By Scott Barancik, Editor
Here are your minor-league highlights for the week of August 19-25, 2019:
Hitter of the Week: CJ Stubbs (Astros)
C CJ Stubbs* (Astros/A/Quad Cities River Bandits) hit .304 (7-for-23) with 2 HRs, 3 doubles, and 7 RBIs. The highlight came on August 23, when Stubbs went 4-for-4 with 2 HRs and 4 RBIs. Since being promoted to Single-A on August 15, the 22-year-old rookie — and brother of fellow Astros catching prospect Garrett Stubbs — has hit .313 with 3 HRs, 4 doubles, and 12 RBIs in just 32 at-bats.
Pitcher of the Week: Ben Gross (Twins)
Ben Gross* (Twins/Rookie Advanced/Elizabethton Twins) was nearly unhittable in an August 24 start. In 5 scoreless innings, Gross yielded just 2 hits and zero walks while striking out 7.
Mazel tov
- Simon Rosenbaum, a 6’7” first baseman who works in the front office of the Tampa Bay Rays, will be joining Team Israel for the European Baseball championships in Germany, which begins September 7. Click here if you want to support Israel in its pursuit of the 2020 Olympics.
- Simon Rosenblum-Larson (Rays/High-A/Charlotte Stone Crabs) retired one batter on August 24 to earn a hold. He was succeeded on the mound by a rehabbing Ryan Sheriff, who pitched 2 scoreless innings to earn a save.
Other highlights
- 2B Zane Gurwitz (Angels/High-A/Inland Empire 66ers) hit .261 (6-for-23) with 2 HRs, a double, 6 RBIs, and a .320 OBP. Gurwitz is hitting .284 for the 66ers this season, versus .227 in 2018.
- C Andy Yerzy (Diamondbacks/A-short-season/Hillsboro Hops) hit .238 (5-for-21) with 2 doubles, 6 RBIs, and a .385 OBP.
- SS Keaton Weisz* (Angels/Rookie/AZL Angels) hit .444 (4-for-9) with 2 RBIs and a .545 OBP.
- P Dean Kremer (Orioles/AAA/Norfolk Tides) fared much better in his second Triple-A start, yielding 3 earned runs on 5 hits and a walk over 5 innings while striking out 5.
- P Brandon Gold (Rockies/AA/Hartford Yard Goats) earned his 4th straight win on August 23, yielding 2 earned runs on 3 hits and 2 walks over 6 innings while striking out 5. For the season, Gold is 11-5 with a 3.55 ERA and 5 times as many strikeouts (107) as walks (20).
- P Sam Delaplane (Mariners/AA/Arkansas Travelers) tossed 3 scoreless innings over two appearances, yielding a hit and a walk while striking out 5 and earning his 4th save of the season.
- P Mitchell Osnowitz (Cardinals/AA/Springfield Cardinals) pitched 2 scoreless innings across 2 games, yielding zero hits and a walk while striking out 2.
- P Simon Rosenblum-Larson (Rays/High-A/Charlotte Stone Crabs) pitched 4 perfect innings across 3 games, yielding no hits or walks, striking out 6, and earning his 8th save in 8 chances this season.
- P Ryan Sherriff (Rays), on a rehab assignment with the Charlotte Stone Crabs (High-A), pitched 2 scoreless innings on August 24, yielding 3 hits and no walks to earn a save.
- P Scott Effross (Cubs/High-A/Myrtle Beach Pelicans) pitched 4.2 innings across 3 games, yielding one earned run on 3 hits and zero walks while striking out 5.
- P Max Lazar (Brewers/A/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers) struck out a career high 10 in an August 20 win, holding opponents to one earned run on 7 hits and no walks over 7 innings. Since an early-season promotion to Single-A, Lazar is 7-2 with a 1.60 ERA, 100 strikeouts, and just 15 walks.
- P Noah Davis (Reds/Rookie Advanced/Billings Mustangs) was dominant in an August 19 start, yielding just 2 hits and a walk over 5 scoreless innings while striking out 8. He had less success in an August 24 start that ended in a no-decision.
- P Josh Wolf* (Metes/Rookie/GCL Mets) pitched 2 scoreless innings on August 24, yielding one hit and no walks while striking out 4.
- P Josh Shapiro* (Brewers/Rookie/AZL Brewers Gold) pitched 4 innings of one-run ball on August 25, yielding 3 hits and no walks while striking out 3. Batters are hitting .347 against rookie Shapiro, but he has struck out 38 in 34 innings while walking only 5.
Transactions
- 2B Ty Kelly (Angels/AAA/Salt Lake Bees) was placed on the temporary inactive list on August 25.
- P Ryan Sherriff (Rays) was sent to the Charlotte Stone Crabs (High-A) for a rehab assignment on August 24.
- P Kenny Rosenberg (Rays) was promoted from the Montgomery Biscuits (AA) to the Durham Bulls (AA) on August 22 to pitch one game and then was returned to Montgomery the following day.
- P Keith Weisenberg (Giants/A/Augusta GreenJackets) was placed on the injured list on August 22.
- P Jeremy Bleich (Twins/AAA/Rochester Red Wings) was placed on the injured list on August 19.
Free agents
- Players believed to be seeking employment include Danny Valencia and RC Orlan.
Injured list
- P Keith Weisenberg (Giants/A/Augusta GreenJackets), since August 22.
- P Jeremy Bleich (Twins/AAA/Rochester Red Wings), since August 19.
- 2B Michael Wielansky (Astros/A/Quad Cities Rivers Bandits), since August 10.
- P Evan Kravetz* (Reds/Rookie/Greenville Reds), since July 1.
* Players marked with an asterisk were drafted in 2019.
Note to readers: Minor-League Monday does not include stats for all current Jewish minor-leaguers. Click here for a complete list of players, and then click on a player’s name to be taken to his stat page.
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