Results tagged ‘ Matt Barnes ’
Three Winston-Salem Stars Honored
Erik Johnson became the Dash’s ace after his promotion in July (Jody Stewart/W-S Dash).
Baseball America released its Top 20 Prospects ranking for the Carolina League, and three men who donned the Dash purple this season made the list.
Infielder Carlos Sanchez placed sixth, which was the highest ranking for a Winston-Salem player. Righty Erik Johnson is 11th on the list, while outfielder Trayce Thompson checks in at 18th.
The 20-year-old Sanchez led all Carolina League qualifiers with a .315 batting average. In 92 games with the Dash, Sanchez scored 58 times and drove in another 42 runs. A member of the World Team in the 2012 MLB Futures Game, Sanchez earned promotions to Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte before the season ended.
Johnson joined the Dash July 21 and went 4-3 with a 2.74 earned run average in eight starts. He was the club’s Game 1 starter in their playoff run last month. Before his stint in Winston-Salem, the former California Golden Bear boasted a 2.30 ERA in nine efforts with Low-A Kannapolis.
Finally, Thompson slugged his way to a spot on this prestigious list. The former second-round pick finished tied for the league lead with 22 home runs, and he paced the circuit with 90 RBI. Like Sanchez, Thompson also made a stop in Double-A Birmingham before finishing the season with Triple-A Charlotte during its playoff run in the International League.
Only Salem and Myrtle Beach (four apiece) had more players on this list. Frederick’s Dylan Bundy finished atop the rankings, followed by a Salem triumvirate of Xander Bogaerts, Matt Barnes and Jackie Bradley, Jr. Myrtle’s Cody Buckel finished in fifth.
Interestingly enough, the only player on this list who never appeared in a game at BB&T Ballpark was Potomac’s Nathan Karns, who finished 15th overall.
Congrats to Carlos, Erik and Trayce!
- Brian
One All-Star Ballot
Dan Black could finish the season atop the CL in many categories (Steve Orcutt/W-S Dash).
PLEASE NOTE: These selections do NOT represent the award winners in the Carolina League. This is merely my opinion on the end-of-season awards.
The Carolina League’s end-of-season All-Star Team should be announced sometime this week, and it is a vote involving media members, general managers and skippers. Here are my best guesses, along with a few others who deserve mention (in alphabetical order).
CATCHER: Braeden Schlehuber (Lynchburg)
The All-Star reserve earns this spot, but it was one of the toughest ones to pick. Winston-Salem’s Mike Blanke made a late surge and certainly could get this spot.
Close calls: Mike Blanke (Winston-Salem), David Freitas (Potomac), Evan Gattis (Lynchburg)
FIRST BASE: Dan Black (Winston-Salem)
He won’t win the triple crown in the CL, but he will come closer than anyone else. The Big Black Bear has been one of the circuit’s most consistent hitters all season long.
Close calls: Chris Garcia (Lynchburg), Travis Shaw (Salem)
Carlos Sanchez finally gets his All-Star selection (Dan Barber/W-S Dash).
SECOND BASE: Carlos Sanchez (Winston-Salem)
It was embarrassing that Sanchez did not make the All-Star team, but this should be a nice consolation. That, and being in Triple-A Charlotte now.
Close call: Tommy La Stella (Lynchburg)
SHORTSTOP: Xander Bogaerts (Salem)
Boston’s second-best prospect is now a Portland SeaDog, but he was a force offensively in the Carolina League.
Close calls: Nick Ahmed (Lynchburg), Marcus Semien (Winston-Salem)
THIRD BASE: Michael Almanzar (Salem)
Almanzar needed a second season in High-A ball, but he improved greatly from year one.
Close calls: Giovanni Urshela (Carolina), Christian Villanueva (Myrtle Beach)
OUTFIELDERS: Jackie Bradley, Jr. (Salem), Brady Shoemaker (Winston-Salem) and Trayce Thompson (Winston-Salem)
Bradley, Jr., and Shoemaker were the CL’s two best players in the first half, and Thompson boasted the most gaudy numbers on the circuit.
Close calls: Michael Earley (Winston-Salem), Jeremy Nowak (Frederick)
UTILITY INFIELDER: Travis Shaw (Salem)
It was tough to pick among many great players for this final spot, but Shaw was a key cog in Salem’s huge first half.
Close calls: Jesus Aguilar (Carolina), Ronny Rodriguez (Carolina), Semien
Michael Earley has had a huge first season in full-season ball (Steve Orcutt/W-S Dash).
UTILITY OUTFIELDER: Michael Earley (Winston-Salem)
Earley had a career year, and he definitely belongs somewhere on this list. He fits in well here.
Close calls: Kevin Keyes (Potomac), Nowak
DESIGNATED HITTER: Aaron Baker (Frederick)
With all of the great first basemen in the CL, Baker had to fight to get on this roster despite his big power numbers.
Close call: Jeremie Tice (Carolina)
STARTING PITCHER: Cody Buckel (Myrtle Beach)
Buckel’s 1.31 ERA in 13 starts was ridiculous, and he still places 14th in the CL in strikeouts despite playing in Double-A Frisco for much of the second half.
Close calls: Matt Barnes (Salem), Dylan Bundy (Frederick), J.R. Graham (Lynchburg), Gus Schlosser (Lynchburg)
RELIEF PITCHER: Ben Rowen (Myrtle Beach)
This was one of the tougher selections, but Rowen has been electric as a submarine specialist.
Close calls: Juan Jaime (Lynchburg), Mike Olmsted (Salem), Taylor Thompson (Winston-Salem)
Brady Shoemaker’s first half was enough to earn my MVP vote (Jody Stewart/W-S Dash).
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Brady Shoemaker (Winston-Salem)
Shoemaker carried the Dash past a loaded Salem squad in the first half. If he had been in the CL throughout the season, the Indiana State product could have posted some ridiculous numbers.
PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Cody Buckel (Myrtle Beach)
The numbers were just too good.
MANAGER OF THE YEAR: Tommy Thompson (Winston-Salem)
This isn’t even a conversation. If he isn’t the unanimous choice, voters don’t know what they are doing. Thompson has taken the Dash to the brink of minor league baseball’s best record despite significant turnover.
Agree? Disagree? Let me know.
But you have to like the fact that Winston-Salem paces the All-Star team with five representatives, plus the MVP and Manager of the Year.
- Brian
Sanchez Has Quite A Future
Dash infielder Carlos Sanchez received a prestigious distinction Thursday afternoon when he was selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game July 8 in Kansas City, where the MLB All-Star Game will be held two days later.
Carlos Sanchez will represent the Dash in the All-Star Futures Game July 8 in Kansas City (Steve Orcutt/W-S Dash).
The Futures Game is a showcase of the top prospects across all levels of minor league baseball. Sanchez is one of eight infielders on the World team roster and will face the U.S. squad Sunday, July 8 in Kauffman Stadium.
The 19-year-0ld Venezuela native is in the midst of a breakout season for the Dash in his fourth year of professional baseball. Sanchez leads the league with 85 hits and has a .327 batting average through 66 games. In addition, he has 32 RBI, a home run, and has scored 41 runs this season.
Sanchez is the first Dash player to be selected to the Futures Game while on the active roster. Former 2009 Dash pitcher Daniel Hudson was selected to the 2010 Futures Game.
The Futures Games is a place to watch the top prospects in all of minor league baseball, and selection to the game is often indicative of future success in the major leagues. This will be the 14th edition of the Futures Game. The previous 13 years have yielded 88 players that went on to play in the MLB All-Star Game.
Sanchez will compete alongside fellow Carolina League players Xander Boagerts (Salem), Jesus Aguilar (Carolina), and Yordano Ventura (Wilmington) on the World team roster. The U.S. team roster has two pitchers from the Carolina League in Matt Barnes (Salem) and Dylan Bundy (Frederick).
On July 8 the future stars of Major League Baseball will take the field when 25 of the best prospects from the United States face off against 25 of the best international players in the minor leagues. It is a high honor bestowed upon the Dash’s young infielder. This season Sanchez has proved himself to be among the best in the Carolina League. Now he will look to see where he stacks up against the best in baseball.
-Mike
Heidenreich Named Starting Pitcher for All-Star Game
Dash pitcher Matt Heidenreich will be the starting pitcher for the Carolina League All-Stars Tuesday night. Winston-Salem manager and skipper for the Carolina League All-Stars Tommy Thompson made the decision Monday.
Heidenreich will take the mound representing the Dash in their own stadium as BB&T Ballpark hosts the California-Carolina League All-Star Game for the first time. Each of the three Dash All-Stars will start for the Carolina League as outfielders Brady Shoemaker and Michael Earley man left field and right field, respectively.
Matt Heidenreich starts for the Carolina League All-Stars on Tuesday (Steve Orcutt/W-S Dash).
This is the first All-Star Game appearance for Heidenreich in his fourth year of professional baseball. The fourth-round pick in 2009 has adopted the mantra of being a workhorse and prides himself on eating up innings. Last season in Low-A Kannapolis, Heidenreich led the team with 10 wins and compiled 154.1 innings of work. At the halfway point of this year, the Dash starter is in the top five of the league in innings pitched with 77.1 to go along with his 6-2 record and 4.19 ERA.
The Carolina League is known for pitching, and recent All-Star starters have displayed the talent in this league. Last year, Myrtle Beach’s Joe Wieland took the ball for the Carolina League All-Stars. This season, he made five starts with the San Diego Padres before being placed on the disabled list in early May.
Heidenreich proved to be one of Winston-Salem’s most effective pitchers in helping the Dash clinch the first-half Southern Division championship. He had four outings of seven innings or more during his 13 starts. Heidenreich’s biggest performance to date occurred May 24 in Salem when he threw seven innings of shut out ball and struck out a season-high eight batters to out duel Boston’s top pick in 2011 Matt Barnes in Salem. The Dash pulled out a crucial 1-0 win that night to avoid being swept in the series.
The ability to thrive in big moments is what separates stars from their contemporaries. Heidenreich’s desire to perform in the spotlight will be put to the test Tuesday. When the best and brightest of High-A baseball take the field tomorrow night at BB&T Ballpark, Matt Heidenreich will be on the mound staring them down.
-Mike
Inside the Dash All-Stars
The Carolina League All-Star ballot was released today, and three Dash players were selected to the team. Outfielders Brady Shoemaker and Michael Earley will start in their familiar positions in left and right field at BB&T Ballpark on June 19. Dash starter Matt Heidenreich was also named as one of the 10 pitchers. Here is a closer look at the All-Star caliber numbers for Winston’s selections. First the offensive numbers:
Batting Average: Both Earley and Shoemaker are hitting over .310 on the season and rank among the top ten in the league in average.
Earley- .314 BA (59 games, 210 AB’s)
Shoemaker- .330 BA (60 games, 224 AB’s)
Brady Shoemaker is second in the league with 10 home runs (Steve Orcutt/W-S Dash).
-After a slow start to the season for Earley, he exploded for his best stretch in the midst of the Dash’s nine-game win streak at the end of April.
-Shoemaker is the model of consistency at the plate. It took 45 games into the season before he went back-to-back games without recording a hit. Shoemaker is third in the league with 74 hits. Earley has 66.
Home Runs: The numberof home runs a player hits is always looked at with great interest from fans. Both are doing quite well in the long ball category.
Earley- 8 HR, 1 Grand Slam
Shoemaker- 10 HR, 2 multi-HR games
-From April 26-30 Earley hit four home runs in five games, only missing on April 28. Then, on May 10 in a game two of a doubleheader against Frederick, he crushed a grand slam.
-Shoemaker’s 10 home runs sit one back of the league lead. He turned in multi-home run games on April 19 at home against Wilmington and on April 30 at Potomac.
Runs Batted In: The two Dash All-Stars rank among the top five in the league in this category as well.
Earley- 35 RBI
Shoemaker – 40 RBI
-Earley is in the top 10 in the Carolina League for RBI while Shoemaker is fourth in the league and second on the team. Earley had 5 straight multi-RBI games from April 26-April 30 and has driven in at least three runs four times this year. Shoemaker’s best run producing stretch came in the six games from April 30-May 5 when he compiled 10 RBI.
Matt Heidenreich has compiled a 5-2 record in 12 starts this season (Steve Orcutt/W-S Dash).
-In addition, Shoemaker has driven in two game-winning runs in the past three weeks. On May 18 he broke a 1-1 tie in the eighth against Lynchburg with a single into right field to score the go-ahead run. Shoemaker kicked off the first day of June by drawing a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch in the eighth inning against Carolina to give the Dash an 8-7 win.
The numbers for the two Dash All-Stars on offense are a big reason why Winston-Salem has the most productive offense in the Carolina League. The pitching has also been solid, and Matt Heidenreich will represent the staff. A quick glance at his numbers might cause the casual observer to inquire about the worthiness of his selection but for those that have watched him all season long it is obvious Heidenreich is All-Star worthy.
Longevity: Heidenreich is a workhorse who likes to go deep into games, and his early season output reflected that mentality. In his second start of the season, he delivered a complete game performance against Myrtle Beach, striking out six and allowing two runs but ultimately getting the loss. However, that loss was the only one Heidenreich would suffer until June 3. In his next seven outings, he averaged more than six innings and five strikeouts per start.
Consistency: In his three starts from May 12-24, Heidenreich put together his best stretch of the season. He went eight scoreless innings on May 17 and delivered seven innings to bookend that outing. On May 12, Heidenreich carried a perfect game into the fifth inning against Lynchburg before plunking the leadoff batter. The momentum carried to May 17 where Myrtle Beach was no-hit until the sixth inning. And on May 24 Heidenreich delivered his magnum opus, firing seven scoreless and striking out a season-high eight batters to out duel Matt Barnes, Boston’s top pick in 2011 and help the Dash avoid a sweep at the hands of Salem.
We now know who will be playing in the All-Star Game on June 19. The one question remains; will they be representing the Dash as first-half Southern Division champions? With seven games left in the first-half, Winston-Salem could certainly use more big moments from its All-Stars.
-Mike
Dashing Around Baseball – May 15
We are at the halfway point of the first half of the Carolina League season. Rain has disrupted the schedule to the point where teams have played anywhere from 33 to 36 games. With the Dash set to play games 35 and 36 on the schedule tonight, this edition of Dashing Around Baseball will primarily be a first-half report card, with my predictions for the first-half season champions thrown in. Of course, a look around the White Sox system is in here as well.
NORTHERN DIVISION
The Northern Division has shaken out into a distinct hierarchy. Lynchburg has a 6.5 game lead over second place in the division with the three other teams sitting below .500. Here’s how it looks for each team at the midway point.
Lynchburg- The Hillcats have a potent offense and sit behind only the Dash in runs scored, hits, home runs and RBI in the Carolina League. First baseman Nick Garcia is hitting .359 on the season with 23 RBI and three home runs. He made his mark on Winston-Salem pitching when the teams met last weekend, batting .455 with a home run and four RBI in the series.
Wilmington- The Blue Rocks have a 15-21 record, and that is good enough for second place in the division. Wilmington has the pieces to put together a run in the second half, but the team’s talent lies in its youth. If starting pitcher Yordano Ventura can replicate triple-digit radar gun outings and the offense starts hitting, the Blue Rocks will mount a run.
Potomac- The Nationals have been dealt a brutal hand with the injuries to its core players. Prodigious infielder Anthony Rendon has been out since injuring his ankle in the second game of the season. There appears to be a discrepancy between Rendon and the Nationals organization but one definite is that he will not be back for the rest of the first half of the season. Potomac certainly would have been a division favorite with Rendon in the fold.
Frederick- The Keys are seventh in the league in team batting and pitching (Potomac is last in both). To make up an 8.5 game deficit in 35 games is certainly doable, but Frederick has only had one stretch where it has won more than two games in a row all season, and that occurred during the first week of the season.
PREDICTION: Wilmington puts it together and challenges Lynchburg, but the Hillcats offense and favorable schedule (9 games against Frederick in the first two weeks of June) carries them to the first-half division title.
SOUTHERN DIVISION
The Dash are the class of this division so far, but an extremely competitive division has kept all four teams in contention of winning the crown at the halfway point. Here’s a look at Winston-Salem’s challengers.
Barnes has compiled a 1-0 record, with a 1.50 ERA and 20 strikeouts in two starts for Salem. (SoxProspects.com)
Salem-The Red Sox (1.5 games back of the Dash) offense has explosive capability led by Jackie Bradley Jr., who leads the Carolina League in batting average and on-base percentage. Salem’s Travis Shaw is second in the league with a .366 average. Matt Barnes, Boston’s top pick in 2011 made his High-A debut against the Dash on May 5. It went pretty well. How long Barnes stays with Salem is unknown, but he has the potential to grab a win every time he makes a start. The Red Sox and Dash play seven more games before the first half of the season comes to an end, with all of these games taking place in Salem.
Carolina- Even after losing Clayton Cook to the DL and T.J House to Double-A Akron, the Mudcats pitching staff contends with Myrtle Beach as the best pitching staff in the league. Carolina is 2.5 games out of the division lead, but starters Francisco Jimenez and Mike Rayl are in the top five of the league for lowest ERA. Closer Jose Flores has six saves to lead all active pitchers.
Myrtle Beach-The Pelicans can pitch, but they can’t hit. Cody Buckel has the lowest ERA and most strikeouts in the league. He anchors a Myrtle Beach rotation that has a team ERA of 3.o4, also the best mark in the league. With four games against the Dash this week, we’ll find out if the Pelicans are built to contend for the division.
PREDICTION: The division stays close until the end, when the Dash hang on for the crown due to seven games against Potomac and Wilmington to end the first-half of the season. Carolina and Salem each finish within two games of the title.
AROUND THE FARM
Tyler Saladino is hitting .258 with 15 RBI and a home run in his first season with Double-A Birmingham (Steve Orcutt/W-S Dash).
- Adam Dunn might be on his way to AL Comeback Player of the Year. It’s still early in the season, but Dunn already has hit 12 home runs, one more than he hit all of last season. 2010 Dash alum Addison Reed picked up his third save of the season in the 7-5 win.
- The Knights had a marathon evening last Wednesday night. Charlotte had two walk-off wins in a double-header, including a game one contest that went 14 innings.
- 2011 Dash alums Tyler Saladino and Jared Mitchell have led Birmingham to a 21-18 record, two games back of division-leading Jackson. Mitchell leads the Southern League in triples, while Saladino is batting .258 with 15 RBI and a league-leading 28 runs scored.
- Kannapolis has struggled this season, falling 10.5 games back of first-place Greensboro. White Sox 2011 top draft pick Keenyn Walker hit his first career home run Saturday night in a 2-1 win.
A bit of a lengthy recap, but thanks for Dashing Around Baseball today. The Dash play two tonight, starting at 6 against Myrtle Beach. Join us for the Pregame Dash starting at 5:45.
-Mike
Dashing Around Baseball-May 1
The baseball season is officially a month old next week, but the changing of the calendar serves as a good marker to take stock of a team’s progression through the season. In edition to highlighting the significant news in the Carolina League and White Sox system, this edition of Dashing Around Baseball will analyze the seven other Carolina League teams and offer a quick prediction for how they will fare this month.
Call-up Season-Minor league teams evolve throughout the season with the inevitable rise and fall of players through their organizations. We have hit the point where early season performers are being rewarded with promotions.
Gattis hit nine home runs and 29 RBI in 21 games with Lynchburg (Jason Getz/Atlanta Journal Constitution)
Lynchburg’s Evan Gattis was leading the Carolina League in batting average, home runs, RBI, hits and extra base hits before being called up to Double-A Mississippi Monday.
Gattis also had a slugging percentage of .821, (anything in the .600 range is considered elite). We had already started engraving his name in the Home Run Derby Trophy for the California-Carolina League All-Star Game, alas he likely will not be in Winston-Salem come June 19th.
Myrtle Beach lost reliever Chad Bell to Double-A Frisco after the left-hander compiled a 1-0 record and 1.59 ERA in four appearances with the Pelicans. Bell struck out 12 batters in 11.1 innings.
The Mudcats also lost one of their best arms when southpaw T.J. House was bumped up to Double-A Akron. House went 2-0 with a 1.44 ERA in four starts with Carolina, striking out 26 batters in 25 innings. He is scheduled to debut tonight (Tuesday) for the Aeros.
May Musings-As the month progresses, Brian and I will delve more into first-half division championship contenders and give input on players who will be critical to their team’s chances. For now, here is a quick breakdown of each team:
- Carolina-At the start of the year, the Mudcats had one of the best pitching staffs in the league with Clayton Cook, Mike Rayl and House. Now, Cook is on the DL and House is in Double-A. Center fielder Tyler Holt is hitting .347 and has a league-leading three triples to anchor the Carolina offense.
- Frederick-The defending Mills Cup champions have struggled to emerge from the departure of a core of stars to Double-A. Salvation could arrive in the form of top prospect Dylan Bundy, who has pitched to near perfection at the Low-A level.
- Lynchburg-The Hillcats are tied with the Dash for the fewest losses in the league thanks to a five-game win streak to open the season. Lynchburg has a gaping hole in production with the departure of Gattis, but the middle infield combo of Nick Ahmed and Tommy LaStella have the bats to keep the offense afloat.
- Myrtle Beach-Arguably, the Pelicans have the best rotation in the Carolina League. The Pelicans 3.14 ERA is the lowest in the league. Cody Buckel, following in the form of best friend Trevor Bauer, has compiled a 2-1 record and 1.65 ERA in five starts. The Pelicans offense has talent, but is extremely young and has struggled so far at the plate.
- Potomac-The Nationals are struggling but injuries have stripped this team of its best players. Anthony Rendon was the best player in the league before suffering an ankle injury, while highly touted pitchers Matt Purke and Robbie Ray are rehabbing prior injuries in extended spring training. When healthy, Potomac could be dangerous.
- Salem-The rotation received a huge boost with the recent arrival of Matt Barnes. The Red Sox top pick in 2011 posted a 0.34 ERA in five starts with Low-A Greenville. Barnes also has laser-like control with 42 strikeouts to just four walks in 26.2 innings.
- Wilmington-The Blue Rocks were inept at the plate for most of the month with one of the lowest slugging percentages in all of Minor League Baseball. But Wilmington put together a four-game win streak to climb into second in the Northern Division. The lineup has the ability to break out of its slow start.
Around the Farm
2011 Dash alum Jared Mitchell is batting .341 for the Barons this season (Steve Orcutt/W-S Dash)
- MLB’s White Sox beat writer Scott Merkin provides a comprehensive recap of the first month of the season for the White Sox. Jake Peavy’s dominance has led a reliable Chicago rotation. Peavy turned in back-to-back complete games in his last two outings and is holding batters to a .162 average.
- The Knights have made the biggest news off the field as the proposed stadium in uptown Charlotte is becoming a near reality. The Knights recently announced a founding partner and naming rights deal for the ballpark.
- Jared Mitchell is in the midst of a breakout season for Double-A Birmingham. The former White Sox top draft pick has a league-leading 20 RBI in 24 games. He also leads the league with a .471 on-base percentage and five triples.
- Kannapolis recently lost seven-straight games and has fallen six games back of first in its division. One bright spot is Ross Wilson. The infielder is batting .341 with four home runs and and 13 RBI’s in 11 games with the Intimidators. Wilson also had a career night on Friday, hitting three home runs and driving in eight of the nine Intimidator runs in a 9-5 win.
Thanks for taking the time to Dash Around the Baseball. Keep checking the blog for updates on the Dash’s eight-game win streak. Tune into the Pregame Dash at 6:50 tonight to see if the Dash can continue their streak.
-Mike
