I’m lonely: I want someone to trade with me. (@WhiteSox)
The South Side Hit Pen podcast’s third episode hits the airwaves with hosts Brett Ballantini and Scott Reichard, discussing the aftermath of Winter Meetings nothingness, Nomar Mazara, disappearing free agent pitching prospects, trusting in Rick Hahn, and a new 2020 season slogan for Brooks Boyer.
Bat dance: In a curious move, the White Sox dealt promising minor-league talent for a stalled major leaguer. (@NomarMzra26)
Late Tuesday night came word of the first White Sox trade of the Winter Meetings: Texas Rangers right fielder Nomar Mazara to Chicago for High-A outfielder Steele Walker.
The move sends the fastest-rising outfield prospect in the system to Texas for a relatively expensive option to plug into right field (Mazara arguably could have found himself nontendered in the current climate).
But while it’s easy to lament the loss of Walker, the truth is the former Oklahoma Sooner is just a year younger than Mazara, already a veteran of four full big league seasons.
What’s more curious is that Mazara was acquired with several free agent, nontendered and trade prospects still on the board. A few days after being underwhelmed to learn the RF target for the White Sox was Marcell Ozuna, now White Sox fans are digesting an even more limited player in Mazara as their possible full-time RF in 2020.
If Mazara has his customary season in his White Sox debut, expect around 20 homers and a high-700s OPS, with no speed or defense to speak of. The left-handed Mazara has had considerably greater success against righthanders in his career, so in a platoon situation he could see his contact rate improve and OPS push higher than .800.
“At just 24 years old, Nomar provides us with a left-handed hitting right fielder who fits into our current team’s development arc and who still has untapped potential, said Rick Hahn in a team statement. “Nomar adds yet another young, exciting bat with upside to our lineup.”
Perhaps Hahn sees something many others do not. After all, Mazara had the longest home run (505 feet) in the majors last year, on June 21 vs. the White Sox, and hit two of the six longest homers in baseball in 2019.
Mazara won’t come cheap, as MLBTR estimates his arbitration settlement at $5.7 million in arbitration for 2020.
The White Sox lose Walker, their second round draft choice in 2018. The lefty is a good two years away from the big leagues, likely getting his feet wet for Texas in High-A after putting up just a .771 OPS at High-A Winston-Salem in the second half of 2019. Walker’s solid overall season, as many other top OF prospects slumped, put him in position to become the club’s top outfielder prospect with Luis Robert’s matriculation to the majors.
The trade pushes Chicago’s 40-man roster to 38.
Ascending soon: Once Luis Robert joins the White Sox, Steele Walker will become the top-ranked outfielder in the White Sox system. (@WSDashBaseball)
“Deep Dive” focuses on the depth of each position in the Chicago White Sox organization. Each position is broken into a five-part series:
This list includes the organization’s second-ranked outfield prospect per MLB Pipeline (Steele Walker), as well as an outfielder who’s hit for a high average throughout his young collegiate and professional careers (Ian Dawkins). Both should receive promotions to begin the 2020 season.
(age as of April 1, 2020)
Steele Walker
5´11´´
190 pounds
B/T: L/L
Other positions played: Right field
Age: 23
Walker kept improving in each of his three years with the University of Oklahoma. That’s not to say his freshman year was bad by any stretch — that year, he slashed a respectable .290/.352/.414 with three homers in 57 games. As a junior in 2018, however, he slashed .352/.441/.606 in 54 games for the Sooners with 14 doubles, 13 homers, 53 RBIs, seven stolen bases, 31 walks (12.2%) and 48 strikeouts (18.9%). Expected to be selected in the latter part of the first round that year, he was still available in the second round when the White Sox gladly snatched him up.
In his first year of professional ball, Walker slashed a combined .209/.271/.342 over 44 games with the AZL squad, Great Falls and Kannapolis with six doubles, five homers, 21 RBIs, six stolen bases, 10 walks (5.6%) and 37 strikeouts (20.9%). Obviously his numbers weren’t as good as he’d hoped they be, but that was in large part due to fatigue and playing through injuries suffered late in the season with Oklahoma.
Buoyed by a terrific start with Kannapolis (.365/.437/.581) in his first 20 games this year, Walker enjoyed a terrific bounce-back campaign in 2019. Combined with Kannapolis and Winston-Salem, he slashed .284/.361/.451 in 120 games with 36 doubles, five triples, 10 homers, 62 RBIs, 13 stolen bases, 50 walks (9.5%) and 78 strikeouts (14.8%). While not quite Madrigalian in making contact, a strikeout rate under 15% with a walk rate hovering around 10% is actually quite impressive for a first full professional season.
It’s important to note that Walker’s numbers were far better against righties than they were against southpaws, although it’s way too early to consider him merely a platoon-type hitter. According to MLB Pipeline and Baseball America, the bat is considered Walker’s one true plus tool (graded 55 by MLB Pipeline). That’s not to say he’s overly deficient in any one area (power, run and field tools are graded 50), except perhaps for his throwing arm (graded 45 by MLB Pipeline).
Interestingly, Walker didn’t play in left field this year though his arm is perhaps better suited for that position. Walker currently ranks sixth among White Sox prospects, and second among the system’s outfielders, by MLB Pipeline. He likely will begin the 2020 season with Birmingham, and should find his way to Charlotte by the end of the year. There’s always a possibility Walker could be traded to help reel in a high-profile hitter or pitcher during this offseason, but as the best outfield performer in full-season play last year not named Luis Robert, the Sox would prefer keeping Walker if they had their druthers.
Ian Dawkins
5’11”
195 pounds
B/T: R/R
Other positions played: Left field
Age: 24
Dawkins played his first two seasons of college ball with Chabot Junior College in his hometown of Heyward, Calif., where he put up terrific numbers. He transferred to Sacramento State for his junior season and continued to hit, with his senior season being arguably the better of his two years with the Hornets as he slashed .359/.415/.528 in 58 games with 18 doubles, six homers, 33 RBIs, eight stolen bases, 22 walks (8.0%) and 41 strikeouts (14.9%).
In part due to lacking leverage as a college senior, and also in part to his lack of significant power, he slipped to the White Sox in the 27th round of the 2018 draft. Dawkins immediately paid dividends that year, as he slashed a combined .303/.351/.390 in 65 games with Great Falls and Kannapolis with 13 doubles, three triples, 21 RBIs, 14 stolen bases, 16 walks (5.9%) and 43 strikeouts (15.8%).
Even more surprising than Dawkins beginning the 2019 season with Kannapolis was that he actually spent the whole year there. In part, this had to do with the lack of movement from the Birmingham outfield contingent, which ultimately stalled advancement for the likes of Walker and Dawkins. However, it may actually have just as much to do with the fact that he simply may have neither the great speed you’d like to see in a center fielder (despite his stolen base numbers) nor the power you’d like to see out of a corner outfielder. Nonetheless, Dawkins still posted a rock-solid year despite a late-season slump causing his average to dip below .300. For the year, he slashed .298/.361/.396 in 131 games with Kannapolis with 38 doubles, one triple, four homers, 36 RBIs, 23 stolen bases, 37 walks and 95 strikeouts. Walker should begin the 2020 season with Winston-Salem.
Surging starter: Jonathan Stiever had the best season of any White Sox pitching prospect in 2019. (Winston-Salem Dash)
The Dash had one of the better records for the MiLB White Sox teams (72-61), as they barely missed out on a “wild card” playoff berth. It may not have been the most prospect-heavy team to to start the year, but by the end, there were some big names, especially on the pitching side.
This recap will start a little differently because, well, we have our first manager snapshot. Justin Jirschele was the manager of the Kannapolis Intimidators in 2017 and 2018 — both of those teams made the playoffs, so was promoted to the Dash for this season. Jirschele’s MiLB record so far is 217-198. He will only be 30 next season, but that would fit the recent mold of teams in the majors hiring younger managers. He also fits the Jerry Reinsdorf hiring mold, since he has been in the White Sox organization since 2012, when he was a player. Jirschele has managed most of the top prospects over his tenure, so he has familiarity with the important parts of the rebuild. There is not really much else to add about his managing style and philosophies, but here is an MLB.com from 2017.
But I’m sure you all care more about the players more than the manager, right?
The Dash had the two best hitters in the farm system to start the year, Luis Robert and Nick Madrigal, who made it all the way to Charlotte by season’s end. Robert was clearly too good for High-A (and basically every other level) but he left the Dash with a 305 wRC+. Madrigal started out slower but got going enough to get an early promotion. But that was really it for hitter promotions. Zach Remillard is not in the same talent conversation as those other two, but he was promoted as well. After hitting .289 in 95 games (a personal MiLB best), he was sent up to Double-A.
There was a bit more positive movement for the Dash on the pitching end. Kyle Kubat also started here and earned his way all the way up to Charlotte. He was one of the quicker promotions, and left after four starts with a 1.23 ERA. We forget now, but Alec Hansen looked far better with the Dash than the Barons. Hansen only played nine games and left with a 2.13 ERA, but carried a walk problem that traveled with him to Birmingham.
A trio of starters got promotions later in the season after a good first part of the season. Blake Battenfield, Lincoln Henzman, and John Parke each got the call to the Barons, where they finished the year. Battenfield had the best season of the bunch, with a 2.83 ERA. Parke does not get much fanfare, but keeps chugging through the system. He averaged just about a quality start over 12 starts. Henzman, after an injury blip, finally got his skills together to get himself to Double-A. The stats don’t look great overall, but a 1.89 ERA in his final 19 innings was good enough.
On the reliever side, there were three promotions of note. As mentioned in the Kannapolis recap, Vince Arobio made it all the way to Double-A. Well, he had an 8 2/3 innings stint with the Dash and didn’t allow a run. It was apparently good enough to earn his second promotion. Codi Heuer is a converted starter from college and his rookie league season, and thrived in the reliever role. He left High-A with a 22% K-BB rate and a 2.82 ERA. Bennett Sousa had two promotions during his season as well. After pitching 30 innings with a 2.70 ERA in A+, he got into two games for the Barons. There is a chance he ends up in Chicago next season. More on all these guys later, but it’s time for the holdovers.
Of the hitters who spent most of their season with the Dash, Steele Walker is by far the most heralded prospect. He is currently rated as the sixth-best White Sox prospect per MLB Pipeline, and earned a quick promotion from Kannapolis to Winston-Salem. He started out strong and did slow down later in the season, which is what should be expected from a player in his first full professional season. His 2019 stats still look great, though. He finished with a 124 wRC+, and showed some decent pop over the season. His increased walk rate from his days with the I’s stayed with the Dash, but Walker was able to drop his K-rate even further as he continues to show his advanced plate discipline and coverage.
Of the hitters that ended their seasons with the Dash, Andrew Vaughn is the best prospect. He’s rated as the best first base prospect in baseball and 21st overall by MLB Pipeline. The 2019 first round selection looked fine in his first stint in professional baseball. With all the movement and it being Vaughn’s first time playing baseball this late in a year, him just being healthy is really the most important takeaway. From the scouting reports out of college, Vaughn is a very good hitter, and it did show. The pop and the fantastic eye was there, as he was an above-average hitter at every stop. Vaughn has a chance, though slim, to be on the South Side next season but it will depend on whether he starts 2020 in Birmingham or Winston-Salem.
After Vaughn and Walker, there is a huge drop-off in terms of hitting talent that ended the year with the Dash. Most just have one kind of tool, like Craig Dedelow. He showed good power, with a .198 ISO and 18 home runs. The same thing with Tyler Frost, although Frost’s power dipped compared to his time in rookie and Low-A ball. Both players are old for the their level and there’s not much draft capital/money tied to them. Jameson Fisher, a former fourth round selection, did have that draft hype, and he did do well with the Dash. But he was sent down from Double-A after a bad 2018 campaign, and will be 26 next season.
Yeyson Yrizarri and Evan Skoug are guys who also had some value in the past, but have since fallen flat. Yrizarri is just 22, even though his professional debut was in 2014. This past season was his third in High-A, and he has only gotten worse. His batting average has fallen to .218 to go along with an increased strikeout rate, and his defense has gotten worse too (31 errors at third this year). Skoug is kind of a worse Zack Collins. Skoug has power, walks a lot, and strikes out a lot, but routinely hits far worse than the Mendoza line. Skoug hit .172 with the I’s, and then .165 with the Dash. This should be a big offseason for him, because he has some good tools — he just has awful bat-to-ball skills.
A little note for a 2019 draft pick who played in two games for the Dash, Jonathan Allen. The 32nd rounder played in both rookie leagues — not particularly well, but he did get himself to High-A. He clubbed two homers in his two games, for a 420 wRC+. I’m guessing that won’t hold next season.
Dash pitchers were led by a big three in terms of prospect pedigree in the starting rotation to end the year. Jonathan Stiever is now by far the most hyped, and had the best season.
Stiever should win MiLB pitcher of the year for the White Sox after finishing with a 2.15 ERA in 71 innings with the Dash. He made 12 starts, and 10 of them were quality starts, as he rode his superb stuff to a great season. He 23.3% K-BB rate and only allowed a .215 batting average against. It was a truly dominant year.
Kade McClure is next up in terms of season success. He also started 12 games, but finished his time with a 3.39 ERA. McClure did finish earlier than other starters, possibly because he was at his innings limit after a season-ending injury from last season. But McClure was great during his time. The strikeouts were down and the walks were slightly up after his promotion, but .284 BABIP really helped. McClure also kept runners on base at an 81.3% clip, so his peripherals are not as kind. But he got through this season and looked very good, again.
Last on the top starting pitching end is Konnor Pilkington. He did not have as good a year as the others, with a 4.99 ERA. His strikeouts fell, but it was still better than one K per inning. The walks also rose, but it was not a significant rise. What hurt Pilkington was a .341 BABIP, because he didn’t really allow many homers (just seven in 95 1/3 innings). Therefore, FIP and xFIP liked Pilkington much better. Hopefully he can have a Stiever-like season in 2020, where the FIP and ERA more closely align.
For relievers, there are a couple to keep a close watch on prospect-wise and a couple more who just overmatched their competition. Jacob Lindgren is probably the most interesting, because he has the most arm talent. This was the first time Lindgren had pitched in pro ball since 2016, and he was all right. Lindgren is 26 and obviously has advanced stuff, but his success, and health, were promising. He threw 17 1/3 innings with the Dash, for a 1.53 ERA. Lindgren might not be the pitcher he was before (you know, the one who made it to the majors in one season), but the potential could still be there.
Andrew Perez is the other. The eighth round selection in the 2018 draft was lights-out with the Dash for his final 31 1/3 innings of 2019. The lefty had a 1.15 ERA, though he does allow a concerning amount of baseballs into the air (a 50% fly ball rate). The walks also went up quite a bit while the strikeouts fell, but Perez was very successful overall. With the three-batter minimum coming soon, his ability to go multiple innings as a lefty could come in handy in the future.
Will Kincanon and Luis Ledo may not be big names, but they had big seasons. Both served time as a closer, with both getting eight saves. Kincanon is probably the better prospect because he has a better arm. Kincanon had a 1.86 ERA, and though the walks slightly went up the strikeouts improved, so it seemed to be a negligible difference. Kincanon will need to cut down on his walks as he continues up the ranks, but he is a guy to watch moving forward. Ledo is a bit older, and had a good year as well. He has a 1.83 ERA and is not as big a strikeout pitcher, but still has the walk issues. Ledo’s walk issues improved significantly from last season, but he still has work to do.
Some big names from the manager to the players graced the diamond in Winston-Salem, earning the Dash the best MILB record of all White Sox affiliate. Most of the big names actually worked out pretty well this season, especially Madrigal, Robert, and Stiever. It is a possibility that when it is all said and done with the rebuild, the 2019 Winston-Salem Dash was the start of something special.
Tough year: But Kannapolis ended on a pretty good note. (Tiffany Wintz/South Side Hit Pen)
The Kannapolis Intimidators finished the year at 64-74, after an abysmal first half and a decent second thanks to the addition of 2019 draft picks. However, they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016 because the reinforcements did not come quick enough — or in Andrew Vaughn‘s case, left too quickly.
Low-A baseball is a big step for players. Maybe there is not a big talent gap between advanced rookie leagues, but Low-A is the first stop in playing a full professional season. The leagues start in April and players travel to different states, though not as frequently as a Triple-A or MLB team. It is the first taste of what a grind a baseball season is, and as such it weeds out some of the younger players.
But some players definitely rose above the rest in Kannapolis this season. Though it is best to note, as in rookie league evaluation, age and previous Low-A experience is an important factor in assessing Low-A players.
First off, the promotions and other cameo appearances (like Vaughn, who played 23 games for the I’s). Steele Walker started the year with the I’s before earning a promotion after a great 20 games, in which he had a 189 wRC+. Johan Cruz started with the I’s as well and was more of a peripheral player to start, but because of his hot bat finally earned a promotion to the Dash. Cruz left the I’s with a .296 batting average, and some surprising pop. Evan Skoug rounds out the list of player promotions, but it seems like his was more out of necessity to get another catcher to Winston-Salem than talent. Though with Skoug’s eye and power, maybe a swing change could unlock that potential.
The pitching side is a bit more fun with some much bigger names. Konnor Pilkington, Jonathan Stiever, and Kade McClure each started the year with the I’s. Pilkington had the best year of the bunch, and earned his promotion more quickly as he left with a 1.62 ERA.
Next up was McClure with a 3.09 ERA and finally, Stiever. Stiever’s ERA did not look good in Low-A, but his peripherals showed a more advanced and much improved pitcher (as you will see in the Dash recap, Stiever was, simply, awesome). Taylor Varnell became sort of a prospect-buff favorite with multiple fantastic starts in Low-A, and the 24 year-old finally got a much deserved promotion later in the year.
A few notable relievers jumped to High-A baseball as well. Vince Arobio started his season with the I’s before eventually ending the season in Birmingham. Andrew Perez and Bennett Sousa were promoted at the same time after a dominant half-season in the Kannapolis bullpen. Perez left with a 2.25 ERA, Sousa with a 2.51.
That is a lot of players on the move, but some of note stayed the entire year, or ended their seasons with the I’s and helped them to a much better second-half record.
Two hitters that played well and stayed the entire season shared the outfield together, Ian Dawkins and Alex Destino. They ended the season with the same batting average (.298), but got there in very different ways. Dawkins is more of a slappy hitter, with speed and not much power. He had a fantastic first half of the season, but slowed down in the second. Dawkins finished with a 124 wRC+ and 23 stolen bases in 31 attempts. He has a fine walk rate at 6.3%, and the reason it is fine is because Dawkins hit almost .300, and he also has a below-average K-rate. Destino has the bigger bat, with 17 homers and 39 total extra-base hits. He walks more than 10% of the time, but also strikes out out at a decently high rate, so he is just a typical hitter who has some power. The downside is that both guys are older. Destino is about to turn 24, and Dawkins already is 24. In Dawkins’ case, he had 37 games in Low-A in 2018, so it was familiar territory. They are outfielders to keep an eye on, but both will need to show something more with the Dash.
A few other hitters deserve attention, but for different reasons, first off, the underperformers: Gunnar Troutwine, Corey Zangari, Ramon Beltre, Bryce Bush, and Lenyn Sosa. Troutwine probably had the best season among them, but might also be less of a prospect than the other four. He had a 106 wRC+, so a fine season, but he struck out more than 30% of the time and didn’t show improved bat-to-ball skills or extra power in his first full season. His defense was also, in a word, atrocious. Zangari was finally healthy, kind of, but fell flat. He hit only .204, but showed fantastic power with a .224 ISO. He also struck out more than 30% of the time, and a big reason why his season was salvageable was his very good walk rate. Beltre played the most, but probably had the worst season of this group and was even worse in his second Low-A stint.
Finally, Bryce Bush and Lenyn Sosa, the teenagers. Bush finished the year in the AZL but will definitely be back in Kannapolis in 2020. He barely hit above the Mendoza line and showed a concerning K-rate of 31.9%. Though he is definitely the best hitting prospect of this group, is still just 19, and had an injury-riddled year. Still, he looked impressive at times:
Sosa is a smidge younger than Bush, by about a month, and did have a better year in terms of play and health, though I’m sure the organization expected better. The international signee had his first full season this year and finished with a 93 wRC+. Instead of struggling down the stretch, which would have been understandable given a personal record amount of games played, Sosa was much better after the All-Star break. His batting average rose by almost 50 points and OPS went up over 100 points. Hopefully that translates over to next season, and Sosa gets a quick promotion to Winston-Salem.
Two non-Vaughn 2019 draft picks did make their way onto the I’s roster as well. Tyler Osik, a 27th round pick, ended with a 160 wRC+ in 108 plate appearance for the I’s. Osik showed a lot of power, probably unsustainable power at a .278 ISO, but the walk and strikeout rates stayed relatively the same from his rookie league statistics. Cameron Simmons, a 20th round pick, crushed it in Great Falls and earned a promotion. He didn’t do as well in Kannapolis but was right at average production. He did seem a little overmatched, as his K-rate went up a good amount, and the walks fell.
After Pilkington, McClure, and Stiever left, there was obviously huge holes to fill in the rotation, and it was mostly filled by pitchers who were relievers earlier. Jason Bilous was the most fit for the role, but Johan Dominguez and Sam Long took over and did well. Bilous was much better as a reliever than starter, with a 2.86 ERA as a reliever and 4.01 ERA as a starter. However, a lot of Bilous’ struggles came late in the season, just like his struggles after being drafted in 2018. It is tough to say whether he will stay in a starting role, but hopefully Bilous can continue his progress and be better late in seasons. Dominguez and Long are older and probably aren’t players who will make it to the bigs, but they had good seasons as a reliever and as a starter. Dominguez ended the year with a 2.98 ERA, Long with a 3.06 ERA.
One starter who stayed with the I’s all season and didn’t miss a start was Davis Martin. Martin had an abysmal April and May, with an ERA of more than 7.00. He was able to figure himself out later in the year and had a 3.87 ERA in the second half. The peripherals like him a lot more because of his above average K-rate and pretty low walk rate. Martin ended with a 3.90 FIP, which is much better than his 5.04 ERA, so 2020 will be a big year to see who he truly is.
After Perez and Sousa left on the reliever side, again there were holes to fill, but the Kannapolis bullpen was already the strongest part of the team, and they continued to be successful thanks to three outstanding performances. There isn’t much fanfare with these players because they don’t carry any prospect expectations, but as relievers in Low-A all they need to do is throw hard.
Up first is Lane Ramsey, who SSHP’s Dan Victor likes quite a bit.
Ramsey had a 2.75 ERA this season, but his K numbers are low; he probably does not have a very good or developed breaking/off-speed pitch. If he is able to get an out pitch to use with his high-90s fastball, Ramsey could be a guy to watch going forward, maybe driveline isn’t a bad idea for the kid. Wilber Perez was a bit of a surprise to land in the Kannapolis bullpen after being in the DSL in 2018. Perez fit in well, and was terrific down the stretch. He had a 2.83 ERA and was mostly used in multiple-inning scenarios. Perez did show good strikeout numbers, but he has a significant control problem. Austin Conway rounds out the bunch, and he had the best season of all. He had 13 saves to go with his 1.59 ERA and even earned a cameo showing with the Dash, but was eventually sent back down. Conway already is 24, so take his success with caution, but he was fantastic.
Kannapolis was not the most talented team in terms of prospect hype, like it had been in previous seasons, but it did have appearances and performances from good players. Most of the above players will go to Winston-Salem in 2020, but the 2019 draft and a few 2020 draft prospects will be heading to Kannapolis’ new ballpark to replace them in the spring.
Finishing kick: Steele Walker rides again, this time into a 10-game hitting streak! (Winston-Salem Dash)
Nick Madrigal: 1-for-5, 0 BB, 0 K (.304 BA, .751 OPS)
Luis Robert: 1-for-3. 1 BB, 2 K (.310 BA, 1.029 OPS)
Seby Zavala: 2-for-4, 0 BB, 2 K (.232 BA, .811 OPS)
Danny Mendick: 1-for-4, 1 HR, 0 BB, 2 K (.281 BA, .826 OPS)
Odrisamer Despaigne: 6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 5 K (3.45 ERA, 1.34 WHIP) **MVP**
Well, well, well, is Odrisamer Despaigne playing his way to a September promotion? He went six shutout innings in the 3-0 win for Charlotte. Though he was not all that sharp (four walks), Despaigne only allowed singles, so he kept any damage at a minimum. The bullpen, compromised of Hunter Schryver and José Ruiz tonight, were just as good — especially Ruiz. He faced five batters and retired four of them; he walked the other. Obviously, the offense did not need to do much for the win. Danny Mendick had the big hit of the night, with a solo homer. It was one of the eight hits for the Knights, and one of the three runs. Ramon Torres was responsible for the other two.
Luis González: 1-for-5, 1 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 1 SB (.249 BA, .682 OPS)
Luis Basabe: 0-for-5, 0 BB, 1 K (.229 BA, .619 OPS)
Blake Rutherford: 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K (.263 BA, .672 OPS)
Laz Rivera: 2-for-5, 1 RBI, 0 BB, 0 K (.251 BA, .610 OPS) **MVP**
Blake Battenfield: 5 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K (4.41 ERA, 1.38 WHIP)
Alec Hansen: 2/3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K (5.71 ERA, 1.99 WHIP)
Codi Heuer: 2 1/3 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (1.78 ERA, 1.11 WHIP)
A back-and-forth game found its way into extras, with the Barons falling short. Birmingham got on the board early, and with a flurry. Damek Tomscha was responsible for all three runs, a double in the first and a walk in the second. Blake Battenfield then got into some trouble of his own. He allowed four runs from innings 3-5 and was not sharp. Birmingham pitching in general was not sharp, and it could have been worse. By the time the game was tied in the ninth, the Barons had three double plays that saved a couple runs. Luis Martinez was the best of the pitchers in regulation, with two shutout innings, but Alec Hansen and Codi Heuer blew the lead. Hansen entered first, and his run allowed trimmed the Barons lead to one, and Heuer allowed a run off of his own error to tie the game in the ninth. Since extras start with a runner on second, the game-winning run was not earned, but Heuer still strand him, in a 10-inning loss.
Steele Walker: 2-for-5, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 0 BB, 2 K (.286 BA, .810 OPS) **MVP**
Andrew Vaughn: 0-for-4, 0 BB, 1 K (.235 BA, .723 OPS)
Jorgan Cavanerio: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K (3.03 ERA, 1.11 WHIP)
Jacob Lindgren: 1 1/3 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K (1.32 ERA, 1.17 WHIP)
Steele Walker pushed Winston-Salem into the lead in the fifth inning, but two late runs allowed doomed the Dash. Walker collected two hits on the day, including one big one. In the fifth inning with the Dash down by one, Walker hit his ninth home run of the season, giving W-S a 3-2 lead. Jorgan Cavanerio started the game and helped keep the Hillcats at bay long enough for the Dash to take a lead. He went five good innings and struck out six. Bennett Sousa came in for the next two, and all he did was throw two perfect innings. Lindgren did have trouble, seeing two runs cross the plate over the course of his four recorded outs. One was unearned, but it was a blown save and eventually a loss.
Ian Dawkins: 1-for-5, 0 BB, 0 K (.306 BA, .775 OPS)
Lenyn Sosa: 1-for-5, 0 BB, 1 K (.238 BA, .625 OPS)
Cameron Simmons: 2-for-3, 1 HR, 1 BB, 0 K (.242 BA, .691 OPS) **MVP**
Jason Bilous: 5 1/3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K (3.54 ERA, 1.37 WHIP)
The I’s had control from the beginning in their 4-2 win over the Braves. Though the hitting was not great (just eight total hits and 1-for-7 with RISP), the extra-base hits came up big. Cameron Simmons put Kannapolis on the board in the second inning. He homered to right field, his second home run since arriving in Kannapolis. Corey Zangari came up with two on in the next inning, and went the other way for a two-run double.
Meanwhile, Jason Bilous was fantastic. He went five shutout innings, cruising through with a minimal pitch count. However, the sixth inning got him: He allowed two runs and was knocked out of the box after recording only one out. His final stat line looks merely OK, but Bilous was truly great for most of the outing. The bullpen came in and sealed the win for him. Devon Perez went 2 2/3 innings and was sharp, only allowing two runners on base. Austin Conway came in the ninth and shut down the Braves for his ninth save.
Caberea Weaver: 1-for-5, 3 R, 1 RBI, 0 BB, 2 K (.258 BA, .699 OPS)
Harvin Mendoza: 1-for-5, 1 R, 3 RBI, 0 BB, 2 K (.311 BA, .906 OPS)
Lency Delgado: 1-for-5, 1 RBI, 0 BB, 3 K (.274 BA, .721 OPS)
Luis Mieses: 2-for-5, 1 RBI, 0 BB, 1 K (.259 BA, .671 OPS)
Avery Weems: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K (1.98 ERA, 1.18 WHIP) **MVP**
Aaron Boone definitely would have wanted this one to end early in the 11-0 Voyagers rout of the Mustangs. The best thing about this blowout was that of the 13 hits Great Falls had, 11 of them were singles, and every Voyagers batter had at least one. Kelvin Maldonado led the way with three hits, and one of those for extra bases. He also scored three times. The pitching did not need all the runs though, led by Avery Weems. He went five innings, and struck out nine. He has been a huge surprise from the 2019 draft class and he keeps dominating even at the advanced rookie league. Karan Patel saw action after him and threw two perfect innings. Allan Beer came in for mop-up duty in the eighth and ninth to complete the win.
Yolbert Sánchez: 2-for-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 0 BB, 2 K (.291 BA, .803 OPS) **MVP**
Elijah Tatís: 0-for-3, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K (.194 BA, .524 OPS)
Oriel Castro: 5 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K (4.73 ERA, 1.75 WHIP)
Yolbert Sánchez had a big home run to help the DSL Sox win their 36th game of the season. The homer came in the fourth inning, to tie the game at one; it was his second homer of the year. In the very next inning, after the Sox took a one run lead off of a wild pitch, Sanchez came up to the plate again and knocked in Elijah Tatís for the 3-1 lead. While the offense began to take control of the game, Oriel Castro was great. He went five innings and though he wasn’t sharp (who is in the DSL?), he got the job done. He went five innings and allowed just one run in what might be his last game of 2019. The bullpen was not perfect, but it got enough of the job done to win 3-2.
Bone crusher: Yeah, Zack Collins hit another homer run. (Laura Wolff/Charlotte Knights)
Trio of doubles powers Dash to victory; everyone else loses bye
Odrisamer Despaigne: 6 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 9 K (L, 6-5)
Zach Thompson: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Nick Madrigal (2B): 1-for-5, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K
Yoán Moncada (DH): 1-for-5
Luis Robert (CF): 0-for-5, 4 K
Yermín Mercedes (3B): 2-for-4, 2 R
Zack Collins (1B): 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI **MVP**
Seby Zavala (C): 1-for-4, 1 K, 1 PO
The math was against the Knights, who gave up five runs but only scored four themselves. Odrisamer Despaigne, who has proven himself to be pretty good at Triple-A ball, allowed all five. Zach Thompson keeps alternating between good and bad outings, adding two scoreless innings today. Thyago Vieira struck out two but allowed two hits in his scoreless ninth inning.
The future top of the order (including a rehabbing Yoán Moncada) went a combined 2-for-15, but the future third baseman went 2-for-4 with two runs scored. That’s right, Yermín Mercedes got his second start at the hot corner on Friday, and handled a flawless nine innings, just as perfect as the first nine. This is obviously the main takeaway from today’s game, not Nick Madrigal hitting an inside-the-park home run in the first Charlotte at-bat of the ballgame (his first at the level!), and not Zack Collins’ 16th dong to score two runs in the eighth. Also, Luis Robert went hitless and struck out four times, so how good can he really be, anyway?
Blake Battenfield: 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K (L, 5-5) **MVP**
Tyler Johnson: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Vince Arobio: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
Luis González (CF): 1-for-3, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 K
Luis Alexander Basabe (LF): 0-for-3, 1 K
Blake Rutherford (DH): 0-for-3, 1 BB, 1 K
Gavin Sheets (1B): 0-for-4, 1 K
Ti’Quan Forbes (3B): 1-for-4, 1 K
Joel Booker (RF): 1-for-4, 1 2B, 1 K
Both teams only scrounged up four hits apiece, but the Braves were also able to find two runs while the Barons came up empty-handed, meaning Math Strikes Again and a Sox farm team loses. Starter Blake Battenfield was battenfielded around in his first few starts with the Barons, but with the exception of a six-run event in early August, his second half has been strong (21 earned runs allowed in 49 ⅓ innings for a 3.83 ERA, 13 walks, 30 strikeouts, compared to a 4.88 ERA over 31 ⅓ pre-All-Star innings, 10 walks, 31 strikeouts). More of a contact guy than a strikeout guy, Battenfield is at his best when he’s not allowing two-run home runs, which is what happened here. Of course, two runs in six innings, both of those coming on one pitch, isn’t normally damning, especially when there are only two other baserunners allowed total, but Barons bats have been struggling more than usual lately and they weren’t able to get on the board.
Luis González and Joel Booker both doubled, and Ti’Quan Forbes and Alfredo González both singled. L. González and Blake Rutherford drew walks, and all six baserunners were stranded.
Jonathan Stiever: 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K (W, 6-3)
Caleb Frare: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
Steele Walker (CF): 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 2B
Tyler Frost (DH): 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K **MVP**
Andrew Vaughn (1B): 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K
Jameson Fisher (LF): 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 K
Mitch Roman (3B): 3-for-4, 1 2B, 1 K, 1 SB
It was Stiever Day in Winston-Salem, and he did not disappoint. There were two early wobbles, both solo home runs in the first and second inning, respectively, and then he settled in. This is the first time he’s struck out fewer than six batters in any start in which he’s gone five or more innings, and for the fourth time in 10 starts, he did not walk a batter. He scattered baserunners the rest of the game, aided by his defense and a timely lineout double play, and the two dingers remained the only blemishes on his line. José Nin, Caleb Frare, and Wyatt Burns each pitched a scoreless inning.
Three big doubles won this game for the Dash, all coming back-to-back-to-back in the fifth inning. The first was Steele Walker’s, his 32nd of the season, first hitting the outfield grass, then bouncing over the Dash’s absurdly short right field fence for the ground-rule hit. Tyler Frost, 7-for-13 since his return from the Injured List, followed up with his 24th of the year, scoring Walker and Skoug (leadoff walk) to break the tie and put Dash up 4-2. Andrew Vaughn followed it up with his seventh double, scoring Frost and raising his Dash slash to .283/.385/.472 in 15 games played. He has walked nine times and struck out eight.
The other offense in this game was generated by Jameson Fisher, who hit his eighth home run in the second inning, and JJ Muno, who grounded into a force out that scored Vaughn in the fourth inning.
Johan Dominguez: 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
Devon Perez: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Austin Conway: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K (L, 1-1)
Ian Dawkins (CF): 2-for-4, 1 SB
Romy González (2B): 1-for-3, 1 2B, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 SB
Tyler Osik (DH): 1-for-4, 3 K
Corey Zangari (1B): 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 SB **MVP**
Gunnar Troutwine (C): 1-for-4, 2 K
The Intimidators went pretty quietly on Friday, managing only six hits over 10 innings of play, their lone run coming on a Zanger off the bat of Corey Zangari, his 12th dinger of the year. Zangari, who has quite a line of .197/.299/.414 (that’s an OPS of .713 for those interested), did a little bit of everything, walking, stealing a base, and striking out. The I’s actually ran fairly wild on the basepaths, young and free, and ended up with four stolen bases total. They turned two double plays, caught a runner stealing, and Ian Dawkins threw a whole guy out at the plate (with some help from Lenyn Sosa). They also made an error, but let’s focus on the other, more positive intangibles.
Johan Dominguez has returned to the starter role that won him a spot on the South Atlantic League All-Star team, and all he did was allow two hits over five innings, striking out seven and walking two. Devon Perez, who I just found out at this exact moment is from my hometown in Virginia and went to my high school the year after I graduated, pitched three scoreless. Austin Conway, who walks a lot of dudes but generally doesn’t allow them to score, walked two dudes and allowed neither of them to score. He did, however, allow a single that drove in the Auto-Runner from second base in the 10th inning for the losing run.
Ray Castro: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K (L, 5-1)
Yolbert Sánchez (SS): 1-for-2, 1 R, 1 3B, 1 BB, 1 E
Benyamin Bailey (LF): 0-for-3, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Johnabiell Laureano (CF): 0-for-2
Roberth Gutierrez (CF): 1-for-2, 1 2B
Ruben Benavides (C): 2-for-3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 SB **MVP**
Juan Mercedes (RF): 1-for-4, 1 2B, 3 K
Alberto Bernal (DH): 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Cesar Jiménez (2B): 0-for-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Yes, the DSL Sox lost by 13 runs, and yes, they walked 16 batters, and yes, they only got six hits of their own, but they also went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Of the 10 walks issued by Sox pitching in the fourth inning alone, four were of the bases-loaded variety. Another three came in the eighth. Despite scoring 17 runs, the DSL Padres only collected eight hits. Of those runs, 10 came on non-hit plays, including walks, but also including a double play, a wild pitch, and an error. All six Sox pitchers gave up at least one earned run (the average pitcher allowed 2.83 runs to score in their appearance). Matthew Mercedes, catcher, pitched the eighth, getting two quick outs, then hitting a batter, walking four straight, and allowing a two-run single.
Rarely, though, are things all bad (unless you’re the White Sox, to be fair!), and there was some good today. Yolbert Sánchez tripled, and Benyamin Bailey’s sacrifice fly brought him in! Catcher Ruben Benavides stole third base and then scored on an error! Bailey reached on an error in the ninth that drove in two runs! Baseball is a magical game, and the DSL is a magical league, and one day, if we’re lucky, there will be video available of all of this.
South Side Hit Pen 