Dash Arrive in Winston-Salem
The 2012 Opening Day roster is set. The Dash start the season this Friday against the Carolina Mudcats, and now we can introduce you to the players that will don the Dash logo. Familiar faces will again be in Winston-Salem as 11 of the 25 players spent time with the Dash at some point in 2011. The full roster is listed at the bottom.
Top Prospects: Five of the White Sox top prospects start the season on the Dash roster. The list is headlined by Trayce Thompson, who Baseball America lists as the 3rd best prospect in the organization. Thompson’s background is unique and well-publicized. He spoke to MiLB.com back in January about growing up in a family of professional athletes. It’s a good thing for fans that Thompson chose the baseball route. He was an offensive force for Kannapolis last season, hitting 24 home runs and driving in 87 runs.
Former second round draft pick Jake Petricka returns to Winston-Salem and will start the season in the Dash rotation. The righthander was a non-roster invitee to White Sox spring training and worked in the off-season developing his secondary pitches to complement his fastball. Petricka detailed his regimen for MiLB.com a few weeks ago.
Andre Rienzo had a 3.41 ERA in 22 starts for the Dash in 2011 (Steve Orcutt/W-S Dash).
Andre Rienzo returns to Winston-Salem after appearing in 25 games last season. Baseball America rates him as the 17th best prospect in the White Sox system.
Catcher Mike Blanke and infielder Carlos Sanchez, ranked as the White Sox 20th and 21st best prospects by Baseball America, round out the list of top prospects on the Dash lineup for Opening Day.
Indiana State Trio: Along with Petricka, outfielders Brady Shoemaker and Nick Ciolli make for a Sycamore reunion in Winston-Salem. Shoemaker spent the majority of last season in Kannapolis where he was a South Atlantic League All-Star. Ciolli was solid last year for the Dash, hitting 14 home runs and 62 RBI. However, it’s one catch that made him famous.
The home run robbing catch was named Minor League Baseball Play of the Year. If that wasn’t enough excitement, Ciolli hit a walk-off, inside-the-park grand slam a month later.
Former South Atlantic Stars: The Dash inherit a number of players from Kannapolis, including a few who made quite an impact on the South Atlantic League. Pitchers Spencer Arroyo and Matthew Heidenreich are workhorses whose durability will be on display this summer in Winston-Salem. The lefty Arroyo started 27 games (tied for most in the league), led the league in innings pitched with 170 and finished 2nd with 130 strikeouts. In 2010 Arroyo also led the Appalachian League with 75 strikeouts. Heidenreich also started 27 games for Kannapolis last season. The former 4th round draft pick led the team with 10 wins and struck out 101 batters.
Dan Black looks to be a capable replacement for 2011 Carolina League MVP Ian Gac, who played some first base for the Dash last season. The switch-hitter led the South Atlantic League in RBI (98), doubles (41), extra base hits (65) and total bases (253) while batting .286 for the season with 18 home runs.
Full Roster:
Pitchers
- #15 Spencer Arroyo
- #17 Jon Bachanov
- #30 Chris Bassitt
- #33 Kyle Bellamy
- #14 Ryan Buch
- #35 Paul Burnside
- #11 Justin Collop
- #28 Matt Heidenreich
- #36 Leroy Hunt
- #12 Nick McCully
- #27 Phil Negus
- #26 Jake Petricka
- #25 Andre Rienzo
Catchers
- #29 Mike Blanke
- #3 Miguel Gonzalez
Infielders
- #40 Dan Black
- #16 Jake Oester
- #13 Carlos Sanchez
- #2 Marcus Semien
- #5 Daniel Wagner
- #7 Ross Wilson
Outfielders
- #20 Nick Ciolli
- #8 Michael Earley
- #21 Brady Shoemaker
- #24 Trayce Thompson
The club will hit the road for an exhibition at Low-A Kannapolis tomorrow at noon. Stay tuned here for coverage.
-Mike
