Minor league top performers: Griffin, Forentino lead system in month of June
The top performers in the Pirates system during the month of June
Another month of the minor league season is over, including the first with the Dominican Summer League playing games.
For the full-season affiliates, we’ve crossed the halfway point of the season, with none of the teams earning a playoff spot. Greensboro came the closest, and is off to a good start in the second half, but will now have to replace one of their top hitters in the lineup.
We saw a nice little blend of hitting and pitching this past month. Here are three of each that did well in June:
Top Hitters
Billy Cook
June: .389/.470/.514, 14 R, 6 2B, HR, 9 RBI, 5/7 SB, 10.7 BB%, 26.2 K%, 168 wRC+
It was a tough start to the season for Billy Cook, but a swing change has him hitting again, batting nearly .400 for June, including his first home run. He had nearly half of his stolen bases last month, succeeding five times in seven attempts.
Konnor Griffin
June: .402/.495/.598, 26 R, 6 2B, 4 HR, 19 RBI, 14/17 SB, 12.6 BB%, 16.2 K%, 206 wRC+
After beginning the month in Bradenton, Konnor Griffin got the push to Greensboro and didn’t slow down there. He picked up 37 total hits between the two levels and stole another 14 bases. The biggest key: he had a strikeout rate under 20% for the month.
Edward Florentino
June: .364/.443/.636, 14 R, 7 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 5/6 SB, 12.7 BB%, 17.7 K%, 187 wRC+
After tearing the cover off the ball in the FCL, Edward Florentino got promoted to Bradenton, where he initially struggled. He started to settle in and finished the month off strong, hitting a double in three straight games and having his first multi-hit contest at Single-A.
Top Pitchers
Antwone Kelly
June: 5/5, 1.80 ERA, 1-1, 25 IP, 14 H, 5 ER, 6.4 BB%, 25.5 K%, .159 AVG
Antwone Kelly wrapped up his strong month of June by making his Double-A debut. While he didn’t get the swing and miss he’s used to, he still tossed five innings of one-run ball, getting the win against Chesapeake.
He completed six innings twice and gave up no more than two runs in each of his five starts.
Justin Meis
June: 7/0, 0.00 ERA, 2-0, 1/2 SV, 10.2 IP, 7 H, 2.5 BB%, 30 K%, .179 AVG
Not only did Justin Meis not allow an earned run all month, but he also only walked a single batter while striking out 12. He also picked up a two-inning, four-strikeout save.
He dialed it up at the end of the month, with 10 of his 12 strikeouts coming in his final three outings.
Victor Cabreja
June: 5/5, 1.96 ERA, 2-1, 23 IP, 20 H, 5 ER, 7.5 BB%, 12.9 K%, .233 AVG
It was another solid, not flashy, stretch for Victor Cabreja, who has been thrust into the starting rotation for the Marauders. He doesn’t strike out many hitters, but has kept Single-A hitters off balance.
He completed five innings in four of his five starts, and tossed five shutout against Dunedin on June 27th.
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I am Groot.
(Translation: "A 206 wRC+")
Regardless of how good he is hitting or bad he is slumping, Billy Cook gets my attention at games. He is much better live..... kind of like Alice Cooper.