Results tagged ‘ Andy Wilkins ’
Five Dash alums reassigned to minor league camp
Jake Petricka dealt two scoreless innings in big league spring training (Steve Orcutt/W-S Dash).
For many minor league players, spring training is an opportunity to get a taste of a big league atmosphere and pick the brains of those at higher levels. As camp progresses, some of these players are sent back to minor league camp for their own good (more at bats or innings to prepare for the season) and the team’s own good (big league players are gearing up for the season, too).
Today, the White Sox announced that five non-roster invitees to spring training, all of whom are Dash alums, have been reassigned to minor league camp: C Mike Blanke, RHP Jake Petricka, INF Tyler Saladino, C Kevan Smith and INF Andy Wilkins.
Here are their’ stats from big league spring training:
- Blanke: 3 games played, 0-for-1
- Petricka: 2 appearances, 2.0 innings, 3 hits, 0 runs
- Saladino: 6 games played, 2-for-6, 1 run, 1 RBI
- Smith: 2 games played, 1-for-1, 1 run
- Wilkins: 4 games played, 3-for-9, 2 runs, 3 RBI
Obviously, statistics from a small sample size during spring training are not incredibly important, but these Dash alums performed well with many White Sox decision makers watching them. Congratulations to them.
The White Sox made one other move today: LHP Charlie Leesman was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte. Leesman, a 2010 Winston-Salem alum, did not appear in a game with Chicago in spring training.
The Sox still have 55 players remaining in big league camp, and many of them are Dash alums. We will keep you posted on any spring training transactions that take place.
- Brian
Another Division Title?
Taylor Thompson and six other Dash alums will play for a title Saturday (Jody Stewart/W-S Dash).
The Dash claimed the first-half and second-half division championships in the Carolina League’s Southern Division, and a few contributors to those crowns finished up another division title run last night.
The Salt River Rafters, a club that has featured seven former Winston-Salem stars, claimed the Arizona Fall League’s East Division title with a 6-4 win over Peoria yesterday.
As a result, the Rafters, who wrap up their regular season this afternoon, will play in the AFL Championship Game Saturday at 3 p.m. EST. The game will be televised on MLB Network, and live stats will be available here.
Congrats to Andre Rienzo, Santos Rodriguez, Carlos Sanchez, Salvador Sanchez, Taylor Thompson, Trayce Thompson and Andy Wilkins, all of whom contributed to the Rafters’ run. Every member of this group will be in uniform except for Rienzo, who left the team to pitch for Team Brazil in a World Baseball Classic qualifier.
We’ll have a full recap of all seven players’ efforts in the AFL on the blog in the coming days. Dash fans are Rafters fans this weekend!
- Brian
All’s Well In Arizona
Taylor Thompson and the rest of the Dash contingent are off to a 2-0 start with Salt River in the Arizona Fall League (Jody Stewart/W-S Dash).
Through two games in the Arizona Fall League, a handful of prospects have represented the Dash and White Sox well.
The Salt River Rafters are off to a 2-0 start in AFL play, and Dash alumni have played a key role.
In Salt River’s season-opening 6-5 win Tuesday, Trayce Thompson went 1-for-2 with a pair of RBI. Thompson has reached base in five of his nine plate appearances during the season’s first two games.
Also in the opener, Carlos Sanchez went 1-for-3 with a run scored, and Andy Wilkins hit a solo shot in the sixth for his lone knock.
Last night, the Rafters rolled to an 11-3 triumph. While the offense was the story for Salt River, a pair of former Dash righties shined out of the bullpen. Salvador Sanchez, a late addition to the AFL roster, tossed an inning and a third of scoreless relief. Taylor Thompson, who finished the season as the Dash’s best option in the back-end of the bullpen, twirled an easy eighth inning, whiffing two and walking one.
Salt River, the AFL’s lone remaining unbeaten squad, takes to the diamond again tonight at 9:35 EST against Scottsdale.
- Brian
Track Dash Alums In Arizona
The Dash’s season may be over, but there are a handful of Winston-Salem alumni who will be playing for the Salt River Rafters in the Arizona Fall League, and their season begins tonight at 9:35 p.m. EST against the Mesa Solar Sox.
The AFL features some of minor league baseball’s top prospects, and each of the six teams on the circuit consists of representatives from five different MLB organizations. The Rafters boast prospects from the White Sox, Astros, Diamondbacks, Rockies and Tigers.
The White Sox have sent seven players to Salt River for the 2012 AFL season, and all of them made a stop in Winston-Salem en route to this opportunity. Pitchers Andre Rienzo, Santos Rodriguez, Salvador Sanchez and Taylor Thompson are with the Rafters, along with infielders Carlos Sanchez and Andy Wilkins and outfielder Trayce Thompson.
The Rafters will play 32 games over the next few weeks, and fans can track all of the AFL action here.
And if you have never heard of the AFL before, check out this list of AFL Hall of Famers. What a group.
- Brian
Thompson, Barton, Alums to Fall League
Taylor Thompson is heading to the Arizona Fall League along with five Dash alums (Jody Stewart/W-S Dash).
The Arizona Fall League rosters have been released for this autumn’s action, and the Dash are represented well. Current Winston-Salem closer Taylor Thompson, along with five former Dash stars and current White Sox farmhands, will suit up for the Salt River Rafters.
Thompson will join outfielder Trayce Thompson, hurlers Andre Rienzo and Santos Rodriguez and infielders Carlos Sanchez and Andy Wilkins in the AFL. Winston-Salem trainer Cory Barton will also head to Arizona in the same role with the Rafters.
All six White Sox representatives have played in Winston-Salem during their minor league careers. They will join highly-touted prospects from Arizona, Colorado, Toronto and Washington’s farm systems.
Taylor Thompson is 2-1 with a 2.59 earned run average in 30 relief appearances this season. After battling some injuries in the first half, the Montgomery, Ala., native has responded with a second-half ERA of 0.60 in 30 innings of work.
Three other soon-to-be AFL players donned the Dash purple in 2012. Rienzo made four starts and posted a 1.08 ERA in 25 innings before earning a promotion to Double-A Birmingham, where he is 4-3 with a 3.27 ERA. Sanchez is now with Triple-A Charlotte after hitting .315 with 42 RBI and 58 runs scored with Winston during the season’s first three months. Trayce Thompson is also in Triple-A Charlotte following a promotion today. He still leads the Carolina League with 90 RBI and is tied atop the circuit with 22 homers.
Rodriguez was with Winston-Salem throughout the 2010 and 2011 campaigns. In the CL, Rodriguez amassed a 4-3 record and a 3.69 ERA in 72 appearances largely out of the bullpen. He is now with Triple-A Charlotte after boasting a 2.81 ERA in Double-A Birmingham this season.
Finally, Wilkins is with Birmingham, where he is hitting .236 with 17 homers and 66 RBI. The former Arkansas slugger hit .278 with 23 long balls and 89 RBI for the Dash last season.
This season marks the 20th in AFL history. The season runs from October 9 until the annual championship game November 17.
- Brian
Dash Pummel Potomac
It truly was an incredible effort by the Dash yesterday at BB&T Ballpark. Winston-Salem slammed Potomac 14-0. Here are some facts about the shellacking in front of more than 4,000 fans in Winston 24 hours ago:
- The Dash set season highs for runs (14) and doubles (five) in a single game while falling one short of their season high in hits (14 at Frederick April 11).
- Dash catcher Miguel Gonzalez set a career high with five runs batted in Wednesday afternoon. Gonzalez singled home a pair during Winston’s six-run sixth inning, and he capped off the scoring with a three-run double in the eighth frame. It marks the first time a Dash hitter has had five RBI in a game since Andy Wilkins drove in five during an 8-2 defeat of Myrtle Beach August 28, 2011.
Marcus Semien hit the eighth grand slam in Dash history Wednesday (Steve Orcutt/W-S Dash).
- Marcus Semien entered Wednesday with a batting average of .211 and only four RBI, but he walked off the field with Winston-Salem’s first grand slam of the season. Semien went yard over the left field fence with the bases loaded in the sixth. It was just the eighth grand slam hit by Winston-Salem since the franchise became the Dash in ‘09.
- Winston’s five pitchers combined on a two-hitter, which is the lowest number of hits allowed by the club this season. It was also the Dash’s third shutout of the campaign.
- After a slow start, Dash catcher Mike Blanke has gotten hot lately. He owns a seven-game hitting streak, which is one away from the Dash’s highest this year. Blanke is hitting 8-for-26 (.308) with four RBI during the streak.
- Ryan Buch took a no-hitter into the fifth inning and finished with five scoreless innings. Four different relievers posted a scoreless frame behind Buch. It was the lowest hit output by a Winston-Salem opponent in a nine-inning shutout since the Dash held Salem to one hit May 13, 2011.
- Today, Winston-Salem has a chance to earn its first sweep since July 29-30, 2011, at Myrtle Beach. It would be the Dash’s first four-game sweep since July 25-28 at home against Kinston.
- Winston-Salem has not swept Potomac since a two-game series that was shortened because of a postponement May 5-6, 2006. The last time Winston-Salem swept Potomac in a four-game series was in Winston April 21-24, 2005.
We’ll let you know if the Dash can pull it off tonight, beginning with the Pre-Game Dash at 6:45. Talk to you then.
- Brian
Dashing Around Baseball – April 9
I’m sure you followed our coverage all weekend and know that the Dash are 1-2 after the opening weekend with a three game set in Frederick starting tomorrow. But, there were plenty of highlights around the Carolina League and in the White Sox system. Each week I’ll recap the noteworthy news going on in the league and on the farm.
Lynchburg Perfection-The Hillcats are the lone unbeaten in the league after a sweep of Potomac. Tommy LaStella, one of the top prospects in the Braves organization, drove in all three runs Sunday in Lynchburg’s 3-2 win. He’s batting a pretty solid .556, with 7 RBI and a homer after three games.
Potomac Panic-Potomac lost Saturday night’s game but experienced a much more jarring scare when Anthony Rendon left the game with a sprained ankle. Injuries plagued Rendon’s spectacular collegiate accomplishments throughout his three seasons at Rice.
Anthony Rendon was the sixth overall pick in the 2011 draft (Toni L. Sandys/Washington Post).
He was named Freshman of the Year in 2009, followed by College Player of the Year in 2010. But Rendon tore ligaments in his right ankle in 2009 and broke the same ankle the next season. The Nationals were wowed by Rendon in big league camp at spring training but will proceed with caution after this setback. If healthy, the Dash will see him and Potomac for the first time April 23 at BB&T Ballpark.
Frederick Reloads-The defending Mills Cup Champions lost a number of emerging superstars to the Double-A level but plenty of talent remains with the Keys. Frederick won two of three from Salem behind superb performances from the mound Saturday and Sunday. Scott Copeland threw five shutout innings Saturday, and highly-touted prospect Mike Wright made his Advanced-A debut Sunday and surrendered only three hits over six scoreless innings.
Stocked in Salem-The Sox are 1-2 after the opening weekend, but expect the wins to pile up as a young offense adjusts to Advanced-A pitching. Salem is loaded because three of the top 10 prospects in the Red Sox organization all playing for the first time in the Carolina League. Number two prospect Xander Bogaerts is only 19, but has shown off the charts potential. He opened 2-for-5 with an RBI on Friday but did not get a hit the rest of the series. Outfielders Brandon Jacobs and Jackie Bradley struggled at the plate but are known for their defensive ability to cover all the green in the outfield.
Around the Farm
- The White Sox lost two of three to the defending AL Champion Texas Rangers, but former Dash players played prominent roles in the series. Hector Santiago picked up his first major league save, locking down a 4-3 win Saturday.
- 2010 Dash member Eduardo Escobar was one of the final roster spots named to the White Sox roster. He made his first appearance of the season Sunday night at shortstop with a 1-4 outing, the one hit being a triple.
- Nate Jones, the surprise nod on the final roster, made his major league debut Sunday night. Jones pitched the seventh inning, walking two Rangers before inducing a double play. He struck out 2010 AL MVP Josh Hamilton to end the inning.
Nate Jones pitched a scoreless seventh inning in his Major League debut Sunday.
- The Birmingham Barons got their first win of the season Sunday with a 9-2 throttling of the Jackson Generals. 2011 Dash members provided the highlights. Andy Wilkins hit his first home run of the season, Jared Mitchell had an RBI triple and Tyler Saladino also had an RBI. The Barons roughed up Generals starter Danny Hultzen, the #2 overall draft pick in 2011.
- The most exciting game in the organization Sunday occurred in Kannapolis, where the Intimidators rallied from down five runs to walk-off for their first win of the season. 2011 top draft pick Keenyn Walker went 2-6 with an RBI and scored the game tying run in the ninth.
That’s a look back at some of the highlights from opening weekend around baseball. In addition to our daily updates, I’ll be here with a comprehensive look around the league and the White Sox organization every Monday.
- Mike
