Results tagged ‘ Arizona Fall League ’
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
