Know Your Opponent: Birmingham Barons

The Trash Pandas head back to Birmingham for a seven-game series against the Birmingham Barons (Double-A, Chicago White Sox).

Birmingham holds a league-best 30-14 record which includes a 6-5 record against the Trash Pandas this season.

During the Trash Pandas’ last trip to Regions Field, the Barons won all but the opening game in a five-game set.

This will be the Trash Pandas second-to-last trip to Birmingham this season, not returning until July 1 for three games.

Who’s Hot:

• Ben Gobbel: 7-for-19 (.368) last series vs. Montgomery and holds a team-best five-game hitting streak.
• Denzer Guzman: Drove in a team-best 6 RBI last series including a walk-off grand slam on Saturday.
• Ben Joyce: Struck out 11 batters over four innings last series.

Rocket City Trends:

• The Trash Pandas last three series have ended in a split (vs. MIS, @ TNS, vs. MTG).
• Eric Wagaman holds a team-best .350 average with one home run and 10 RBI in 11 games against the Barons
• Michael Darrell-Hicks has tossed 7.2 scoreless innings against the Barons
• The Trash Pandas remaining first half schedule after the Barons holds a .382 win percentage while the Barons schedule sits at .558

Barons Last Series: 6-0 @ Biloxi

Two of the games saw extra innings but it didn’t matter as the Barons have won six in a row headed into this series.

All but one game in the series was won by at least four runs.

Barons Hitting:

Birmingham holds the second best average in the Southern League at .259 and one of four teams in the league with more than 30 home runs.

The Barons also rank second in the league in stolen bases with 86, two more than the Trash Pandas.

Infielder Brooks Baldwin has been one of the best in the league with a Southern League best .360 average to go along with 25 RBI.

Former Trash Pandas catcher Edgar Quero is tied for third in the league with seven home runs while recording a league-leading 33 RBI.

Barons Pitching:

The Barons hold the league’s best ERA and it’s not particularly close at 2.56 while also leading the league with a .211 batting average against.

Birmingham boasts a rotation with three of the top ERA holders in the league in Drew Thorpe, Mason Adams and another former Trash Panda in Ky Bush.

Thorpe is also the league leader in wins with seven while the rotation also holds a pair of starters who sit top five in strikeouts in Jairo Iriarte and Jake Eder.

Barons Prospect Watch:

The Barons are loaded with prospects even after losing No. 5 prospect Bryan Ramos to the White Sox during the two teams’ last meeting.

11 of the Chicago White Sox top 30 prospects are currently on the Barons roster including 20-year old left-handed pitcher Noah Schultz who just arrived in Birmingham as the organizations No. 2 prospect.

The Barons hold six of the White Sox top 10 prospects headed into the week.