The Chicago White Sox are known more for their speed in the minor leagues than there power. But outfielder Christian Marrero is doing his best this season to show that he is one of the guys that are capable of the long ball.
A 22nd round pick back in 2005, Marrero has spent all 10 of his professional baseball years in the minors. His best season came in 2009 when he hit .308/.348/.501 with 18 home runs and 74 RBIs between Birmingham (AA) and Winston-Salem (A adv).
Last season he returned to the White Sox organization after stints with the Atlanta Braves and Pittsburgh Pirates and played well in limited time. In 50 games with Birmingham, Marrero hit .298/.400/.497 with seven home runs and 36 RBIs.
Over the last month, he has been the Barons’ best hitter.
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In the month of May, Marrero hit .290/.406/.421 with two home runs, 11 RBI’s and 15 runs scored. He also had more walks (19) than strikeouts (16) during that stretch. Marrero has solidified the cleanup spot in the Barons’ lineup.
His best game of the month came on May 16th. Marrero went 3-3 with a double, two walks, an RBI and two runs scored. The Barons went on to defeat the Mobile BayBears 10-9.
Last night he hit his fifth home run of the year and as you can see in the video below, he had to work a little harder for this one.
For the season, he is hitting .266/.374/.415 with five home runs, 19 RBIs and a team-high 30 walks.
Honorable mention
Last month, my player of the month for Birmingham was Tim Anderson with Jacob May featured as the “honorable mention.” This time around May has slightly outdone Anderson and once again comes in second for the month.
As the White Sox third round pick of 2013, May has show exceptional speed and the ability to hit for average throughout his three years in the minors. And last month he showcased both hitting .300/.361/.325 with 18 stolen bases in 26 attempts, 10 RBIs, and 12 runs scored.
He has also excelled this season in the leadoff spot hitting .347 with a .383 on-base percentage in 25 games there.
May’s best game last month came on May 2nd in a 10 inning loss against the Tennessee Smokies. He went 2-3 with two walks, an RBI, two runs scored and three stolen bases.
For the season, May is hitting .311/.359/.359 with 18 RBIs, 23 runs scored, leads the Southern League with 25 stolen bases and is second only to Anderson in hits with 64.
May is currently on the disabled list after a collision in the field with his teammate Anderson.
AA player notes
Despite not being a player of the month, Anderson is still playing well and could be promoted to Charlotte (AAA) soon. He is hitting .316 and is first in the Southern League with 67 hits and second with 19 stolen bases…. Courtney Hawkins leads the team with six home runs but also in strikeouts with 63 of them in 46 games. That’s good for the second highest in the Southern League…. The Rule 5 selection of Adrian Nieto before last season has proven to be a bust. After going from the majors to Birmingham, Nieto is hitting just .205/.333/.315 with three home runs and 15 RBIs in 39 games.
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