Five
thoughts on the Knights…
1. Without question the Knights (48-61) are playing their best
baseball of the season right now. They set a season-high with five straight
wins July 12-19, lost a game on the 20th, and then ripped off another five-game
streak before dropping a 6-5 decision to Louisville on Saturday.
As a team, the Knights are hitting .323 in July to pace the International
League, which they now lead in home runs (137), RBI (491) and runs (523).
Before Sunday's Game 1 shutout loss to the Bats, they'd scored five or more
runs in 15 straight games.
2. Although everyone’s been hot at the plate, Charlotte first baseman
Andy
Wilkins has been one of the top hitters in all of baseball over the
course of his current 12-game hitting streak. Wilkins, who was named the IL’s
Batter of the Week last week, is hitting .551 (27-for-49) with 10 home runs, 17
runs, five doubles, and 24 RBIs since the streak began.
Don’t think this has simply been a hot 12 games for Wilkins either, his 26
home runs are tops in the IL and so are his 70 RBIs. Wilkins has improved each
month this season, hitting .183 in April, .212 in May, .306 in June, and .448
this July (entering Sunday).
“It’s just a timing thing,” said Wilkins towards the end of June. “I’d been
struggling with getting my timing and keeping it consistently. I’ve had flashes
of it here and there, but I’ve just been working on it, and it’s clicking right
now.”
“He’s seeing the ball well and using the whole field,” said Knights manager
Joel Skinner of Wilkins. “He’s staying on the ball and every once in a while he
catches a mistake and doesn’t miss it.”
A left-handed first baseman with power is one of the most sought after
commodities in all of baseball. However, the knock on Wilkins, who is now 25,
has always been his aggressive approach at the plate. His 19 walks in 347 ABs
(5.5-percent) are the fewest among any of the Knights regulars.
IL pitchers might be wise to start pitching around Wilkins, who can get
himself out more often than the White Sox would like.
For now though, Wilkins -- who is averaging a HR every 14.31 ABs -- is as hot
as anyone on the planet and a reason to bring your glove if you’re planning on
sitting in the BB&T BallPark outfield anytime soon.
3. Jordan Danks, who is in his fifth season with Charlotte, is now just
four hits shy of tying
Joe Borchard for the Knights’ all-time
hits record (439). In Game 2 of Sunday’s double-header he drew even with
Borchard in all-time games played as well.
Assuming Danks doesn’t set the hits mark before the Knights return to Charlotte
on Tuesday, I’d hope he gets one heck of an ovation from the crowd at BB&T
BallPark when it happens.
Danks is a career .269 hitter in Class AAA and has a million reasons to feel
jaded about still being in the minors at age 27. However, he comes to the park everyday
with an, “If I’m going to be here, I may as well have fun attitude," is always
willing to talk with the media, and is good for one highlight-reel play in
centerfield a week.
The Knights are handing out Danks bobble-heads on August 19. That’s great and
all, but it sort of feels like he deserves more…
4. It’s a small sample size so don’t go crazy, but
Erik
Johnson seems to have turned things around since the All-Star Break.
He’s added two miles per hour back to his fastball, which sat at 91-92 in his
last start at BB&T, and his trademark slider has shown more depth and
movement than it has all season.
Johnson entered the year as the White Sox No. 2 prospect, behind
Jose
Abreu, and collapsed under the weight of lofty expectations after making the
Chicago rotation out of Spring Training.
He was sent to Charlotte to get his command and confidence back, and, for three
months seemed to do the opposite.
Post All-Star break, Johnson has gone 2-0 with a 4.76 ERA (inflated by one
tough inning on July 17). He’s allowed just one home run (in 11.1 innings)
after surrendering long balls at a 1.05/9IP rate pre break and has nine Ks to
go along with just two walks.
There’s more rotation/turn in Johnson's pitching motion than I saw the first
half of the season and his command has gotten back to a place where it's
allowing him to set up his slider with fastballs on the outside corner. If that
continues, Charlotte may soon say goodbye to the right-hander.
Johnson’s next start is happening
right now, and it’s worth keeping an eye on.
5. Myers Park High School graduate and former Charlotte pitcher
Jake
Robbins (
@jakerobbins49) has joined the Knights broadcast team of
Matt Sweirad and
Michael
Pacheco as a color analyst for WMYT My12’s Saturday games as well as
an occasional fill-in during the week.
During his time with the Knights in 2007, Robbins so endeared himself to
Sweirad and Pacheco that he was their first call when they learned of the
impeding TV deal with WMYT.
Robbins had no prior experience calling games at any level, but has slid into
the role well. His knowledge of the game and rapport with the players has added
another element to an already top-notch broadcast team.
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