CBN Minor League POW, Week XIX - Edouard Julien

Former ABC, Les Ailes du Québec, Junior National Team and Auburn star Edouard Julien (Ancienne-Lorrette, Que.) is POW.

August 16, 2022

By George Farelli

Canadian Baseball Network

Edouard Julien was a late sign.

He was so late that the 18th round pick in 2019 had already played six games for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks in the Cape Cod and so late that Auburn University already him returning for the spring of 2020.

That’s when the Minnesota Twins stepped up and gave him a $493,000 US signing bonus.

He was the 11th Canadian selected in 2019 behind Ontario Blue Jays OF Dasan Brown (Oakville, Ont.) who went to the Toronto Blue Jays, Western Kentucky’s OF Jake Sanford (Cole Harbour, NS) who went to the New York Yankees, Niagara RHP Matt Brash (Kingston, Ont. -- Canada’s first capital), Washington RHP Josh Burgmann (Nanaimo, BC) to the Cubs, Vauxhall Academy Jets LHP Adam Macko (Stony Plain, Alta.), Mariners, Ontario Blue Jays INF TJ Schofield-Sam (Brampton, Ont.) to the A’s, Indiana’s Matt Lloyd (Okotoks, Alta.) to the Reds, ABC’s Antoine Jean (Montreal, Que.) to the Blue Jays, Okanagan College’s RHP Trevor Brigden (Toronto, Ont.) to the Rays and Sacramento State’s Tanner Jesson-Dalton (Lethbridge, Alta.) to the Cubs.

Julien may have been the 11th Canuck selected but his bonus was the fourth highest.

That signing onus put him between RHP Curtis Taylor (Port Coquitlam BC), the UBC Thunderbird now pitching at triple-A Rochester, who was paid $496,700 as a fourth rounder in 2016 and Toronto Blue Jays compensation pick RHP Trystan Magnuson (Vancouver BC) who made the majors after being given a $462,500 in 2007 after pitching at the University of Louisville.

Julien (Ancienne-Lorrette, Que.) may have been a late sign but he was off to a fast start for the double-A Wichita Wind Surge, in earning the best of 152 Canucks in the minors as he took Canadian Baseball Network honors for Week XIX.

How the week that was went for Julien:

_ Leading off and playing second, he was 3-for-4 as Wichita beat the Chorpus Christi Hooks 9-2 in front of 2,204 fans at Riverfront Stadium. Julien led off the bottom of the first with an infield single to short, walked in the fourth and was caught stealing, tripled to right in the fifth and singled to right field in the eighth.

_ DHing and leading off, he was hitless in two at-bats and had two walks in a 7-0 loss to Chorpus before 1,725 fans.

_ Playing second and leading off, he was 1-for-4 with a pair of RBIs in an 8-5 win before 3,089 fans. Julien hit a two-run homer, his 14th, to left centre giving his club an 8-4 lead.

_ Hitting second and playing second he was 0-for-4 in a 7-3 win over Corpus in front of 4,009.

_ Batting lead off and hitting second he went 4-for-4 knocking in four runs in a 7-6 win against the Hooks before 3,624 fans. Julien hit the first pitch in the bottom of the first over the right-centre field fence, his 15th, then turned around a pitch for a run-scoring single to centre in the third inning, had another run-scoring single to right in the sixth and reached on an infield single to first and then stole second.

_ Playing second and hitting first, he was 3-for-4 and drove in a run as Witchia beat the Hooks 10-4 before 1,716 fans. Julien doubled to centre, his 13th, in the second, singled to right in the fifth and doubled to right in the seventh, his 14th.

Best Offense

Player Class Team AB R H HR RBI AVG

Edouard Julien AA Wichita 23 6 11 2 7 .478

Otto Lopez AAA Buffalo 18 2 8 - 1 .444

T.J. Schofield-Sam A Stockton 29 4 10 2 6 .345

David McCabe A Augusta 19 3 6 - 6 .316

David Calabrese A Inland Empire 24 4 7 - 3 .292

Jacob Robson IND Kansas City 28 8 10 2 9 .357

T.J. Bennett IND Lake Country 31 7 11 5 9 .355

M.A. Lebreux IND Quebec 23 4 8 - 2 .348

(Minimum 10 ABs)

Best Pitching

Indigo Diaz RHP - AA Mississippi Braves

GM W SV ER ERA H IP K WHIP

2 1 - 1 3.00 1 3.0 5 1.000

Indigo Diaz is a 25-year-old Atlanta Braves pitching prospect in his third season as a pro, and already succeeding at the double A level with Mississippi Braves in the Southern League. This week he had two more solid relief appearances, the first of which was on Aug. 9 in a 4-1 loss to Tennessee Smokies. He pitched one scoreless inning gave up zero hits while striking out three batters, but was not involved in the decision. His second game was Aug. 12 in a 16-14 Braves win over the Smokies and in this game he threw two innings, surrendered one base hit and one run while striking out two hitters, to earn his third win of the season.

His overall record in 39 Southern League relief appearances, now stands at 3-4 with two Saves and 3.60 ERA. Interesting to note, his 39 games currently ranks him second among all relief pitchers in the Southern League at this point in the 2022 season. The leader has 40.

Player of the Week

Week I - INF Charles Leblanc (Laval, Que.) Marlins

Week II _ OF Denzel Clarke (Pickering, Ont.) A’s

Week III _ OF Tristan Peters (Winkler, Man.) Brewers

Week IV _ RHP Landon Leach (Pickering, Ont,) Braves

Week V _ RHP Indigo Diaz (North Vancouver, BC), Braves

Week VI _ OF Owen Caissie (Burlington, Ont.) Cubs

Week VII _ C Bo Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) Guardians

Weej VIII _ RHP Noah Skirrow (Stoney Creek, Ont.) Phillies.

Week IX _ OF Tanner Kirwer (Spruce Grove, Alta.) Mariners

Week X _ 3B Damiano Palmegiani (Surrey, BC) Blue Jays

Week XI _ RHP Matt Brash (Kingston, Ont.) Mariners