CBN Player of the Week, Week XI - Jared Young
Okanagan Athletics grad Jared Young (Prince George, BC) had a three-homer week for triple-A Iowa.
June 23, 2023
By George Farelli
Canadian Baseball Network
Jared Young started off in March hitting cleanup when Canada prepared for the World Baseball Classic in Phoenix.
Young (Prince George, BC) hit a two-run double against the Chicago Cubs in an exhibition game and then hit a homer to deep right off Chicago White Sox RHP Lance Lynn pitching for Team USA.
This past week Young batted .438 (7-for-16) with three homers and eight RBIs for the triple-A Iowa Cubs.
How the week that was went for Young as ...
_ Batting fifth and DHing, he went 2-for-3 -- with two home runs -- knocking in three as Iowa fell 7-4 to the Indianapolis Indians before 6,138 fans at Principal Park in Des Moines. Young hit a two-run homer off former first-round pick Quinn Priester (18th overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2019) on a 1-0 pitch to right in the fifth inning cutting the Indianapolis lead to 5-2. And three innings later he homered to centre off Yerry De Los Santos on a 2-0 pitch. It was his ninth of the season.
_ Playing left and batting fifth, he was 1-for-3 in an 8-1 victory against Indy before 6,264. Young walked and scored in the six-run third, was hit by a pitch in the fifth and singled to centre in the eighth.
_ Did not start and was 0-for-1, finishing a 10-8 win over Indy playing first base.
Vancouver Cannons and Whalley Chiefs grad Rowan Wick (North Vancouver, BC) had two scoreless outings.
_ Next came a day off -- as Rowan Wick (North Vancouver, BC) pitched a scoreless sixth in a 2-1 Iowa win. It was Wick’s fourth hold of the year. He needed 17 pitches (11 strikes) and fanned one.
_ Batting fifth and playing left field, he was 0-for-4 in an 8-3 win against Indianapolis in front of 7,442.
_ Hitting second and in left field, he was 4-for-5 with five RBIs thanks to a double and a homer in a 12-11 win before 7,644 fans. Young hit a first-pitch double to left in the first and homered to left centre off Priester working on four days rest. Against the bullpen, Young also singled to centre in the seventh and had a two-run single in the eight cutting the Indy lead to 11-9. Wick pitched 1 1/3 scoreless allowing one hit. He threw 20 pitches (16 strikes).
Best Offensive Performances
Name Class Team ABs Runs H HR RBI AVG
Jared Young AAA Iowa 16 6 7 3 8 .438
Zac Fascia A Lynchburg 17 3 7 - 5 .412
Dasan Brown A Vancouver 18 4 7 1 6 .389
Konner Piotto A Down East 16 4 6 1 9 .375
Francisco Hernandez A Peoria 11 3 4 - 1 .364
Tyler Black AA Biloxi 19 5 6 1 3 .316
Riley Jepson IND Great Falls 26 6 11 - 3 .423
T.J. Bennett IND Kane County 23 7 8 - - .348
Justin Gideon IND Quebec 26 4 9 - 4 .346
Kole Cottam IND Frederick 18 5 6 1 2 .333
Marc-Antoine Lebreux IND Quebec 23 6 7 1 3 .304
Taylor Wright IND Ottawa 20 4 6 - 1 .300
(Minimum 10 ABs required)
Best Pitching Performances Name Class Team GM W SAVE ERA INN K WHIP
Lucas Wepf A Rancho Cucamonga 2 - 1 0.00 3.0 6 1.000
Signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an undrafted free agent in 2022, after he completed his third year at NCAA University of Louisiana-Monroe, Wepf (Toronto, Ont.), 22, a former Georgetown Eagle, is having an excellent rookie season working out of the bullpen for their Single A affiliate Rancho Cucamonga Quakes in the California League. This week he made two more solid relief appearances, the first of which was on June 13 in a 2-1 loss to San Jose Giants, when he pitched a scoreless inning, allowing zero hits and striking out one, but was not involved in the decision. He followed that up on June 16 in a 2-1 win over the Giants and threw two scoreless, giving up zero hits and striking out five of the six Giants batters he faced, to earn his second save of the season. His overall record with the Quakes in 20 California League relief appearances is now 1-2, with two saves and a 2.59 ERA, and also included are four holds plus 56 strikeouts in only 31 1/3 inning.
Name Class Team GM W SAVE ERA INN K WHIP
Noah Skirrow AAA Lehigh Valley 1 1 - 0.00 6.1 5 1.147
In previous weeks, we’ve commented on the fact that Skirrow (Cambridge, Ont.) has provided a very consistent level of performance for Lehigh Valley ever since opening day of 2023, and this week’s outing was another example. On June 14, in an 8-0 win over Toledo Mud Hens, he pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings, surrendering five base hits while striking out five Toledo hitters, to earn his sixth win of the season. His overall record with the Iron Pigs in 12 triple-A International League starts now stands at 6-2 with a 5.43 ERA ... plus his six wins thus far rank him first amongst all Canadian pitchers currently active with minor league affiliated teams.
Name Class Team GM W SAVE ERA INN K WHIP
Mike Soroka AAA Gwinnett Braves 1 - - 1.50 6.0 3 1.167
For the second week in a row, Mike Soroka (Calgary, Alta.) has demonstrated his determination in getting back to the Atlanta Braves, by having another strong pitching performance with Gwinnett of the triple-A International League. On June 16, in a 5-3 loss to the Nashville Sounds, he pitched six innings, gave up only three base hits and one earned run while striking out three batters, but despite his efforts he was not involved in the decision. His overall record with Gwinnett in 10 game appearances, now stands at 2-2 with a 3.61 ERA.
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Prrevious Players of the Week
Week I _ Edouard Julien (Ancienne-Lorette, Que.) triple-A St. Paul Saints (Twins)
Week II _ Cade Smith (Abbotsford, BC) double-A Akron RuberDucks (Guardians).
Week III _ Abraham Toro (Longuiel, Que.) triple-A Nashville Sounds (Brewers)
Week V _ Wesley Moore (Surrey, BC) class-A Clearwater Threshers (Phillies).
Week VI _ Matt Coutney (Wetaskiwin, Alta.) class-A Inland Empire (Angels).
Week VII _ Damiano Palmegiani (Surrey, BC) double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Jays)
Week IX _ Erik Sabrowski (Edmonton, Alta.) double-A Akron Rubber Ducks (Guardians)
Week X _ Mitch Bratt (Newmarket, Ont.) class-A Hickory Crawdads (Mets)
Week XI _ Jared Young (Prince George, BC) triple-A Iowa (Cubs).