Micker Adolfo is still looking for his first Triple-A hit after two games with Charlotte, but wearing the Knights uniform is an accomplish enough for now. Adolfo is the first traditional international signing in the Marco Paddy era -- meaning a teenager signed for an amount of money that would be permitted under today's rules -- to advance to Triple-A. No, he can't count Fernando Tatis Jr.
It's been a long road for Adolfo, who signed as a 17-year-old for $1.6 mllion way back in 2013. He persevered through a series of significant injuries and surgeries to merit a call-up to Charlotte. He hit .249/.318/.525 with 15 homers and 15 doubles over 242 plate appearances. Take out a terrible first week-plus, and he hit .267/.335/.556 over his last 209 PA.
He was the rare hitter to not be fazed by Regions Field:
- Home: .285/.358/.624
- Road: .207/.270/.414
So he should make Truist Field look tiny when he plays his first home game for Charlotte. The bigger key will be his strikeout rate, which was 35 percent at Birmingham. He can turn around and lift a fastball, but breaking stuff still causes him to expand his zone. It wouldn't be surprising to see a lengthy adjustment period, but it could very well be the case that strikeout rates are hard to iron out at lower levels when the production around whiffs is that loud.
The good news is that Adolfo shouldn't be the only one of his kind for long. Carlos Pérez, a $50,000 signing out of Venezuela in 2014, is on the cusp of graduating from Birmingham. He homered and doubled during a 2-for-5 night with the Barons on Thursday, raising his slugging percentage above .400 for the first time all season with plenty of room to spare. He's hitting .285/.336/.417 over 60 games with the Barons, including .354/.417/.523 over 17 games in July. There's room for him behind the plate in Charlotte depending on what the Sox have in mind for Yermín Mercedes, and depending on where Mercedes' mind is at.
REMINDER: Patreon supporters can see a comprehensive log of Marco Paddy's signings and international class summaries.
Durham 5, Charlotte 3
- Blake Rutherford wore the collar and silver sombrero.
- Eloy Jiménez went 1-for-4 with a double and two strikeouts.
- Micker Adolfo was 0-for-3 with a walk.
- Bennett Sousa's Triple-A debut: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Birmingham 10, Chattanooga 5
- Romy Gonzalez went 1-for-5 with two strikeouts and a stolen base.
- Carlos Pérez was 2-for-5 with a homer and a double.
- Yolbert Sanchez went 3-for-5 with a double, and was caught stealing.
- Kade McClure: 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 1 WP, 1 HBP
Winston-Salem 3, Jersey Shore 2
- Yoelqui Céspedes went 2-for-4 with a strikeout and a stolen base.
- Luis Robert went 0-for-1 with a walk, and was once again lifted after five innings.
- Luis Curbelo went 3-for-4 with a homer, and was picked off.
- Davis Martin finally reversed course: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 R, 0 BB, 5 K
Fayetteville 4, Kannapolis 3
- Jose Rodriguez went 1-for-4 with an HBP.
- Harvin Mendoza was 0-for-4 with a K.
- Luis Mieses went 0-for-3 with a walk.
- Caberea Weaver wore the collar and silver sombrero.
- James Beard went 2-for-3 with a double, walk and stolen base.
- Andrew Dalquist: 5 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
ACL Indians 7, ACL White Sox 6 (7 innings)
- Wilber Sanchez went 1-for-3 with a walk and two stolen bases.
- Benyamin Bailey and Logan Glass both were 0-for-3 with two strikeouts, though Bailey got plunked.
- Jefferson Mendoza went 2-for-3 with a homer.
- Elijah Tatis doubled, hit a sac fly and struck out.
- Ronald Guzman: 3.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 2 K, 2 HR, 1 WP
DSL Padres 4, DSL White Sox 2 (7 innings)
- Victor Quezada went 0-for-3 with a strikeout.
