Minor League Baseball Players of the Week for August 2, 2022
Minor League Baseball Weekly Top Performers
We’re now in the last full month of minor league baseball. September will feature championship action in lower-level minor leagues before October brings the Triple-A playoffs. That means players are beginning to head down the home stretch of their season, leading to a host of promotions for the final six weeks of the season so a team can evaluate a player at the next level.
Hitter of the Week
One of the top talents in the draft when the Atlanta Braves drafted him in 2017, Drew Waters became part of the scandal that eventually got the Braves’ general manager permanently banned from baseball due to receiving improper benefits. He jumped up the Braves farm system quickly, but injuries and swing adjustments stalled Waters in the upper minors with the Braves as other center field prospects in the organization passed him by. He was traded as part of a deal for the Braves to acquire a comp pick in the 2022 draft from the Royals. He doesn’t walk a ton, but his power/speed combination is unique and can be dynamic as long as he’s making consistent contact at a high level. He’s been hitting well since the trade, posting a .322/.420/.610 line over 15 games in Omaha. He had a monster week over the past week with a .364/.514/.864 line with a pair of doubles, three home runs, and five steals. After the Royals move players at the deadline, Waters could get some major league time over the final two months.
Pitcher of the Week
Not hearing his name called after 20 rounds of the 2021 MLB draft, Jamison Hill understandably could have thought his pro baseball pursuits were over, but the Arizona Diamondbacks signed the righty as an undrafted free agent. Hill has pitched across Arizona’s A-ball levels this season. Hill pounds the zone with a low-90s fastball, an average curve, and a change that’s a work in progress. He will need to add a pitch or find another gear in one or more of his pitches to succeed going forward in the upper minors. For now, Hill is able to have weeks like he did this last week, when he threw 5 2/3 no-hit innings, allowing two walks and striking out 13.
Hitters
AAA
Otto Lopez, Buffalo – .556/.591/1.167, 7 R, 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 2/2 BB/K, 3 SB
J.P. Martinez, Round Rock – .389/.522/.944, 6 R, 2B, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 5/2 BB/K, 3 SB
Billy McKinney, Las Vegas – .471/.526/1.294, 6 R, 4 3B, 2 HR, 1/1 BB/K
Drew Waters, Omaha – .364/.514/.864, 7 R, 2 2B, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 7/7 BB/K, 5 SB
AA
Bradlee Beesley, Tennessee – .474/.565/.789, 6 R, 3 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 3/2 BB/K, 4 SB
Colton Cowser, Bowie – .524/.577/.952, 8 R, 3 2B, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 4/4 BB/K
Justin Dirden, Corpus Christi – .579/.652/1.000, 6 R, 2 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3/4 BB/K
High-A
Cristian Inoa, Hickory – .600/.652/1.100, 10 R, 2B, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 2/2 BB/K
Aaron Sabato, Cedar Rapids – .333/.500/1.000, 10 R, 2 2B, 4 HR, 11 RBI, 4/7 BB/K, SB
Single-A
Jase Bowen, Bradenton – .455/.556/1.000, 8 R, 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 3/4 BB/K
Joey Loperfido, Fayetteville – .533/.667/1.267, 5 R, 3B, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 6/2 BB/K, 5 SB
Complex Leagues
Samuel Basallo, FCL Orioles – .500/.579/1.071, 5 R, 2 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 1/3 BB/K, SB
Jose Gerardo, DSL Marlins – .375/.545/.938, 6 R, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 3/5 BB/K, SB
Karell Paz, FCL Mets – .412/.474/1.176, 7 R, 2 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 2/4 BB/K
Reylin Perez, DSL Tigers2 – .450/.542/1.000, 7 R, 2 2B, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 4/6 BB/K, SB
Pitchers
AAA
Casey Lawrence, Buffalo – 10 2/3 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 12 K
Cole Winn, Round Rock – 7 1/3 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 7 BB, 12 K
AA
Noah Davis, Hartford – 6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 10 K
Bobby Miller, Tulsa – 6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 11 K
Spencer Stockton, Chattanooga – 6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 10 K
Blake Walston, Amarillo – 5 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 10 K
High-A
Mick Abel, Jersey Shore – 6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 10 K
Jamison Hill, Hillsboro – 5 2/3 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 13 K
Roddery Munoz, Rome – 6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 12 K
Jimmy Robbins, Vancouver – 5 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 11 K
Single-A
Cooper Benson, Dunedin – 5 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K
Miguel Ullola, Fayetteville – 4 2/3 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 K
Complex Leagues
Dylan Burns, ACL White Sox – 9 2/3 IP, 8 H, 0 ER, 6 BB, 10 K
Jordarlin Mendoza, DSL Yankees – 6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 K
Johandry Milano, DSL Colorado – 6 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 12 K
Manuel Olivares, DSL Rockies – 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 K
Dameivi Tineo, FCL Marlins – 5 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 K
Statistical leaders across minors (qualified min. 150 AB or 75 IP)
Hitting
AVG – Jancarlos Cintron .350, Derek Bernard .342, Vaun Brown .338, Jacob Gonzalez .338, Wynton Bernard .338
OBP – Esteury Ruiz .467, Austin Gauthier .464, Niko Kavadas .464, Corbin Carroll .437, Damon Keith .433
SLG – Matt Gorski .664, Moises Gomez .656, Niko Kavadas .648, Corbin Carroll .634, David Villar .633
HR – Moises Gomez 29, Jhonkensy Noel/Nicholas Northcut 28, Kerry Carpenter 27, Christian Encarnacion-Strand/Stone Garrett 25
SB – Esteury Ruiz 60, Wilderd Patino 58, Max Ferguson 55, Luis Valdez 53, Mike Antico 51
wRC+ – Niko Kavadas 196, Kyle Manzardo 173, Vaun Brown 170, Matt Gorski 169, Esteury Ruiz/Corbin Carroll 165
Pitching
GP – Zach Lee 44, Zach McAllister/Reagan Todd 40, Alberto Baldonado/Miguel Del Pozo 39
IP – Peyton Battenfield 114 1/3, Tommy Henry 108, Zane Mills 107 2/3, Darren McCaughan 107, Collin Wiles 105 2/3
ERA – Gavin Stone 1.41, Taylor Dollard 1.61, Gavin Williams 1.69, Mason Montgomery 1.85, Taj Bradley 1.88
WHIP – Casey Lawrence 0.82, Jack Leftwich 0.84, Gordon Graceffo 0.86, Taylor Dollard 0.90, Landon Marceaux 0.92
K – Brandon Pfaadt 144, Royber Salinas 139, Kyle Harrison/Mason Montgomery 133, Logan Allen 127
FIP – Jack Leftwich 2.32, Gavin Stone 2.32, Brant Hurter 2.38, Robinson Pina 2.64, Taj Bradley 2.65
Benjamin Chase
After 6 years of writing for FanSided on various sites and offering contributions to various other websites, family changes have encouraged me to start this site. I spend a ton of time watching baseball at all levels, but I love watching minor league baseball on milb.tv as I'm hours away from the closest minor league team. This is an effort of all those games I enjoy on a daily basis!
