For this piece, I will highlight the top performers at the plate and on the mound from the previous week of play. Below is the hotlist for Week Three. Here is last week’s Hotlist.
Who’s Hot At The Plate?
Jacob Melton – Melton got off to a slow start this season but mashed this week. He hit .375 with two doubles, a triple, 3 homers and 9 runs batted in. He raised his OPS from .551 to .856 in just one week. Great sign for him.
Joey Loperfido – Loperfido had another big week, this time earning him a promotion to Houston. The 24-year-old played in four games and connected on three homers while also stealing three bases. He leads all of baseball (MLB and MiLB) with 13 HR this season.
Pedro León – León has made big strides this season. The 25-year-old had a strong week hitting .333 with two doubles, two homers, 7 runs batted in and four stolen bases in 5 games. Overall this year he is hitting .313 with a .883 OPS.
Will Wagner – Wagner got off to a bit of a slow start but turned things on this week. He played in four games and was 8-for-20 with two doubles and 8 runs batted in. So far this season he has an impressive 18 BB/9 K ratio in 22 games.
Nehomar Ochoa – Ochoa, the Astros 11th round pick last year, had a huge week going 7-for-13 in 4 games. This included two doubles, four runs batted in, a stolen base and 2 BB/2 K. Great to see this from an 18-year-old in full season ball.
Who’s Hot On The Mound?
Misael Tamarez – Tamarez has always had the stuff, and this week he put it together. The right hander tossed 5 scoreless innings for Sugar Land racking up 8 strikeouts. He saw his fastball get up to 98.1 MPH and generated 12 whiffs.
Jake Bloss – Bloss pitched in two games this week striking out 15 over 9 innings allowing 3 runs. He second outing was the most dominant allowing just 1 run over 5 innings with 8 strikeouts. His early performance has earned him a quick promotion to Double-A.
Derek True – True was awesome in his one outing this week. The right-hander went 5 innings allowing 1 unearned run while striking out 8. He has been able to rack up 23 strikeouts in 16.2 innings this season in Single-A.
James Hicks – Hicks continues to be off to a great start in 2024. The right-hander started one game this week and allowed 1 run over 5 innings with 8 strikeouts. The one run was a leadoff homer. He has a 0.50 ERA in 18 innings this season and earned a promotion to High-A.
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