Results tagged ‘ Ian Gac ’
Counting Down To The Home Opener
If you follow our social media accounts (especially our new Instagram feed), you have probably noticed that we have begun a countdown in advance of the Dash’s home opener Friday, April 12. We are now 86 days away from the first game at BB&T Ballpark in 2013.
We have spun each day in the countdown to something in Winston-Salem baseball history. Occasionally on the blog, we will rehash the recent numbers, and here is our first look back at the countdown.
100 – Instead of a stat, we provided the picture below (and here on Instagram).
99 – After missing the 2011 campaign due to injury, Kyle Bellamy returned to Winston-Salem at the beginning of 2012. Opponents hit just .182 against Bellamy in 99 at bats.
98 – Scott Snodgress dominated the Carolina League after a July promotion from Low-A Kannapolis. He posted a 4-0 record and a 1.50 ERA to go along with a 0.98 WHIP.
97 – Carlos Lee is one of two Winston-Salem alums who is both currently in the big leagues and has made an All-Star Game (Chris Sale is the other). Lee played with the Warthogs in 1997.
96 – In his MVP season of 2011, Ian Gac drove in 96 runs for the Dash.
The Spirits won the CL crown in 1993.
95 – In 1995, the Winston-Salem franchise became the “Warthogs,” a nickname that stuck until the team became the Dash in 2009.
94 – All-Star Brady Shoemaker notched 94 hits in Winston-Salem before his midseason promotion to Double-A Birmingham.
93 – The Winston-Salem Spirits won the Carolina League title in 1993.
92 – From last season’s team, the only player who was born in 1992 was Carlos Sanchez, who proved to be one of the CL’s top prospects.
91 – The Carolina League rolled the Carolina California League 9-1 in the 2012 Midsummer Classic at BB&T Ballpark.
90 – Speaking of scores, the Dash took the deciding Game 3 of the Southern Division Championship Series 9-0 against Myrtle Beach.
89 – Brent Morel, who returned to Winston-Salem for a rehab assignment this season, wore number 8 while with the Dash in 2009.
88 – The CL’s MVP this season, Dash first baseman Dan Black, drove in 88 runs.
87 – Winston-Salem posted the best record in full-season minor league baseball last year (87-51).
86 – Cyle Hankerd mustered 86 hits in just 71 games with the Dash this past season.
Those are 15 of our Dash-themed numbers. Do you have any ideas for numbers 85 to 1? Let us know in the comments or via Twitter. Baseball will be back before you know it!
- Brian
Most Exciting Team In The Land?
Michael Earley adds another honor to his great 2012 season (Steve Orcutt/W-S Dash).
The Dash had an exciting season in 2012, and a handful of players earned recognition for that in a player poll regarding the minors’ most exciting player.
Minor League Baseball polled 382 players, and five men who donned the Dash purple in 2012 earned at least one vote. Michael Earley, Marcus Semien, Scott Snodgress, Kevin Vance and Blair Walters found their way onto this list.
Only 15 players earned more than two votes, with Billy Hamilton receiving more votes than anyone else with 40. Mike Trout finished second with 26, while fellow big leaguer Bryce Harper placed third with 13.
Former Winston-Salem star Ian Gac, who won the Carolina League’s Most Valuable Player award last year, made the list, too. He played with Double-A Mississippi in the Braves’ system this season.
Who was the Dash’s most exciting player in your opinion? There are plenty to choose from, whether he is in this quintet or outside of it.
- Brian
Thompson Heading to Double-A
Trayce Thompson has earned his first promotion to Double-A (Steve Orcutt/W-S Dash).
Outfielder Trayce Thompson entered the season as the top position prospect in the White Sox system according to most outlets. After turning into the Carolina League’s most dangerous run producer, Thompson is now heading to Double-A Birmingham for the first time in his career.
Thompson earned his first promotion to the Southern League, the White Sox announced this morning. He exits the CL in a tie with former Frederick slugger Aaron Baker for the league lead with 22 home runs. Thompson sits alone atop the circuit with 90 RBI, which is the second-most in Dash history (2009-present). Only Ian Gac has driven in more runs in a single season in a Dash uniform (96 in 2011).
At the beginning of June, Thompson owned a .212 batting average. Then, the Ladera Ranch, Calif., native began to figure out High-A pitching. He hit .255 in June (8 HR, 24 RBI) and .283 in July (7 HR, 24 RBI) before posting a .356 mark in 11 August contests.
“He’s coming on strong at the end,” Dash skipper Tommy Thompson said. “He’s putting the ball in play more. He’s cutting down his strikeouts. He’s still hitting with power, but he’s hitting a lot of line drives and hard ground balls.”
“He’s hitting right now better than he has in the White Sox system”
Thompson also shined defensively, owning a team-best 54-game errorless streak which lasted until this past Tuesday. Plus, he stole 18 bases, which is just outside the top 10 in the Carolina League.
“He works very hard,” Tommy said. “At the end of this season, when he looks back…he’s had an exceptional year.”
Looking ahead, Trayce Thompson is gearing up for an introduction to Double-A, where he sits just two steps away from the big leagues. As for his step in Winston-Salem, it was incredibly fun to watch.
- Brian
Thompson’s Homers Earn Praise
Photo courtesy of Steve Orcutt/W-S Dash.
Dash slugger Trayce Thompson has a share of the Carolina League lead with 22 home runs this season, and his power efforts have earned him a spot on a prestigious list.
The Joe Bauman Home Run Award, which began in 2002, is presented every year to the top regular season home run hitter in minor league baseball. In addition to the overall leader, the top home run hitter at each level of the minors will receive an honor.
Last season, Winston-Salem slugger Ian Gac won the Class A honor with 33 home runs, and now Thompson is aiming to become the second Winston whacker to make his way onto the list. Only one other Carolina Leaguer–Kinston’s Matt Whitney in 2007–has taken home the Class A crown.
Thompson is competing with players from 60 total teams in five leagues. Here is the current race:
1. Matthew Skole – 24 (Hagerstown Suns, Washington’s Low-A affiliate)
2. Telvin Nash – 23 (Lancaster JetHawks, Houston’s High-A affiliate)
T-3. Trayce Thompson – 22 (Winston-Salem)
T-3. Aaron Baker – 22 (Frederick Keys, Baltimore’s High-A affiliate)
T-3. Jared Clark – 22 (Modesto Nuts, Colorado’s High-A affiliate)
T-3. Dusty Robinson – 22 (Stockton Ports, Oakland’s High-A affiliate)
T-3. George Springer – 22 (Lancaster JetHawks, Houston’s High-A affiliate)
8. Miguel Sano – 21 (Beloit Snappers, Minnesota’s Low-A affiliate)
T-9. five players tied with 20 home runs
With the way Thompson is swinging the bat, it is very possible the Dash could go back-to-back in Class A this year. We’ll keep you posted.
- Brian
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
