We had an odd week with a lot of good performances from hitters but not a whole lot of good from our pitchers. I'll be honest, it is a bit of fresh air and none of the bad pitchers were our superstars.
Who's Hot?
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Willie Cabrera - 7-18 4 2B, HR, 6 RBI, 2BB, 2K- I actually didn't even think Willie had been that good this week but that is what I get for doubting him. What else is there left to say about this guy? He is 3rd in the league in OPS, 1st in doubles, 2nd in average and 4th in SLG. In July he has more homers than he had the rest of the year and has put up an impressive 1.088 OPS.
- Julio Teheran - 7IP 3H 1R 0BB 9K - Julio decided to make his last start in Myrtle Beach one of his best. Again, what else is there to say about this guy? Sure he got roughed up in a 3 game stretch in the Carolina League, but those were just blips on the radar. He and Delgado both deserve the promotion they got.
- Matt Lipka - 10-27 2B, 3B, HR, 10 RBI, 6 SB - I don't normally put short season guys on this list but Lipka has been amazing in July and this past week especially. While he has yet to tap into his power in any significant way, every other aspect of his game has been impressive including his plate discipline. I can't rave enough about this guy.
- Andrelton Simmons - 11-28 4 2B, 4 RBI, 1 SB, 1 CS - Andrelton Simmons wants to play the file really bad and he is doing everything within his power to make sure that happens. He had a rough adjustment period when he first signed in June but since then he has been at least solid with the bat. His plate discipline could use some work but we knew he was raw in most phases of the game. At the very least I think he has earned another year to try and play the field.
Honorable Mentions: Gwinnett - Freddie Freeman, Wes Timmons, Christian Martinez; Mississippi - Tyler Pastornicky, Randall Delgado; J.J. Hoover, Cory Harrilchak; Phil Gosselin, Steven Kent; Danville - Evan Gattis, Jakob Dalfonso, David Rohm, Barrrett Kleinknecht, Ryan Weber, Kyle Farrell
Who's Cold?
- Jordan Schafer - I won't even use any stats here other than his OPS at Gwinnett was .509 for the year. Formerly the Braves 'Centerfielder of the Future' Schafer has had a rough season and it culminated in a demotion to AA a couple days ago. Rumors have it the Braves wanted to get him away from his comfort zone and send a message to him. I guess we will see if the message hit home or not.
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Craig Kimbrel - 4IP 3H 3R 2HR 3BB 5K - Kimbrel had his worst week of the season after a rough showing last week as well. He has allowed runs in 4 of his last 5 appearances and has walked at least one batter in 7 straight appearances. That totals up to 13 walks in his last 8 innings with 5 runs allowed. He is still striking out bunches of hitters but it looked like he had turned a corner with his control. I hope it is just a blip on the radar and not.
- Brett Oberholtzer - 4IP 10H 8R 1BB 2K - Brett had found a bit of a groove coming out of the bullpen for the Pelicans and even carried that into a couple of starts when he was needed but he crashed and burned this week. In Myrtle Beach he has a 5.24 ERA as a starter vs just 2.25 out of the pen with better component ratios across the board (SSS warning). I think he may have found his future role.
- Caleb Brewer - 3IP 6H 3R 3BB 3K - A few people were really high on Brewer coming into the season because he throws very hard and he had a solid season in the GCL last year. He started strong in June but since then the wheels have come off. He has allowed 3 runs or more in 7 straight starts and has walked 3+ in all but two of those starts. For the season he has 26 BB vs 24 K in just 40 innings of work. He is going to have to get his control straight
Dishonorable Mention: Gwinnett - Todd Redmond, Jose Ortegano; Mississippi - Richard Sullivan; Myrtle Beach - Matt Crim; Rome - Edward Salcedo, Todd Cunningham, Chris Masters, Robinson Lopez