With the first half of the 2023 Triple-A season officially closing, it is time to look at the hitters who stand out. Stat leaders range from top prospects to veterans, but they all have the potential to receive a big-league promotion. Here are the players who are leading the way in the key offensive categories for MiLB.
First-Half Triple-A Batting Leaders
Batting Average: Xavier Edwards (.365)
Xavier Edwards of the Miami Marlins was once heralded as one of the top second base prospects in the game. He saw his stock fall after a down year in 2022 but has rebounded significantly this season. The switch-hitter has been on a tear lately, recording six straight three-hit games, including one game in which he recorded four. Furthermore, Edwards is hitting .425 as a right-handed batter through 84 plate appearances. He made his big league debut in May, hitting .381 in nine games for Miami. It may not be long before he rejoins the Marlins and current MLB batting leader Luis Arraez.
RBI: Cody Thomas (79)
Cody Thomas, a 16th-round draft pick in 2016, debuted for the Oakland Athletics in 2022. This year, the outfielder has done nothing but mash for the Las Vegas Aviators. He has hit .308 with 17 homers to produce a league-leading 79 RBI through 74 games. That would be good enough to lead all of MLB by a margin of six. Thomas’ standout season earned him a call-up to Oakland in early July, so the RBI crown will likely change hands soon.
Home Runs: Jo Adell and Trey Cabbage (23)
There is a tie atop the home run leaderboard in Triple-A, and both players are teammates in the Los Angeles Angels’ system. Jo Adell and Trey Cabbage have headlined the Salt Lake City Bees lineup for the first half of the year, both striking 23 long balls. Adell is a former top prospect without realizing his potential at the big league level.
His exploits in 2023 include a six-game homer streak and a 514-foot moonshot, the furthest ball ever tracked by Statcast. He has had two stints in Los Angeles this year and has recorded a .978 OPS through 13 at-bats. Cabbage was drafted in the fourth round by the Minnesota Twins in 2015 but has yet to make the big leagues. He has three multi-homer games this season and could soon claim sole possession of the home run title, with Adell currently in the majors.
Stolen Bases: Dairon Blanco (47)
Kansas City Royals outfielder Dairon Blanco leads all of Triple-A in stolen bases despite having been in the major leagues for over a month of the season. It took the speedster only 49 games to steal 47 bases, a pace to rival that of prime Billy Hamilton. Blanco has added five more thefts to his total since being promoted to Kansas City in early June. However, Forrest Wall of the Gwinnett Stripers is closing in on Blanco with 45 steals and could overtake him soon.
Photo Credit: © Peter Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
Players mentioned:
Xavier Edwards, Luis Arraez, Jo Adell, Trey Cabbage, Cody Thomas, Dairon Blanco, Billy Hamilton, Forrest Wall
