Outfielder Jeffrey Baez named Carolina League Player of the Week … RHP Trevor Clifton earned Carolina League Pitch of the Week Award
Minor League Baseball announced its players and pitchers of the week (Aug. 1-7) for all leagues Monday. And for the third straight week a Cubs’ prospect with High-A Myrtle Beach won a weekly award.
The Pelicans swept the awards this week. OF Jeffrey Baez was named the Carolina League Player of the Week and RHP Trevor Clifton was named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week.
Jeffrey Baez went 9-for-23 in seven games over the week, batting .391/.400/.957 with two doubles, one triple, three home runs and 11 RBI. Baez recorded four multi-RBI games and three multi-hit games throughout the week.
Signed by the Cubs as a non-drafted free agent in 2010, Baez has streaked to a .782 OPS in the second half of the 2016 campaign after posting a .596 mark in the first half. He leads all active players in the circuit with 33 steals.
For the second straight season, Baez got off to a slow start. Baez hit only .218/.292/.305 with seven doubles, a triple and two home runs for a .596 OPS in his first 52 games. Baez is hitting .264/.366/.416 with three doubles, two triples and four home runs for a .782 OPS over his last 40 games.
Jeffrey Baez is batting .237/.325/.351 in 92 games this season with 10 doubles, three triples and six home runs for a .676 OPS.
• Jeffrey Baez’s Page on MiLB.com
Trevor Clifton made one start during the week, carrying a no-hitter into the eighth inning of his Aug. 3 outing at Frederick. He went seven-plus frames in that start, yielding only a leadoff double in the eighth inning. Clifton struck out six without walking a batter.
Clifton is the league’s active ERA leader at 3.15 while also topping the circuit with a .232 batting average against. A 12th-round pick by the Chicago Cubs in 2013 out of Heritage High School in Tennessee, Clifton is also first among starters with 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings, second among all pitchers in total strikeouts (101) and third in WHIP (1.22).
Clifton had a strong start to the season, posting a 4-3 record in 12 starts with a 2.12 ERA and 1.23 WHIP. Clifton had a rough July (1-3 in five starts with a 5.48 ERA, 1.39 WHIP). His last start is a good sign that Clifton can get back on track before the end of the season.
In 19 starts this year, Trevor Clifton is 6-7 with a 3.15 ERA and 1.22 WHIP (38 runs, 33 earned runs, 79 hits, 36 walks, 101 strikeouts, 94 1/3 innings).
• Trevor Clifton’s Page on MiLB.com
Cubs Minor League Players of the Week – 2016
- OF Bijan Rademacher – Southern League (April 7-17)
- INF Chesny Young – Southern League (April 18-24)
- RHP Paul Blackburn – Southern League (April 18-24)
- 2B Ian Happ – Carolina League (April 18-24)
- 1B Dan Vogelbach – Pacific Coast League (May 9-15)
- INF Jason Vosler – Carolina League (May 9-15)
- 1B Yasiel Balaguert – Carolina League (May 16-22)
- OF Eloy Jimenez – Midwest League (May 16-22)
- C Ian Rice – Midwest League (May 23-29)
- RHP Jake Buchanan – Pacific Coast League (May 30-June 5)
- 2B/OF Ian Happ – Carolina League (June 13-19)
- SS/2B Andruw Monasterio – Northwest League (June 20-26)
- LHP Jose Paulino – Northwest League (July 4-10)
- 1B Yasiel Balaguert – Carolina League (July 18-24)
- LHP Jose Paulino – Northwest League (July 18-24)
- 1B Yasiel Balaguert – Carolina League (July 25-31)
- OF Eloy Jimenez – Midwest League (July 25-31)
- OF Jeffrey Baez – Carolina League (Aug. 1-7)
- RHP Trevor Clifton – Carolina League (Aug. 1-7)