Results tagged ‘ Nate Jones ’

New Attendance Record at BB&T Ballpark

On Wednesday the Dash celebrated the Fourth of July by playing in front of the largest crowd in the history of BB&T Ballpark. 7,285 fans were on hand to watch baseball and the post-game fireworks. There have now been nine crowds of over 7,000 people since BB&T Ballpark opened in April 2010.

1) July 4, 2012: 7,285 fans celebrate the Fourth of July at the ballpark. The Dash fall 8-4 to Myrtle Beach.

2) July 2, 2010: 7,268 people watch the Dash beat Potomac 4-2. Kyle Bellamy earned his fourth save of the season.

3) September 2, 2011: 7,207 fans witness the Dash score four runs in the seventh to walk off with an 8-6 win over Salem.

4) July 3, 2011: 7,143 in attendance as Winston-Salem falls 7-4 to Salem.

5) May 22, 2010: 7,122 see Nate Jones earn his fourth win as the Dash crush Lynchburg 11-4.

6) April 13, 2010: 7,111 fans witness the inaugural game at BB&T Ballpark, Winston-Salem falls 5-4 in 12 innings.

7) August 27, 2010: 7,094 fans watch the Dash win 5-2 over Myrtle Beach, no runs were scored after the fourth inning.

8) September 3, 2010: 7,073 close out the inaugural season at BB&T Ballpark with a 6-4 Dash win over Lynchburg.

9) August 27, 2011: 7,039 people watch Winston fall 3-1 in a pitcher’s duel against Myrtle Beach.

Here is how the largest  crowd in the BB&T Ballpark history looked from the fans themselves:

@harman11: Baseball on the Fourth of July (picture below)

@Hank226: Now is the time!!!! (picture below)

@pauldmulner: Despite the score it’s fun to watch to a game in a nearly-full stadum. Go @WSDashBaseball! (picture below)

Thanks to everyone who came out to BB&T Ballpark and spent your Fourth of July with the Dash. If you missed any of the excitement there will be post-game fireworks on Thursday and Friday night this week as well. As the second half kicks into gear we will see if the fans continue to push the attendance record to new heights at BB&T Ballpark.

-Mike

Dashing Around Baseball – May 9

Dan Black is batting .322 with 7 home runs and 22 RBI (Ray Marsden/W-S Dash)

Before we take our weekly look around the Carolina League and the White Sox system, there is one important note about Dan Black. The first baseman was profiled in a story on MiLB and the Carolina League websites about his hot start to the season. Black leads active members of the Carolina League with 7 home runs, is tied for first for the most hits in the league (38), and has played in every game this season for the Dash.

Black and the Dash are scheduled to play their first twin bill of the season Thursday in Frederick. Winston-Salem also has not played an extra-inning game this year, and for all parties involved, it’s best if the status quo remains the same on Thursday.

Why do I bring this up today? Tuesday night the Fort Wayne TinCaps (Low-A, San Diego) and Dayton Dragons (Low-A, Cincinnati) played 16 innings in GAME 1 of a double-header. Game 2 started around 11 p.m. but mercifully ended in seven innings. It also happened to be getaway day for the TinCaps who arrived back in Fort Wayne at 3:30 in the morning…oh, and they have an 11 a.m. game today.

Southern Division Dominance-Nearly halfway through the first-half of the season, the Carolina League divisions have shown distinct shifts in the balance of power in the league. The Southern Division is clearly the better division (and I’m not just saying that because the Dash are leading that division) with three teams above .500 and Myrtle Beach with a 15-15 record. That parity should make for an exciting end to the first half of the season for the Dash.

Meanwhile, only Lynchburg has a winning record in the Northern Division. The Hillcats are a comfortable four games up on the division and are chugging along even after losing Evan Gattis to Double-A Mississippi last week.

Constant Consistency-The Dash’s Marcus Semien is on a 14-game hit streak, the longest in the Carolina League this season. There are two active hit streaks in minor league baseball that are longer. The longest streak in Minor League baseball goes to Paul Hoilman of the Peoria Chiefs. Hoilman’s streak currently sits at 21 after he kept it alive in his final at-bat Tuesday night. Elsewhere, the Texas Rangers highly-touted shortstop prospect Jurickson Profar is on a 19-game run for the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders.

Around the Farm

2011 Dash alum Addison Reed recorded his first two Major League saves this past week for the White Sox (Kevin Hartley/W-S Dash).

  • The White Sox are in the midst of a 15-game stretch against division foes. Chicago has only won 3 games out of the 9 played so far but received big contributions from Dash alums in a 3-2 win over the Tigers on Saturday. 2010 Dash member Nate Jones picked up his first Major League win, and 2011 alum Addison Reed recorded his first Major League save. Jones joked about splitting the game ball in half, but Reed opted to give it to the winning pitcher.
  • In fact, Reed recorded his second save Tuesday, a 5-3 extra-inning affair that saw veteran Dash member Hector Santiago pick up his first Major League win of his career.
  • 2011 Dash alum Jared Mitchell was profiled on the Southern League website after his torrid start to the 2012 season for Birmingham. Mitchell is batting .310 and leads the Southern League with six triples and 24 RBI.
  • Ross Wilson has found his power in Kannapolis. His .613 slugging percentage ranks third best in the South Atlantic League. Wilson is batting .306 with 4 home runs and 16 RBI in 17 games with the Intimidators.

After a rainout last night, the Dash are back in action tonight at 7:00 p.m. against Frederick. Pregame coverage starts at 6:45 p.m. Be sure to tune in Thursday morning as well when the Dash play a double-header against the Keys. First pitch is set for 11:00 a.m.

-Mike

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

160 Days

Let’s rewind to September 28, 2011. It was 160 days ago, and the White Sox’s 2011 season came to an end with a 3-2 loss at home against the Blue Jays.

Since then, the White Sox lost their most recognizable face–manager Ozzie Guillen–to the Miami Marlins. Arguably their most consistent player in the last decade–left-handed starter Mark Buehrle–followed Guillen to South Beach.

This afternoon at 3:05 ET, the Sox begin a new era under first-time skipper Robin Ventura. 160 days after the 2011 season ended, the White Sox are back on the field against their Camelback Ranch buddies, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The White Sox have 59 players in Spring Training at this point, and 19 of them made a stop at some point in Winston-Salem. Here’s a list:

Chris Sale is one of the most notable Dash alums in White Sox camp this year.

PITCHERS:
- Dylan Axelrod (2009 and 2010)
- Anthony Carter (2008 and 2009)
- Gregory Infante (2009 and 2010)
- Nate Jones (2008, 2009, and 2010)
- Charles Leesman (2010)
- Brian Omogrosso (2007)*
- Jake Petricka (2011)*
- Addison Reed (2011)
- Chris Sale (2010)
- Hector Santiago (2009, 2010, and 2011)

CATCHERS:
- Mike Blanke (2011)*
- Josh Phegley (2010)*

INFIELDERS:
- Eduardo Escobar (2010)
- Jim Gallagher (2009)*
- Tyler Kuhn (2009)*
- Brent Morel (2009)

OUTFIELDERS:
- Jordan Danks (2009)*
- Jared Mitchell (2011)*
- Brandon Short (2010)*
* = non-roster invitee

So, what’s the take away from this? Only three of the 19 players on this list played in Winston-Salem as Warthogs. It means that the 40-man roster is largely made up of free agent signings or trade acquisitions.

For example, seven of the nine offensive players above are non-roster invitees. The White Sox’s 40-man roster is loaded with offensive pieces that were developed, to some extent, outside the organization.

However, this is an exciting time for the prospects in White Sox camp. With the change in scenery, this could be a new era, and any production from the organization’s youth will be a huge bonus. The Dash have provided a solid chunk of that youth in the Chicago’s system.

Over the next few days, we will take a look at these 19 players and what their expectations are during camp. Let us know in the comments which former Winston-Salem players you think will make the 25-man roster when the big league club heads to Arlington for Opening Day against the Rangers April 6. It’s 32 days away!

- Brian

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