Results tagged ‘ Ross Wilson ’
Sandoval’s Big Day In MiLB Terms
(Photo by David J. Phillip/AP via New York Daily News)
Pablo Sandoval became the fourth player to hit three home runs in a World Series game last night. Only 12 big leaguers accomplished this feat during the 2012 regular season.
How about minor league baseball? There were 20, and here are some interesting stats on it.
- Three full-season leagues (Southern League, Carolina League and Midwest League) did not have a three-homer game this season.
- Only one player hit three long balls in a game for a short-season team. Robert Maddox III (a proud Ohio University alum like me) slugged three home runs on the Fourth of July for the Billings Mustangs against Helena.
- Sandoval singled in his other” at-bat last night, while the minor leagues’ crop of three-homer kids posted just a .172 average (5-for-29) in their other at-bats during these special games.
- The hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League and California League each boasted six instances of three homers to pace all circuits.
- High Desert’s Steve Proscia was the only player in the minors to boast two games of three home runs (April 19 and July 14).
- A pair of White Sox farmhands accomplished the feat: Ross Wilson, who finished the season in Winston-Salem, hit three homers for Low-A Kannapolis April 27, and Triple-A Charlotte’s Conor Jackson followed suit with three bombs June 21.
- Below is a chronological list of the 20 occurrences in the minors this season.
April 18 – Stockton’s A.J. Kirby-Jones v. Lake Elsinore
April 19 – High Desert’s Steven Proscia v. Island Empire
April 22 – Sacramento’s Chris Carter v. Reno
April 24 – Toledo’s Brad Eldred v. Columbus
April 27 – Kannapolis’ Ross Wilson v. Augusta
May 11 – Lancaster’s George Springer v. Lake Elsinore
May 12 – Erie’s Tony Plagman v. Altoona
May 19 – Buffalo’s Vinny Rottino v. Indianapolis
June 1 – Las Vegas’ Moises Sierra v. Tucson
June 3 – Oklahoma City’s Mike Hessman v. Iowa
June 10 – Jupiter’s Marcell Ozuna v. Bradenton
June 21 – Charlotte’s Conor Jackson v. Columbus
June 22 – Frisco’s Chris McGuiness v. Corpus Christi
June 25 – Stockton’s Josh Whitaker v. San Jose
June 29 – Salt Lake City’s Cory Aldridge v. Las Vegas
July 1 – Rancho Cucamonga’s Joc Pederson v. High Desert
July 4 – Billings’ Robert Maddox III v. Helena
July 14 – High Desert’s Steven Proscia v. Stockton
August 16 – Midland’s Conner Crumbliss v. Northwest Arkansas
August 18 – Las Vegas’ Ricardo Nanita v. Sacramento
It is an exclusive club in the World Series and in the minor leagues. Congrats to Pablo Sandoval and to this group of minor league players!
- Brian
Game 1 Roster Finalized
The White Sox announced two more moves affecting the Dash in advance of the postseason opener tonight at 7 inside BB&T Ballpark.
Right-hander James Hudelson was demoted to Low-A Kannapolis, so his season comes to an end after a pair of relief appearances for the Dash. Also, utility man Ross Wilson was activated off the disabled list after spending a week and a half on the shelf due to a right hand injury. Wilson hit .190 with six RBI in 25 games with the Dash this season.
As a result, Winston-Salem heads into the Southern Division Championship Series with 12 pitchers, two catchers and 11 position players. Four of those position players only play in the infield, while three of them are exclusively outfielders.
The Dash have the luxury of possessing four players–Cyle Hankerd, Juan Silverio, Daniel Wagner and Wilson–who can play in either the infield or the outfield in some capacity.
Winston-Salem opens up the SDCS against Myrtle Beach tonight. Join us at 6:40 for the Pre-Game Dash here.
- Brian
DL Switch, Meaningful Game Tonight?
The Dash are off tonight, but the roster did change a bit in advance of the season’s final week. Outfielder Ross Wilson was placed on the disabled list with a right hand injury, while Kyle Shelton is back from a DL stint due to a left hamstring strain.
Wilson had played four games since rejoining the Dash following a four-week trip to the disabled list due to an abdominal injury. Overall with Winston-Salem, Wilson is hitting .190 with six RBI and 11 runs scored in 25 games.
Shelton is back in Winston-Salem after posting a .364 mark in six games with Winston earlier this season. He has been on the disabled list since mid-July. Shelton has also played in eight games with Triple-A Charlotte, going 4-for-20 (.200) with a homer and two RBI.
Also, Winston-Salem may be off today, but the club could still lower its magic number to four. Second-place Myrtle Beach opens up a four-game series in Wilmington tonight at 7:05. The Dash own a three-game lead with seven to play in the chase for a second-half Southern Division title.
Enjoy the night off. I’ll talk to you Tuesday.
- Brian
A Short Stay
(Saul McSween/W-S Dash)
Imagine someone saying that you cannot do something you love for an entire year? After dislocated his left shoulder in the outfield during a spring training game earlier this year, this is what Brandon Short heard from the White Sox.
However, Short worked his tail off in order to return to action this season. After completing the final stages of his rehab in Winston-Salem, Short learned that he would be activated earlier this month.
Today, Short received even more good news to override a frustrating start to 2012: he was heading back to Double-A Birmingham.
Short played in 10 games with Winston-Salem and hit .297 (11-for-37) with seven RBI and four runs scored. The former 28th-round pick hit safely in seven straight games from August 10-17.
He now returns to the Southern League where he was an All-Star in 2011. Short hit .262 with 13 homers and 60 RBI in 130 games with the Barons a year ago.
With Short’s promotion to Double-A, the outfield picture opens up a little bit. Winston still has five players on the roster–Nick Ciolli, Michael Earley, Cyle Hankerd, Keenyn Walker and Ross Wilson–who can play in the outfield.
The Dash and Lynchburg Hillcats continue their four-game series tonight at 7:05 from Calvin Falwell Field. Pre-game coverage begins at 6:50 here. Talk to you then.
- Brian
Disabled List Dance to 100
Nick Ciolli missed two-and-a-half months with a right wrist injury (Steve Orcutt/W-S Dash).
The White Sox announced three more roster moves today, bringing the Dash’s 2012 total to 102 transactions. Today, the Dash welcome back outfielders Nick Ciolli and Ross Wilson from long stints on the disabled list. Winston-Salem also placed catcher Jeremy Dowdy on the seven-day disabled list.
Ciolli suffered a right wrist injury after hitting a home run June 1 against Carolina, his final game before heading to the disabled list. Before the injury, Ciolli was hitting .269 with four homers and 25 RBI in 43 games. After struggling in April with a .212 mark, Ciolli hit .309 in 25 games after May 1.
Wilson was also finding his stride before hitting the DL with an abdominal injury July 19. During his final four games before the four-week stint on the bench, Wilson went 6-for-15 (.400). In his 21 contests with the Dash, Wilson is hitting .212 with nine runs and five RBI. The former 10th-round pick also played with Low-A Kannapolis for 65 games and hit .279 with seven homers and 33 RBI.
Dowdy heads to the disabled list for the first time in his minor league career. The Raleigh native and former Appalachian State star is hitting .222 (6-for-27) with four runs scored and a pair of RBI. Before joining the Dash July 3, Dowdy was 7-for-17 (.412) in five games with rookie-level Bristol.
The Dash now have a league-maximum 25 players on their active roster. Winston-Salem, a winner in 19 of its last 23 games, faces off with Frederick tonight at 7:00. Pre-game coverage begins at 6:45 here.
- Brian
Collop Takes No-Hitter Into Sixth Inning
Photo courtesy of Steve Orcutt/W-S Dash.
Winston-Salem starter Justin Collop took a no-hitter into the sixth inning during his start Friday at Myrtle Beach. Teodoro Martinez’s double down the left field line ended the run with two away and the bases clean in the home half of the sixth.
It was the longest no-hit bid of the season by a Dash pitcher. Two other pitchers have taken a no-hitter into the sixth inning, with both of those instances also coming against Myrtle. Matt Heidenreich tossed five and a third innings of no-hit baseball May 17, while Spencer Arroyo’s bid ended against the leadoff hitter in the sixth inning against the Pelicans in a double dip opener May 15.
Collop entered the outing 6-2 with a 4.39 earned run average in 20 appearances, seven of which were starts. He had only tossed one inning against the Pelicans this season, recording a scoreless inning of relief May 16 at BB&T Ballpark.
Winston’s defense robbed Myrtle Beach multiple times before the no-no bid came to an end. Carlos Sanchez threw out Brett Nicholas from the outfield grass for a 4-3 putout to end the first. Ross Wilson’s leaping catch at the left field wall robbed Tomas Telis of extra bases in the second. In the third, David Herbek’s stabbed a hot shot bouncer near the third base bag and threw out Santiago Chirino at first base. Finally, Michael Earley made a galloping catch to once again cost Telis a hit in the fifth.
When the no-hitter ended, the Dash had a 5-0 lead over Myrtle Beach. Catch the end of the play-by-play call here.
- Brian
Dash All-Star Promotion
A new month brings another promotion. This call up will be a tough one to stomach though for Dash fans. Carolina League All-Star Brady Shoemaker moves up to Double-A Birmingham for the first time in his career. It is an inevitable part of minor league baseball when a player does well at a lower level he moves up through the system. It is great to see Shoemaker get rewarded for a spectacular season, but the Dash will have to find a way to replicate the solid offense he brought to the team.
In a corresponding roster move Ross Wilson was recalled from Kannapolis. Wilson started the season with the Dash and played eight games in the infield, hitting just .167 before being sent down. However, in Kannapolis he prospered while developing into a multi-faceted infield and outfield player.
Wilson also found his power in Kannapolis. In his eighth game with the Intimidators Wilson drove in a career-high eight runs and slugged three home runs. He played in 64 games, finishing with a .277 average, seven HR and 33 RBI.
Brady Shoemaker leaves Winston-Salem after playing in 78 games with the Dash, compiling a .331 batting average, 13 HR and 59 RBI. He departs the Carolina League as the league leader in batting average, RBI, runs (61) and total bases (156). Shoemaker was also in the top five in a number of offensive categories, including home runs, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, and extra-base hits.
Brady Shoemaker moves up to Double-A for the first time after hitting .331with 13 HR and 59 RBI for the Dash (Steve Orcutt/W-S Dash).
Shoemaker was named to an All-Star team for the second straight season after being named to the South Atlantic All-Star team in 2011. This year, Shoemaker represented the hometown Dash in the All-Star Game at BB&T Ballpark and won the Home Run Derby, beating former Winston-Salem Warthog C.J. Retherford in the final round.
The Dash will miss and possibly struggle to replace the offensive output Shoemaker contributed to the team, but what will be impossible to duplicate is his presence in the clubhouse. Shoemaker was well-respected by everyone on the team and essentially a de facto leader on the field. Shoemaker played in left field for 68 of his 78 games with the Dash. That stability and consistent production can be hard to find in the minors.
Shoemaker joins fellow position players Daniel Wagner and Jake Oester in Birmingham. Kyle Bellamy, Andre Rienzo, Spencer Arroyo, Nick McCully and Jon Bachanov comprise the Dash pitching that was promoted to the Double-A level during June.
A new month kicks off with more changes, and the Dash will move forward with a new look in left field.
-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-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
Winston’s QB gone, Rienzo rocks
It’s great to be back at BB&T Ballpark for another homestand, and this one is the longest of the season. The Dash play eight straight here in Winston-Salem, with the first four coming against the Wilmington Blue Rocks tonight through Sunday.
Here are a few notes in advance of tonight’s series opener:
- Ross Wilson, who played in eight games with the Dash this season, has been sent to Low-A Kannapolis. Wilson hit .167 (4-for-24) with a pair of RBI. He was Winston-Salem’s quarterback because of his role in the MTV reality show “Two-A-Days,” which documented his high school team’s journey to a state championship in Alabama. Wilson was the starting quarterback for that squad.
- Wilson had to put up with some playful hazing with regards to his football fame. En route to Myrtle Beach, the team watched the show’s first season and cheered almost every time he threw a touchdown (on the flip side, they also booed when he threw an interception). Also, Myrtle Beach’s technical crew put a headshot of Wilson from his Hoover High School days on the video board at TicketReturn.com field. He was a great sport about it. Hopefully, we see Wilson back up in Winston-Salem soon.
- Wilson’s return to Kannapolis means that Kyle Eveland is back with Winston-Salem. Eveland played in six games with the Dash last season and went 1-for-11. He spent most of his season with the Intimidators, where he hit .228 in 63 games. Thus far in 2012, the Palmdale, Calif., native is 1-for-8 in just two games.
- Right-handed reliever Taylor Thompson also joins the club, taking the spot of now-released righty Phil Negus. Thompson began this season on the disabled list, but he shined with the Dash in 2011. He went 7-2 with a 2.52 earned run average in 41 appearances. The Montgomery, Ala., native paced all Winston-Salem hurlers in saves (15) and games finished (37). With the addition of Taylor, it is pretty safe to say the Dash lead minor league baseball in “Thompson’s” who have a first name that starts with “T” (Trayce and Tommy, too).
Dash starter Andre Rienzo leads the Carolina League with 23 strikeouts (Steve Orcutt/W-S Dash).
- Andre Rienzo continued his torrid start in 2012 with another tremendous outing Wednesday night. The right-hander allowed just one run on six hits in seven innings, and he whiffed nine for the second straight start. He paces all CL pitchers with 23 strikeouts, two better than Myrtle Beach righty Cody Buckel. Rienzo is now 2-0 with an earned run average of 1.00, and he is averaging 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings.
- How wild has the Southern Division been this season? For the second time in three days, the four teams in the Southern Division own the same record. All four clubs sit at 6-6 through 12 games after Winston-Salem bested Myrtle Beach, Carolina blanked Wilmington and Salem lost a slugfest to Lynchburg.
- Finally, I’m listed as probable for tonight’s broadcast after a strong sunburn hit me Tuesday afternoon and seemingly worsened Wednesday during our mini golf showdown. Almost everyone in the office mentioned the sunburn before saying anything else to me. Always a great sign!
We will talk to you at 6:45 for the Pre-Game Dash on wsdash.com. Then, it’s the Dash and the Blue Rocks at 7. Talk to you then!
- Brian
