Cleveland Indians Minor Leagues Review: May’s best hitters and pitchers

Best Lynchburg Position Player: Sicnarf Loopstok

Key April Stats:  .293 AVG, .385 OBP, .511 SLG, .896 OPS, 3 HR, 9 2B, 20 RBI

Honorable Mention

Willi Castro: .319 AVG, .366 OBP, .795 OPS, 1 HR, 7 2B
Connor Marabell: .268 AVG, .437 SLG, .782 OPS, 2 HR, 6 2B, 3 SB

Taking the crown as Lynchburg’s top position player this month is Sicnarf Loopstok (yes, that’s his real name). A catcher by trade, Loopstok has seen time at first base as well and his bat has been such a force there’s good reason for playing him more. He posted a near .900 OPS this past month while hitting close to .300. He smacked three home runs and put up 20 RBI for the Hillcats.

Willi Castro took a step forward this month as well, as the Tribe’s number 26 prospect, hit over .300 with a near .800 OPS. The young shortstop still isn’t walking a ton (just five in May) but remains a bright spot in the organization.

Outfielder Connor Marabell also had a very good May for the Hillcats, posting a .782 OPS and hitting a pair of home runs. He even got a brief taste of Triple-A this past month as he was an emergency call-up to the Clippers for a week, which saw him hit over .400.

Best Lynchburg Pitcher: Triston McKenzie

Key April Stats: 5 starts, 2.59 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, .117 BAA, 12.4 K/9

Honorable Mention

Shao-Ching Chiang: 5 starts, 3.48 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 1.6 BB/9
Shane Bieber: 5 starts, 3.38 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 0.6 BB/9

Last month Thomas Pannone was the easy pick here after not allowing a single earned run in four starts. However, he’s now in Double-A Akron so taking the top spot in May is young phenom, Triston McKenzie.

The 19-year-old right-hander didn’t post a 0.00 ERA like Pannone did in April but the rest of his numbers weren’t far off. He posted a 2.59 ERA and 0.83 WHIP while holding Carolina League hitters to a .117 batting average. He also struck out over 12 batters per nine innings and averaged just over six innings a start.

Shao-Ching Chiang didn’t have quite the month he had in April but still was quite impressive, though well off the McKenzie pace in May. He continued to show good control, walking just 1.6 per nine innings and averaged 6 2/3 innings a start.

Shane Bieber also had some good showings in May. After starting the season at Class-A Lake County, Bieber continued to show pinpoint control with the Hillcats. He walked just two batters in 32 innings of work in May, one of which was intentional. Combined with his 20 strikeouts that gave him an amazing 10-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.