White Sox Minor League Update: Aug. 17, 2017

Nobody’s going to do for the Birmingham Barons what Michael Jordan’s season in Double-A did, but Barons broadcaster Curt Bloom says Michael Kopech has brought some of that big-event buzz to Regions Field this season.

“Jordan-esque,” Bloom said. “Nothing will beat Jordan. LeBron could come down. But this reminds me of it. It triggers it. A jolt.

“Nothing stirred like this guy has and I do say, and I think Kopech will tell you the same thing, a big chunk of the reason is we have social media. We didn’t have that for Jordan. We did not have that for Aaron Rowand. [...]

“He’s answering the bell,” Bloom said. “There’s definitely awareness in the city, in our followers, the Twitter universe.

“My daughter Chloe who has no idea about baseball, she asks me, ‘Is Kopech pitching?’

"That’s what has been created.”

Two games into the Eloy Jimenez/Zack Collins era, it seems the Barons have other guys to draw on the days Kopech isn’t pitching.

Toledo 9, Charlotte 4

• Jacob May went 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts.
• Jake Peter was 1-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout.
• Rymer Liriano, 1-for-3 with two walks.
• Casey Gillaspie went 0-for-3 with a walk.
• D.J. Peterson, 0-for-4.
• Danny Hayes was 2-for-4 with a homer and a strikeout.
• Eddy Alvarez went 1-for-2 with two walks

Birmingham 12, Montgomery 4

• Tito Polo went 0-for-3 with two walks and a stolen base.
• Eloy Jimenez went 3-for-5 with a strikeout and a stolen base.
• Zack Collins was 1-for-3 with two walks.
• Nick Basto was 0-for-5.
• Courtney Hawkins and Trey Michalczewski were both 3-for-5 with a homer and a double. They went back-to-back.
• Danny Mendick was 1-for-3 with two walks and a stolen base.
• Jordan Stephens: 5.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

More:

*Jimenez keeps providing highlights. Here’s an RBI single, with a line drive to just right of center foiling a shift with three infielders to the left.

Myrtle Beach 13, Winston-Salem 6

• Joel Booker went 2-for-4 with a homer and a stolen base.
• Yeyson Yrizarri was 1-for-3.
• Seby Zavala, 0-for-4 with a strikeout.
• Jameson Fisher went 1-for-4 with a strikeout.
• Weird line for Dane Dunning: 5 IP, 5 H, 8 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 1 HBP, 1 WP

Kannapolis 7, Lakewood 0

• Alex Call went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
• Luis Gonzalez went 2-for-5.
• Jake Burger was 1-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout.
• Gavin Sheets went 2-for-3 with a walk.
• Micker Adolfo was 1-for-4 with a double, walk and strikeout.
• Craig Dedelow was 0-for-4 with a strikeout in his Kanny debut.

Great Falls 19, Ogden 2

• Franklin Reyes went 2-for-6 with a strikeout.
• Justin Yurchak went 2-for-4 with two doubles and two walks.
• Amado Nunez was 2-for-4 with two walks.

AZL D-backs 3, AZL White Sox 2

• Lenyn Sosa went 2-for-5.
• Maiker Feliz, 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.
• Jose Colina was 1-for-3 with a walk.