White Sox AA pitcher of August: RP Tim Crabbe
The Chicago White Sox struck a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks for right-hander Tim Crabbe in exchange for a player to be named later or cash back in June.
Originally drafted as a starter, Crabbe has been far more effective throughout his career when used as a reliever. This season however had not been the case.
While with the Diamondbacks Triple-A club, he posted a 5.50 ERA in 19 games in relief.
The 27 year-old right-hander has pitched better since joining Birmingham and in August out-pitched everyone on the roster.
Crabbe had a 1.42 ERA and 0.95 WHIP in eight appearances (one start). He also held opponents to a .212 batting average and had 17 strikeouts in 19 innings of work.
His best outing of the month came on August 9th in a win against the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Reds Double-A affiliate). Crabbe came on in relief in the fifth inning with the game tied at two and threw four no-hit innings with no walks and two strikeouts. The Barons would eventually score in the eighth giving Crabbe the win.
Overall this season with Birmingham, Crabbe is 2-2 with a 2.41 ERA in 15 games. He has 34 strikeouts in 37.1 innings and opponents have hit for a .221 average.
Honorable mention
Tyler Barnette popped up on my radar in May when he allowed just three runs in 25 innings during the month. He followed that up with a strong June but since then hasn’t quite pitched at that level.
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The young right-hander who has made six starts this season, worked exclusively out of the bullpen in August and was the best pitcher on the club not named Crabbe.
In eight appearances, Barnette had a 3.38 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 16 innings. He did not allow an earned run in his first six outings in August and that streak carried over an eight-game stretch that started near the end of July.
Barnette’s best game of August came on the 3rd of the month in a 4-2 win against the Tennessee Smokies (Cubs Double-A affiliate). With the Barons down 2-1, Barnette entered the game in the sixth and threw three scoreless innings allowing two hits, no walks and striking out five. The Barons would go on to score three in the seventh and Barnette would pick up his fifth win of the season.
For the year, Barnette is 5-4 with a 2.44 ERA in 28 games (six starts) with Birmingham. He has 49 strikeouts in 73.1 innings and opponents have hit for a 2.52 average against him this season.
Double-A pitcher notes
Frankie Montas made his major league debut with the White Sox last night throwing a scoreless inning of relief. He was 5-5 with a 2.97 ERA and 108 strikeouts in 112.1 innings (23 starts) with Birmingham this season…. Robin Leyer is another Birmingham player headed to the Arizona Fall League. He is 2-1 with 5.35 ERA this season with the Barons…. Matt Heidenreich was promoted from Winston-Salem (Class A Advanced) to Birmingham in the beginning of August. In three starts so far, he is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA and has 18 strikeouts in 18 innings.