August Players of the Month: Connor Wong and Wikelman Gonzalez

Connor Wong (pictured) was the easy choice after a blistering month at the plate for Worcester. The backstop hit .368/.411/.838 during August with nine home runs, five doubles, and 22 RBI. His run to close out the month was especially incredible, as he he homered five times in the final six games of August. After seeing some time at second base in Boston, Wong got a start at second in Worcester for the first time this season on August 27th. 

The 26-year-old catcher is having a very good offensive season overall, hitting .288/.349/.489 with 20 doubles and 15 home runs. He has been extremely consistent against righties and lefties, hitting .282 with a .364 OBP against lefties and .290 with a .345 OBP against righties. It's the power that really shows up against lefties, as he has seven home runs in 78 at-bats while slugging .603 against southpaws. He has thrown out 12 runners in 49 chances behind the dish in Triple-A this season as well. 

Wong was of course a part of the Mookie Betts trade with the Dodgers that sent him to Boston along with Jeter Downs and Alex Verdugo. He got cups of coffee with Boston in both 2021 and 2022, but with the Red Sox out of the playoff race at this point, look for Wong to come up in September and contribute to the big league club. Wong has always shown impressive pop for a catcher, as he hit 19 home runs in 2018 and 24 home runs in 2019 while in the Dodgers' system. He is currently ranked 13th at SoxProspects.com. 

Wikelman Gonzalez is the pick on the mound, as he made six appearances during August and posted a 2.25 ERA. The month included a callup from Salem to Greenville as well. In his three Salem appearances during the month, he tossed 16 innings and only gave up three runs on nine hits, good for a 1.69 ERA. The right-hander picked up right where he left off after moving up a level, posting a 3.00 ERA in 12 Greenville innings with 19 strikeouts and just five walks. Gonzalez also went at least five innings in three consecutive starts to open up the month after lasting five or more innings just four times all year up to that point. 

Gonzalez opened up the season in dominant fashion, posting a 0.57 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings. He struggled a bit in the middle of the season, but his big August has brought his overall season ERA to a respectable 4.34. He has very good strikeout numbers with 117 in 93 1/3 frames this year. He is only 20 years old, so to see him already missing a ton of bats in High-A is very impressive. Gonzalez was signed as an international free agent in the summer of 2018 and is currently ranked 15th at SoxProspects.com. 

Photo Credit: Connor Wong by Kelly O'Connor 

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