Maybe it’s impossible to replace No. 1 prospect, but new Knights 2B wields hot bat

When Charlotte Knights second baseman Yoan Moncada, baseball’s No.1 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com, earned his much-anticipated promotion to the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday, the Knights’ lineup was dealt a significant blow.

Such is the case in the minor leagues, where constant roster turnover robs teams of their stars. But since Moncada’s promotion, Charlotte has continued to receive steady production at second base.

Jake Peter, who played in 62 games for the Knights last season, was promoted from Double-A Birmingham to take Moncada’s roster spot on Wednesday. He arrived in Charlotte in the midst of a nine-game hitting streak, and has remained hot at the plate.

Peter has recorded a hit in each of his first four games with the Knights, going 7-for-17 with four extra-base hits – including a home run – and five RBIs.

Monday: Charlotte dropped both games of a doubleheader against the Rochester Red Wings – losing 5-4 in Game 1 and 3-0 in Game 2 – after recording just four hits in each.

Tuesday: Rymer Liriano went 3-for-4 with a single, double and home run, falling just a triple short of the cycle. However, his solo homer accounted for the Knights’ only run in a 3-1 loss against Rochester.

Wednesday: Carson Fulmer surrendered two runs on three hits over six innings. He left the game with a 5-2 lead, putting himself in position to earn his seventh win. But the Red Wings ultimately scored five runs against Charlotte’s bullpen, leading Rochester to a 7-6 win.

Thursday: After allowing three runs or less in 11 of his last 12 starts, Lucas Giolito allowed five runs over 1 2/3 innings in a 13-2 loss against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.

Friday: Reynaldo Lopez continued his recent dominance, allowing just one run over six innings to lower his ERA to 1.71 over his last five starts. But with the score tied at 1 in the bottom of the ninth inning, Matt Purke surrendered a walk-off single in a 2-1 defeat.

Saturday: The Knights scored nine runs over the final three innings, including six in the ninth, to snap their six-game losing streak with a 10-6 win. Peter led the way, going 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs.

Sunday: Tyler Danish surrendered three runs (two earned) on seven hits over six innings and earned the win after Charlotte erupted for five runs in the third inning of a 5-3 victory.

What’s next: The Knights return to BB&T Ballpark for a seven-game homestand against the Columbus Clippers and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, starting with Monday’s 7:05 p.m. contest against Columbus.

This story was originally published July 23, 2017 at 7:16 PM with the headline "Maybe it’s impossible to replace No. 1 prospect, but new Knights 2B wields hot bat."