White Sox Minor Keys: Aug. 12, 2021
Yoelqui Céspedes (Sox Machine photo)
Given the disparity of evaluations for Yoelqui Céspedes, there was a small chance that his rough start at Winston-Salem could be more than rust.
Fortunately, it seems like he at least has one more level in him. Céspedes homered for the Dash on Thursday night, raising his line to .283/.360/.500 over 42 games in High-A.
And those numbers are backloaded. He’s hitting .333/.447/.692 over 11 games in August, with eight walks against nine strikeouts over 47 plate appearances. The biggest issue was a tweaked ankle that cost him a couple games last week, but if that swing is any indication, he seems to be past it.
Charlotte 8, Jacksonville 4
- Blake Rutherford went 2-for-5 with two doubles.
- Yermín Mercedes was 1-for-5 with a K.
- Gavin Sheets went 2-for-4 with a double and a strikeout.
- Micker Adolfo went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts.
- So did Ti’Quan Forbes, but with his first Triple-A homer.
- Jonathan Stiever: 5 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 WP
Chattanooga 7, Birmingham 3
- Romy Gonzalez played second and went 2-for-3 with two walks.
- Yolbert Sanchez played short and was 0-for-4 with a sac bunt and a K.
- Yasmani Grandal started at catcher, with a single and sac fly in his two trips.
- Carlos Pérez went 0-for-5.
- Lenyn Sosa played thrid went 1-for-5 with a strikeout.
- Jason Bilous: 3.1 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 1 HR, 1 WP, 1 HBP
Greensboro 5, Winston-Salem 4
- Jose Rodriguez went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts.
- Yoelqui Céspedes was 1-for-3 with a homer, walk and strikeout.
- Luis Curbelo went 0-for-4 with a K.
- Luis Mieses was 1-for-4 with a double.
Augusta 6, Kannapolis 4
- James Beard went 0-for-4 with a walk and three strikeouts.
- Bryan Ramos was 0-for-3 with an HBP and two strikeouts.
- Harvin Mendoza was 1-for-3 with a walk.
- Misael Gonzalez hit a sac fly and struck out thrice.
- Chase Krogman went 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts.
- Wilber Sanchez was 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
ACL White Sox 9, ACL Cleveland 8
- Colson Montgomery went 2-for-4 with a double and a strikeout. He was also caught stealing.
- Wes Kath wore the golden sombrero.
- Shawn Goosenberg went 1-for-2 with a strikeout and two HBPs.
- Wilfred Veras went 3-for-4 with two doubles.
- Jefferson Mendoza went 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
- Logan Glass singled, struck out and got plunked.
- Cristian Mena: 4 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
- Erick Bello: 0.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
DSL White Sox vs. DSL Blue Jays, PPD
Author
It’s good to see Céspedes coming around. I hope he keeps it and gets a shot with the big club in spring training.
The slow start was to be expected, especially given the long layoff he had. He has the tools to carry him through the minors, but it wasn’t bound to be a swift process. I think he’ll struggle at each level, but once he flips that switch the numbers will get crazy.