Captain of the Week (8/27-9/1): Wuilfredo Antunez
EASTLAKE, OH – 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 August 27 through September 1, Lake County is recognizing OF Wuilfredo Antunez
EASTLAKE, OH – 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 August 27 through September 1, Lake County is recognizing OF Wuilfredo Antunez as its 19th Captain of the Week for the 2024 season.
The outfielder had an impressive week at the plate against the Cedar Rapids Kernels. He led the Captains in: batting average (.412), hits (seven), total bases (14), home runs (two), RBI (five), on-base percentage (.412, tied), slugging percentage (.824), and OPS (1.236). He also tallied two runs, one double, and one stolen base.
For the week of August 27 through September 1, Antunez ranked top-10 in the Midwest League in slugging percentage (second), home runs (tied for second), OPS (sixth), and total bases (tied for ninth).
Antunez was promoted to Lake County from the Single-A Lynchburg Hillcats on August 12. Since his High-A debut on August 14, he leads the team in: batting average (.375), hits (15, tied), home runs (two, tied), and slugging percentage (.600), while ranking second in total bases (24) and OPS (.990). Across the Captains and Hillcats, he is the only player in Minor League Baseball with at least 21 doubles, nine triples, and 10 home runs this season.
Antunez was signed by Cleveland as an international free agent on April 25, 2019 out of Rio Tucaní, Venezuela. He began his professional career in the Dominican Summer League later that year, hitting .261 with 12 hits, four doubles, two triples, eight RBI, five walks, and two stolen bases in 15 games.
He then played 21 games with the Arizona Complex League Guardians in 2022, hitting .295 with 23 hits, three doubles, two triples, four home runs, 13 RBI, 19 walks, 11 stolen bases, and a .982 OPS before being promoted to Single-A Lynchburg on July 22, 2022. He played five games with the Hillcats, going 2-for-6 at the plate with one double, four walks, a .600 on-base percentage, and a 1.100 OPS.
The following year, Antunez spent the entire 2023 season with Lynchburg, where he tied the Carolina League lead with seven triples. He also ranked top-10 in the league in batting average (.275, fifth), slugging percentage (.420, sixth), and OPS (.774, eighth).
Antunez then began the 2024 campaign with Lynchburg. He put together a strong season with the Hillcats before being promoted to Lake County. At the time of his promotion, he ranked top-10 in Carolina League in: triples (nine, second), extra-base hits (35, second), RBI (54, seventh), and total bases (135, 10th).
Antunez will look to continue his recent success this week, as the Midwest League East First Half Division Champion Captains play their final regular-season series of the season, a six-game road set against the Peoria Chiefs. The series is set to begin on Tuesday night, with first pitch scheduled for 7:35 p.m. from Dozer Park in Peoria, Illinois. All six games will be broadcast on the Bally Live app and MiLB.TV, with social media coverage courtesy of @LCCaptains on X and Instagram.
The Lake County Captains are the High-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians, and have been a Class A Affiliate of Cleveland since the team was founded in 2003. To find out more information about the Captains or purchase tickets, visit CaptainsBaseball.com, or call (440) 975-8085.