERA of 2.70, a 1.28 WHIP, and a .230 Batting Average Against. In addition, they allowed 17 runs (15 earned) on 42 hits over 50 innings, issuing 22 walks against 54 strikeouts, while hitting one batter and allowing two home runs. Complete season totals for the Cannon Ballers pitching staff can be found here.

🔥 Hot Player of the Week 🔥

Hunter Dollander: Hunter Dollander was outstanding in his lone appearance of the week for the Ballers. The 25 year-old threw four innings, allowing only two hits, no runs, no walks, struck out seven, and had a .143 Batting Average Against and a 0.50 WHIP.

Honorable Mentions: Victor Torres and Wes Kath

ACL White Sox (12-18)

Weekly Record: 1-5

With the draft coming to a close, the ACL White Sox should have reinforcements heading their the near future. Which is good news for the club, as they are coming off a rough week that saw them drop four out of five games. The ACL White Sox are in last place and 11 games back in the ACL West. Full standings of the ACL can be found here.

The ACL White Sox offense is still scuffling at the dish, but their OPS did climb a bit for the second week in a row. The club hit .231/.302/.370 for a .672 OPS. Additionally, the ACL White Sox scored 21 runs, had 40 hits in 173 at-bats, four doubles, one triple, six home runs, 16 walks to 72 strikeouts, and went 2-for-3 on stolen bases. Complete batting stats for the ACL White Sox can be found here.

The ACL White Sox endured some struggles on the mound last week. The staff concluded the week with a team ERA of 5.65, a 1.70 WHIP, and a .287 Batting Average Against. In addition, the staff was charged with 27 earned runs to 31 runs allowed, 48 hits in 43 innings pitched, 25 walks to 46 strikeouts, hit two batters, and allowed two home runs. Complete pitching stats for the ACL White Sox can be found here.

🔥 Hot Player of the Week 🔥

Luis Pineda: Luis Pineda put a hurt on the ball all week long. The 20-year-old catcher slashed .455/.478/.773 for a 1.251 OPS, one double, two home runs, eight RBI, scored two runs, and had 10 hits in 22 at-bats.

Honorable Mentions: Alvaro Aguero, Jose Rodulfo, and Emerson Talavera

DSL White Sox (15-16)

Weekly Record: 3-3

Last week saw the DSL White Sox have a bigger weekly schedule than normal. The DSL club played in six games last week and ultimately ended the week going three up and three down. The DSL White Sox are in fifth place and five games back in the DSL San Pedro Division. Full standings of the DSL can be found here.

The DSL White Sox offense had themselves a very nice rebound after a tough prior week. The DSL Sox hit .266/.382/.413 for a .795 OPS. They also scored 35 runs, had 49 hits in 184 at-bats, eight doubles, two triples, five home runs, 31 walks to 47 strikeouts, and went 8-for-11 on stolen bases. Complete batting stats for the DSL White Sox can be found here.

The DSL White Sox pitching staff had another tough week on the mound. The staff concluded the six games with a team ERA of 5.17, a 1.64 WHIP, .266 Batting Average Against, 27 earned runs to 41 runs allowed, 50 hits to 47 innings pitched, 27 walks to 48 strikeouts, hit five batters, and allowed two home runs. Complete pitching stats for the DSL White Sox can be found here.

🔥 Hot Player of the Week 🔥

Ronny Hernandez: Ronny Hernandez had a solid week for the DSL Sox. The 17 year-old catcher slashed .417/.462/1.000 for a 1.462 OPS, one double, two home runs, four RBI, scored five runs, and had five hits in 12 at-bats.

Honorable Mentions: Loidel Chapelli, Guillermo Rodriguez, Arnold Prado, Frankeli Arias, Juan Jimenez, and Jose Mendoza