Won-Bin Cho Named Minor League Player of the Day

The Cardinal Chronicle
Won-Bin Cho Named Minor League Player of the Day
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

Won-Bin Cho is starting to make some noise again.

The Peoria outfielder homered for the third consecutive game Tuesday night, helping power the Chiefs to a 7-1 win over the Beloit Sky Carp and earning The Cardinal Chronicle's Minor League Player of the Day honors.

Cho's two-run homer came in the eighth inning and gave Peoria added breathing room in a game the Chiefs controlled behind strong pitching and timely offense. It was the kind of swing that stood out not only because of the score, but because of the trend behind it.

Three games. Three home runs.

That gets attention.

Cho has long been viewed as one of the more athletic players in the Cardinals' system, with tools that have always made him an intriguing name to follow. The question has been whether the production would begin to consistently match the ability.

Power can come and go in the minor leagues, especially with young hitters still learning how pitchers want to attack them. But when a player starts driving the ball out of the park on consecutive nights, it is worth circling in the notebook. Cho's recent surge gives Peoria another dangerous bat and gives the Cardinals' development staff something encouraging to build on.

For the Chiefs, his home run helped finish off one of their cleaner wins of the season. Peoria got five shutout innings from starter Blake Aita, took advantage of early opportunities and then added on late. Cho's eighth-inning blast turned a solid lead into a comfortable one.

That is what good teams do. They do not just grab the lead. They stretch it.
For Cho, the swing was another reminder that development rarely moves in a straight line. There are hot streaks, cold spells, adjustments, setbacks and breakthroughs. The important thing is whether a player keeps working, keeps learning and keeps showing signs that the tools are becoming baseball skills.
Right now, Cho is showing signs.

A three-game home run streak is not something to overstate, but it is not something to ignore, either. In a system always looking for impact bats, Cho has put his name back into the daily conversation.

And for one night, he was the top offensive performer on the farm.

The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports
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