Hot Week & The Top 100: Double-A Sweeps

It was a Double-A sweep for players of the week this week, as all five of the top-five MiLB hitters of the week came from Double-A. This was also a week in which two positions were represented: catcher and first base.

The catchers who were represented in this week’s top-five hitters of the week were: Ronald Rosario of the Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox), Luke Shliger of the Erie SeaWolves (Detroit Tigers), and Rainiel Rodriguez of the Springfield Cardinals (St. Louis Cardinals).

The two first basemen represented this week included: Ruben Ibarra of the Chattanooga Lookouts (Cincinnati Reds) and Jack Gurevitch of the Springfield Cardinals (St. Louis Cardinals). 

Ronald Rosario, C – Portland Sea Dogs (AA, Boston Red Sox)

Rosario and the Sea Dogs wrapped up their regular season last week with what ended up being a five-game series against the Mets’ Double-A affiliate, Binghamton Rumble Ponies. They took four of the five games, with the sixth game being canceled due to weather. 

Rosario this week was 5-for-12, hitting .417/.533/1.250, with a 1.783 OPS. He hit one double and three home runs, driving in six RBIs and scoring six runs. He was walked twice and had one stolen base.

Over the course of the season, the 23-year-old from Palo Negro, Venezuela hit .267/.323/.497, with a .820 OPS. He hit 16 doubles, one triple, and 16 home runs, with 49 RBIs and 44 runs scored. He had a BABIP of .500 with two extra-base hits.

Luke Shliger, C – Erie SeaWolves (AA, Detroit Tigers)

Shliger was drafted just three years ago in the sixth round of the 2023 MLB draft to the San Francisco Giants (Pick No. 180 overall). The Tigers signed Shliger as a free agent in May after being released by the Eugene Emeralds, and he’s shown signs of success during his first few months with the Tigers’ organization.

This week the SeaWolves took on the Reading Fighting Phils (Philadelphia Phillies) in the final series of the regular season. They took two of six from the Fighting Phils, but still advance to the division series this week.

This last week in their series against the Fighting Phils, Shliger, the 24-year-old from the Bronx, New York, was 5-for-13, hitting .385/.529/1.154, with a 1.683 OPS.  He was 3-for-4 in game one of the series, hitting two home runs in that game. Over the course of the four games he played in, he had one double and three home runs, driving in four RBIs and scoring six runs.

Shliger split this season between High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A. His combined stats from throughout all three levels and two teams were a .290/.405/.495, with a .900 OPS. He had 11 doubles, one triple, and 10 home runs, driving in an accumulated 40 RBIs and 40 runs scored. He was walked 37 times and stole eight bases. He had a BABIP of .338, with 22 total extra base hits.

Ruben Ibarra, 1B – Chattanooga Lookouts (AA, Cincinnati Reds)

Ibarra, drafted in the fourth round of the 2021 MLB Draft, has spent the entirety of his career in the Reds organization and has been in Double-A all of the last two years.

This week, the Chattanooga Lookouts concluded their regular season against the Rocket City Trash Pandas (Los Angeles Angels). 
Ibarra played in all six matchups, going 8-for-22, hitting .364/.500/1.136, with a 1.636 OPS. He hit two doubles and five home runs, driving in eight RBIs and ten runs scored. The best game of the week for him was Sunday, going 4-for-5, with a double and two home runs, four RBIs, and three runs scored.

Over the course of the season and his second in Double-A, he hit .238/.337/.473, with a .810 OPS. He hit 19 doubles and 25 home runs, with 85 RBIs and 66 runs scored. He was walked 53 times and has one stolen base. His BABIP is .268, and he has 44 total extra-base hits.

The next two players on the top-five hitters of the week both come from the Springfield Cardinals (Double-A, St. Louis Cardinals).
The Springfield Cardinals just wrapped up their regular season with a six-game series against the Arkansas Travelers (AA, Seattle Mariners). They won four of six to conclude their regular season as they now look ahead to the division series starting Tuesday against Tulsa.

Rainiel Rodriguez, C - Springfield Cardinals (AA, St. Louis Cardinals)

Rodriguez also represents MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects. He is ranked No. 17 overall. This week was 11-for-21, hitting .524/.565/1.000, with a 1.565 OPS. He hit one double and three home runs, driving in five RBIs and seven runs scored. He drove in five RBIs and had seven runs scored over the course of the week.

Throughout the season as a whole (split between High-A (28 games) and Double-A (87 games), Rodriguez hit .324/.413/.574, with a .987 OPS. He hit 30 doubles, one triple, and 27 home runs, driving in 87 RBIs and 97 runs scored. He had a BABIP of .362, with58 extra-base hits.

With a .328 batting average in Double-A and great success, it is likely he could find himself starting the 2027 season in Triple-A.

Jack Gurevitch, 1B- Springfield Cardinals (AA, St. Louis Cardinals)

In their series against Arkansas, Gurevitch went 9-for-20, hitting .450/.455/1..100, with a 1.555 OPS. He hit one double and four home runs, driving in nine RBIs and seven runs scored. 

Gurevitch has gone from Single-A to High-A to Double-A over the course of the year.  Between the three levels, he has hit .283/.360/.542, with a .902 OPS. He has hit 26 doubles, one triple, and 32 home runs, with 96 RBIs driven in and 80 runs scored. He had a BABIP of .370, with 59 extra-base hits.

MLB Pipeline Top-100 Players

Joining Rodriguez (No. 17) on the MLB Pipeline’s Top Hitters of the Week were also all Double-A players. They included Arjun Nimmala, No. 37, shortstop out of the Rocket City Trash Pandas (Los Angeles Angels); Bryan Rincon, No. 100, shortstop out of the Reading Fightin Phils (Philadelphia Phillies); Josh Adamczewski, No. 87, outfielder from the Biloxi Shuckers (Milwaukee Brewers); and Eli Willis, No. 4, shortstop out of the Harrisburg Senators (Washington Nationals).

Nimmala, MLB’s No. 37 prospect from the Rocket City Trash Pandas, this week hit .417/.440/1.083, with a 1.523 OPS. He hit four home runs this week.

Rincon, MLB’s No. 100 prospect out of the Reading Fightin Phils, hit .333/.500/.933, with a 1.433 OPS. He hit three home runs in four games this week.

Adamczewski, MLB’s No. 87 prospect and the outfielder out of the Biloxi Shuckers, hit .333/.565/.667, with a 1.232 OPS. He hit one home run this week.

Rounding out this week’s top MiLB hitters was Eli Willits, the No. 4 prospect in baseball out of the Harrisburg Senators from the Washington Nationals. He hit .357/.471/.643, with a 1.113 OPS. He hit one run this week.

Double-A has now officially wrapped up its regular season, and teams advancing will start their playoff runs on Tuesday, September 15th.

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