With just a couple of weeks left in the minor league season, we thought we’d take a quick look at the A’s minor league leaders in a few key hitting and pitching categories. A minimum of 200 at-bats is required for the hitting categories and a minimum of 100 innings is required for the pitching categories, with the exception of saves, of course. Included are current players from Sacramento, Midland, Stockton, Beloit, Vermont and the Arizona League A’s, but not from the Dominican Summer League A’s, and the stats below are complete through Sunday. Some of the names you might expect to see atop the lists, while others may come as a bit of a surprise!
BATTING AVERAGE
1) J.P. Sportman .346
2) Herschel Powell .344
3) Shane Peterson .316
It’s interesting to note that the A’s 27th-round draft pick this year out of Central Connecticut State, J.P. Sportman, currently boasts the best batting average among all A’s minor leaguers. And the 22-year-old center fielder has been hitting even better for Vermont than he was for Arizona, batting .367 for the Lake Monsters. #2 on the list is Stockton outfielder Herschel “Boog” Powell, who’s currently serving a 50-game suspension after testing positive for amphetamines. Meanwhile, Sacramento outfielder Shane Peterson has been the River Cats most consistent hitter all season, and he also leads all A’s minor leaguers in doubles with 35.
ON-BASE PERCENTAGE
1) Herschel Powell .453
2) J.P. Sportman .402
3 tie) Matt Olson .401
3 tie) Daniel Robertson .401
Stockton center fielder Herschel Powell did an incredible job of getting on base in April, May, June and the first week of July before being served with a 50-game suspension after testing positive for amphetamines. Powell did most of his damage while leading off for Beloit but continued getting on base at a similar rate in almost two weeks at Stockton before receiving his suspension. Powell should be eligible to rejoin Stockton for the last few games of the season as well as for the California League playoffs. Vermont outfielder J.P. Sportman boasts the second-best on-base percentage despite drawing just 19 walks. Stockton first baseman Matt Olson’s is tied for the third-best OBP despite batting just .254 thanks to the fact that he leads all A’s minor leaguers in walks with 108. Meanwhile, Stockton shortstop Daniel Robertson’s .308 batting average has helped to keep him on base all season for the Ports.
SLUGGING PERCENTAGE
1) Renato Nunez .552
2) Matt Olson .543
3) Jaycob Brugman .519
When it comes to slugging, you need not look any further than Stockton. Ports third baseman Renato Nunez currently sports the best slugging percentage among all A’s minor leaguers. Nunez’s 59 extra-base hits in 111 games mean that he’s been averaging more than 1 extra-base hit in every 2 games for the Ports. The 20-year-old Venezuelan also leads all A’s’ minor leaguers in RBIs with 91. Matt Olson’s 35 home runs also help to put him high on the slugging list. Meanwhile, Stockton outfielder Jaycob Brugman might be the most surprising addition to the top sluggers’ list, but the 22-year-old has now hit 9 home runs in his last 10 games for the Ports.
HOME RUNS
1) Matt Olson 35
2) Renato Nunez 29
3) Jaycob Brugman 19
Not only are Matt Olson and Renato Nunez #1 and #2 in home runs in the A’s minor league system, but they’re also #1 and #2 in the California League home run race. The California League may have the reputation of being a hitters’ league, but these two Ports infielders have been the most prolific home run hitters in the league so far this season. Stockton outfielder Jaycob Brugman has recently climbed his way up the home run list by hitting 9 homers in his last 10 games for the Ports. Brugman has definitely warmed up to the California League. After hitting 8 home runs in 70 games for Beloit, Brugman’s hit 11 home runs in just 37 games for Stockton.
HITS
1) Daniel Robertson 155
2) Shane Peterson 154
3) Ryon Healy 142
Stockton shortstop Daniel Robertson has been playing every day and batting leadoff much of the time, giving him the opportunity to rack up a whopping 155 hits in 121 games while posting a .308 batting average for the Ports. Sacramento outfielder Shane Peterson has been healthy all season and playing every day for the River Cats, so he’s collected 154 hits while while batting .316. #3 on the hits list may be a bit of a surprise. First baseman/third baseman Ryon Healy started off the season in a terrible slump for Stockton but hung in there and has now cranked out 142 hits while playing every day and putting up a .281 batting average for the Ports.
ERA
1) Nate Long 3.12
2) Seth Streich 3.16
3) Chris Lamb 3.21
RockHounds starter Nate Long started out the season as a middle reliever for Midland until injuries to Raul Alcantara and Tanner Peters forced him into the RockHounds’ rotation, where he’s blossomed. The 28-year-old currently boasts the best ERA among all A’s minor league starters and is second in the system in both wins and strikeouts. Meanwhile, Stockton’s Seth Streich has been the most impressive starting pitcher in the A’s minor league system this season, ranking among the ERA, WHIP and strikeout leaders, but a shoulder injury has sidelined him for the past three weeks. Stockton starter Chris Lamb may be the most surprising entry on the list. The 24-year-old posted a 4.53 ERA last season for Beloit, but he started out well this season for the Snappers and has flourished since his promotion to the hitter-friendly California League – go figure!
WHIP
1) Seth Streich 1.16
2) Zach Neal 1.16
3) Kyle Finnegan 1.24
Before being sidelined with a shoulder injury, Stockton starter Seth Streich had been demonstrating great command, which really helped him do a terrific job of keeping men off base this season. The 23-year-old walked just 22 batters in 114 innings. He also managed to surrender just 7 home runs in the homer-happy California League. River Cats starter Zach Neal, who’s done stints with Sacramento, Midland and Stockton this season, is right behind Streich on the WHIP list and has walked a miniscule 19 batters in 145 1/3 innings this season. Meanwhile, Beloit starter Kyle Finnegan has done a great job of keeping runners off base by allowing just 88 hits over 108 2/3 innings of work for the Snappers.
STRIKEOUTS
1) Matt Buschmann 119
2) Nate Long 117
3) Seth Streich 116
Stockton starter Seth Streich far out-paced all other A’s minor league pitchers in strikeouts for most of the season, until he was sidelined by a shoulder injury. With Streich out of action, Sacramento starter Matt Buschmann, who was signed as a minor league free agent in the offseason, has moved to the top of the list by striking out 119 batters in just 121 2/3 innings. Midland starter Nate Long is second on the strikeout list with 117 in 138 1/3 innings of work. Meanwhile, River Cats starter Arnold Leon should soon pass Streich for third on the list as he currently stands at 112 strikeouts for Sacramento.
WINS
1) Chris Jensen 12
2) Nate Long 11
3) Arnold Leon 10
Midland starter Chris Jensen, acquired from Colorado in the Brett Anderson trade, currently leads all A’s minor leaguers in wins with 12. Jensen also sports a 3.32 ERA and has given up just 3 home runs in 146 1/3 innings of work this season. Fellow Midland starter Nate Long is second on the wins list with 11, while Sacramento starter Arnold Leon is third with 10. Leon also boasts strong strikeout numbers, but he’s allowed 155 hits in just 128 innings of work, leading to a 5.27 ERA for the season.
SAVES
1) Austin House 17
2) Seth Frankoff 16
3) Evan Scribner 15
Stockton closer Austin House leads all A’s minor leaguers in saves with 17. House has also struck out 70 batters in just 48 1/3 innings of work so far this season. Sacramento reliever Seth Frankoff is second on the saves list, with all but one of his 16 saves coming during his time with Midland. The 25-year-old Frankoff has struck out 63 in 58 innings of relief for both Midland and Sacramento this season. #3 on the saves list is a familiar name to A’s fans, the River Cats’ Evan Scribner. When not with the A’s, Scribner’s been sharing Sacramento’s closing duties with Jeremy McBryde, who’s right behind him on the saves list with 14. Scribner’s been showing great command this season, walking just 9 while striking out 68 over 44 innings of work for Sacramento.
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