Guardians Baseball Insider

Image: TCP Photography/Courtesy Lake County Captains

The Lake County Captains are 5-2 over their last seven games, with four of their five wins being one-run games and the other game being a two-run game. The pitching staff had a smooth week, quelling the opposing lineups to low-scoring outings frequently. The new players are starting to find a rhythm during their short stints in Eastlake.

Day-by-Day

8/10: L 5-11 vs. West Michigan; W: Tassin; L: Kelly

8/12: W 5-3 vs. West Michigan; W: Draper; L: Wolf; SV: Ramírez

8/13: W 5-4 vs. West Michigan; W: Kelly, L: Hess

8/14:

Game 1: L 0-2 vs. West Michigan; W: Olson; L: Espino; SV: Tassin

Game 2: W 4-3 vs. West Michigan; W: Ramírez; L: Reyes

8/15: W 4-3 vs. West Michigan; W: Kelly; L: Mauloni

8/17: W 4-2 vs. Dayton; W: Coulter; L: Stockton; SV: Ramírez

Player of the Week

OF George Valera: 7-18, 1 2B, 3 HR, 6 R, 6 RBI, 7 SO, 5 BB

To no one’s surprise, the Player of the Week is outfielder George Valera. He has been on an absolute tear as of late, hitting a barrage of home runs over the past month. He is consistently barreling the ball for hard contact, and is elevating the ball and hitting line drives to all fields. He is also remaining absurdly patient at the plate, as he is almost walking more than he is striking out not to mention his walk rate is already at 19% and is steadily climbing. Even though he is one of the youngest players in all three High-A leagues, George Valera has shown he has nothing left to prove in a Lake County uniform.

Who’s Hot

OF Julian Escobedo: 7-22, 3 2B, 4 R, 2 RBI, 8 SO, 3 BB, 2 SB, 1 CS

Since being promoted from Lynchburg, Escobedo has shown a variety of skills in all facets of the game. The tool that stands out for him is his speed, and all the other facets of his game hinge on his quick feet. He has a gap to gap profile from the left-handed batter’s box along with solid on-base skills, and he will stretch base hits into extra-base hits with his speed. He has also shown the capability to play all three outfield spots competently.

INF Raynel Delgado: 6-19, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, 9 SO, 2 BB, 1 SB

Switch-hitting infielder Raynel Delgado had some big hits for the Captains this week, and he has consistently stepped up in clutch situations on both sides of the ball throughout the season. While he has not had the most standout season, he has shown a variety of skills that teams covet and still has time to figure out a way to make things click.

Who’s Not

INF/OF Victor Nova: 0-19, 9 SO, 2 BB

Based on the length of his slash line along with the numbers in it, you can easily deduce how bad Victor Nova’s last week was. His on-base percentage over the last week is .095, which is 9.5% for those who don’t know how to move a decimal point over correctly. There are only so many ways to emphasize how bad someone is doing when they’re doing this ad, but the best thing to do in my opinion is to keep it simple: No professional baseball player wants to have a week like this in any way, shape, or form.

Up Next

8/18: @ Dayton; 7:05 pm

8/19: @ Dayton; 7:05 pm

8/21: @ Dayton; 7:05 pm

8/20: @ Dayton; 7:05 pm

8/22: @ Dayton; 2:05 pm