Pitchers of the Week

Here's a look at the top offensive performers in each league for the week ending Aug. 2:

International League
Robert Stephenson, Louisville (CIN)
(1-0, 0.64 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 14 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 HR, 1 HBP, 3 BB, 15 K)
Stephenson struggled with his control early in the season with Double-A Pensacola, but ever since adjusting his fastball grip at midseason, he's been one of the Minors' most dominant pitchers. Last week featured his best work yet, including a 10-strikeout performance July 28 against Charlotte. The 22-year-old right-hander has 125 strikeouts in 114 1/3 innings this season, including an average of exactly one punchout for each of his 36 innings in Triple-A.

Pacific Coast League
Chris Smith, El Paso (SD)
(1-0, 1.93 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 14 IP, 10 H, 3 R, 3 ER, HR, HB, 2 BB, 14 K)
The 34-year-old right-hander has been outstanding over his past three starts, with the last two falling in last week's window. Smith has struck out 87 in 89 2/3 frames on the season and boasts a 3.61 ERA in 15 Triple-A starts. A 2002 fourth-round pick by the Red Sox, Smith hung around affiliated ball until 2011. He then spent a few years playing for various independent league teams, including the Wichita Wingnuts and Sugar Land Skeeters, before landing with San Diego midway through the 2014 season.

Eastern League
Steven Brault, Altoona (PIT)
(2-0, 1.50 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 12 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 5 BB, 15 K)
The Pirates acquired Brault from the Orioles in February in a package for outfielder Travis Snider. While Snider is hitting .239 with just three homers in the bigs, Brault is emerging as one of the Eastern League's top pitchers this season. He's allowed two or fewer earned runs in six of his last eight starts and has a 3.21 ERA in nine outings with the Curve. He's struck out 9.8 batters per nine in that time, including a nine-strikeout gem against Richmond on July 28.

Southern League
Jaime Schultz, Montgomery (TB)
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 3 BB, 9 K)
Few in the Minors have missed bats more oftehn than this 24-year-old right-hander, as he trails only Sean Newcomb, Jose De Leon and Stephenson with 123 punchouts on the season. Schultz hasn't shown the same control as those three, recently walking seven batters in consecutive appearances. But when he's in the zone, hitters have proven helpless, hitting .216 in 21 Southern League games against him. The right-hander has a 3.96 ERA this season, allowing three or fewer earned runs in each of his last four outings.

Texas League
Sean Manaea, Midland (OAK)
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 0 BB, 9 K)
How's that for a first impression? Manaea was traded from Kansas City to Oakland at the deadline in the Ben Zobrist deal and dominated in his RockHounds debut. The 23-year-old hit the books prior to his first start with Midland, studying up on his opponents more than usual in an effort to start his A's career on the right foot. The result was one of his best outings yet, and certainly his top performance out of three starts in the Texas League. "Last night, I watched the game and saw kind of their weaknesses and strengths," he told MiLB.com. "I took home the chart and studied what their tendencies were. That helped out a lot."

California League
Sean Newcomb, Inland Empire (LAA)
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 1 BB, 8 K)
Newcomb didn't even finish the week in the California League, earning a promotion to Double-A Arkansas in time to make his Texas League debut Sunday. Earlier in the week, he capped his brief California League career with six scoreless frames at Lake Elsinore, dropping his Class A Advanced ERA to 2.47 in 13 starts. The 2014 first-rounder (15th overall) out of Hartford leads Minor League Baseball with 134 strikeouts in 105 innings across three levels and has allowed just three home runs in that time.

Carolina League
Jonathan Martinez, Myrtle Beach (CHC)
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 8 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 1 HBP, 0 BB, 4 K)
The 21-year-old Venezuelan came through with his best start of the season, setting a career high with eight scoreless frames against Potomac on July 28. The right-hander was coming off a disastrous start in which he allowed eight earned runs in four innings but has otherwise been solid of late, allowing one or fewer earned runs in seven of his past 10 starts. On the season, Martinez is 7-2 with a 3.10 ERA in 18 appearances (17 starts) with the Pelicans.

Florida State League
Nick Petree, Palm Beach (STL)
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 0 BB, 5 K)
Petree only got one start with the Cardinals last week, but he made it count, all but assuring victory by limiting Brevard County to one hit over seven frames in a 9-0 win. It was the third scoreless outing in seven appearances (six starts) in the Florida State League for Petree, who began the year with Double-A Springfield but returned to Class A Advanced after posting a 4.64 ERA in 10 starts. Petree has a 3.05 ERA in seven appearances (seven starts) with Palm Beach.

Midwest League
Sam Gibbons, Cedar Rapids (MIN)
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 1 CG, 1 SHO, 9 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 1 HBP, 1 BB, 9 K)
The 21-year-old right-hander has thrown 20 consecutive scoreless innings for the Kernels, extending the streak with the first shutout of his professional career on Saturday. His nine strikeouts marked a season high and left him with 41 in 57 1/3 innings with Cedar Rapids. He's 5-2 with a 3.14 ERA in 10 starts and dropped his career ERA to 2.97 in 200 innings. The Australian hurler has worked to improve his focus of late. "When I get tired and innings start to drag out and baserunners get on base," he told MiLB.com, "it's all about focusing and establishing the pitch you want to make and not hesitating. Lately, I've found what I've been doing is not hesitate, be confident and go with a pitch that I know I'm capable of."

South Atlantic League
John Means, Delmarva (BAL)
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 1 CG, 1 SHO, 7 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 1 HBP, 1 BB, 6 K)
The 2014 11th-round pick has been a breakout performer with the Shorebirds this season, making his way up to 29th among the Orioles' Top 30 prospects behind a 3.48 ERA in 20 starts. His breakout hit its highest point yet Friday, when he tossed a seven-inning no-hitter against Charleston, striking out six and limiting the RiverDogs to just a walk, a hit-by-pitch and a reached-on-error. The no-hitter was the first for Delmarva since Matt Achilles tossed a nine-inning memory maker on April 27, 1998. "It was a really cool feeling," Means told MiLB.com. "A surreal moment."

New York-Penn League
Jordan Holloway, Batavia (MIA)
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 1 BB, 4 K)
Holloway was an overslot selection in the 20th round of the 2014 Draft after a sudden growth spurt led to a velocity uptick. Now standing in at 6-foot-5, Holloway's stuff has kept Class A Short Season hitters off balanced, but his control had been lacking. He's gotten himself under control of late, allowing just two walks over his last 11 innings, including just one while facing the minimum against Brooklyn on Sunday. "I was just having more confidence in throwing strikes and having trust in my stuff," he told MiLB.com. "Mechanically, we tweaked a couple small things, just to get more smooth."

Northwest League
Adbert Alzolay, Eugene (CHC)
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 1 BB, 3 K)
The Venezuelan right-hander began the year in the Emeralds rotation but has since settled in with the bullpen, emerging as one of the most effective hurlers in the Northwest League. In seven appearances (two starts), he has a 1.04 ERA, including just one earned run allowed in his previous 12 innings (two appearances). He logged six nearly perfect innings against Spokane on July 30, allowing just one walk while striking out three.

Appalachian League
Christopher De Leon, Bristol (PIT)
(0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 G, 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 2 BB, 11 K)
De Leon came out of the bullpen twice for Bristol last week and was lights out in both appearances. He pitched three hitless innings against Pulaski on July 27, striking out five and walking two. He then followed it up with six strikeouts and just one hit allowed over three innings against Danville. The 23-year-old right-hander has a 1.74 ERA over nine appearances, striking out 28 and walking 13 over 20 2/3 frames.

Pioneer League
Matt Ball, Great Falls (CWS)
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 6 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 0 BB, 8 K)
The 2013 11th-round pick has found mixed results in the Rookie-level Pioneer League but kicked his game in gear last week, tossing six dominant innings against Helena on July 30. The 20-year-old right-hander was coming off a game in which he walked eight and struck out just one but balanced his strikeout-to-walk ratio with eight punchouts and no walks in the 4-1 win. In his last four starts, he's twice held his opponent without an earned run but allowed a combined nine earned runs in the other two starts. Overall, he has a 5.89 ERA in eight starts with the Voyagers.