Captain of the Week (4/2-4/4/26): Jackson Humphries & Esteban González

EASTLAKE, Ohio – After each series this season, the Lake County Captains will spotlight a Captain of the Week, presented by Official League, showcasing a player and their strong performance over the previous week.

For the week of April 2-4, Lake County is recognizing both LHP Jackson Humphries and OF Esteban González as the first Captain of the Week for the 2026 season. Since the award’s inception in 2024, this marks just the second time that co-Captains of the Week have been honored, joining LHP Matt Wilkinson and OF Nick Mitchell for the week of Aug. 12-17, 2025.

JACKSON HUMPHRIES, LHP

After spending the entire 2025 campaign with Lake County, Humphries put together one of his best starts of his Captains career to begin his 2026 season.

On April 3 versus West Michigan, the southpaw allowed just one hit across four scoreless innings, striking out seven and walking just two in 59 pitches (39 strikes).

Humphries’s gem versus the Whitecaps this past Friday was his first career pro outing with at least four scoreless innings pitched, one-or-fewer hits allowed, and at least seven strikeouts. This outing also marked just the second time that he reached seven strikeouts in four-or-fewer innings pitched, joining his Aug. 1, 2025 start at Wisconsin (also seven strikeouts in his first four innings).

Humphries’s first start of the 2026 campaign was also his third Lake County outing with at least seven strikeouts, also joining his Aug. 1, 2025 start at Wisconsin (eight strikeouts in five innings) and his May 30, 2025 start at Cedar Rapids (seven strikeouts in 4.2 innings).

The 2022 eighth-round pick out of Fuquay-Varina HS (NC) had a productive 2025 season for the Captains, tying the Midwest League lead with 26 games started and ranking eighth in the league with 102 strikeouts.

ESTEBAN GONZÁLEZ, OF

After spending the entire 2025 campaign with Lake County as well, González returned to the Captains with an impressive series at the plate versus the Whitecaps.

In three games played, the left-handed hitter led Lake County in batting average (.375), total bases (seven), hits (three, tied), home runs (one, tied), stolen bases (one, tied), while recording two RBI, an .875 slugging percentage, and a 1.250 OPS.

González played a key part in the Captains’ first win of the season on Saturday, April 4, going 2-for-4 with a double and a solo home run. He also hit an RBI single and stole a base in his first start of the season on Friday, April 3.

The Maracaibo, Venezuela native was one of the Midwest League’s premier outfielders in 2025.

González ranked second in the league with 28 doubles last season, while also ranking top-10 in extra-base hits (41, sixth), total bases (172, sixth), slugging percentage (.430, 8th), and hits (109, tied for eighth). The left-handed hitter was one of just two High-A players with at least a .270 batting average (.273), 25 doubles, and 20 stolen bases (24, second on Captains) in 2025, along with Quad Cities 2B/LF Sam Kulasingam. Defensively, he led the Captains with nine outfield assists (five from RF, three from LF, and one from CF).

González originally joined Lake County after being promoted from Single-A Lynchburg (now Hill City) on July 22, 2024, and was a member of Lake County’s 2024 Midwest League Championship squad.

The Captains will begin a six-game road series against the Dayton Dragons on Tuesday, April 7, at 7:05 p.m. at Day Air Ballpark in Dayton. Each game will be broadcast on the Bally Sports Live App, the MiLB App, and StreamGuys, with social media coverage courtesy of @LCCaptains on X and Instagram.

About the Lake County Captains:

The Lake County Captains are the professional High-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians located in Eastlake, Ohio. Our mission is to honor the rich history of our organization, while also introducing baseball to a new generation of fans through innovative means. We are committed to supporting our community, sports teams, and each other by demonstrating passion and having fun every day.