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White Sox Minor League Update: August 25, 2022

Some wasted starts at Single-A, offensive fireworks for Charlotte, and a wrap on the ACL and DSL

By Joe Resis and Brett Ballantini
/ new
Tommy Sommer killed it for the Dash on Thursday, but had the win taken off of his plate.
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers

After getting blown out on Wednesday, the Knights made an excellent recovery in a comeback victory over Memphis.

This game appeared to be getting out of control in a hurry. Knights starter Kyle Kubat allowed a leadoff single and a one-out RBI double in the bottom of the first. Just like that, the Redbirds had a 1-0 lead, and the wheels fell off in the third. Still trailing by a score of 1-0, Memphis did this with one out and nobody on base: double, home run (that made the score 3-0), hit by pitch, single, pop out, double (5-0), single (6-0). Despite that disastrous inning, Kubat remained on the mound through the end of the fifth inning, and he did not allow any additional runs.

Meanwhile, the Knights offense finally woke up. Lenyn Sosa launched a solo homer to put Charlotte on the board in the fifth, and in the sixth, the offense exploded. With one out and nobody on base, the Knights flexed some Menechino Magic with three consecutive singles to load the bases. After Nick Ciuffo popped out, Mark Payton walked to force in a run, and Sosa drove in a pair with a single. Adam Haseley followed with yet another single to pull the Knights within one and keep the inning alive for Blake Rutherford, who did this:

The seven-run inning was complete, and the Knights led for the rest of the game. The Knights picked up their additional runs on a Ciuffo RBI single, a Yolbert Sánchez single, and a Payton two-run homer. On the other side, the bullpen was terrific, allowing zero runs on one hit in four innings.

Poll

Who was the Knights MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 4%
    Lenyn Sosa: 2-for-6, HR, 3 RBI
    (2 votes)
  • 35%
    Mark Payton: 2-for-4, HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB
    (17 votes)
  • 56%
    Blake Rutherford: 2-for-5, HR, 3B, 3 RBI
    (27 votes)
  • 4%
    Zach Remillard: 3-for-4, BB
    (2 votes)
  • 0%
    Micker Adolfo: 2-for-4, 2B
    (0 votes)
48 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Knights Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 84%
    Kyle Kubat: 5 IP, 6 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 4 K
    (27 votes)
  • 15%
    Laz Rivera: 1-for-5, K, throwing error
    (5 votes)
32 votes total Vote Now

The Barons got a pair of runs early on, but the offense went silent later on during this 9-2 loss.

Luis Mieses was among the only bright sides of this defeat. After three innings, Mieses was halfway to the cycle. In the first, Mieses doubled to drive in Yoelqui Céspedes, who had reached on a two-out single. That sequence gave the Barons an early 1-0 lead.

In the top of the second, the Braves came right back against starter Garrett Schoenle. With a runner on first and no outs, second baseman Jalen Miller drove in the tying run with a triple. Incredibly, Schoenle worked out of the jam without allowing the go-ahead run to cross the plate. A harmless ground out and two strikeouts resulted in the game remaining tied at one. But, the Braves took the lead in the third, when Justyn-Henry Malloy took Schoenle deep for a solo blast.

In the bottom of the third, Moises Castillo and Oscar Colás set the table for Mieses, who delivered another timely hit. This time, it was an RBI single to drive in Castillo with two outs. After three, the game was tied at two.

The Braves took the lead and never looked back in the top of the fourth. That was when Indiana Hoosier Cade Bunnell launched his first of two home runs to make it 3-2. The fourth inning was the last inning for Schoenle on the mound, and he finished with three runs allowed (all earned).

The Barons never scored again, and they finished only 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position. Meanwhile, the bullpen combined to allow six runs (five earned) in five innings.

Poll

Who was the Barons MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 85%
    Luis Mieses: 2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI
    (36 votes)
  • 11%
    Oscar Colás: 2-for-4, 3B
    (5 votes)
  • 2%
    Alejandro Mateo: 1 IP, 1 R (0 ER), 1 H, 2 BB, 1 K
    (1 vote)
42 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Barons Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 8%
    Garrett Schoenle: 4 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 5 K
    (3 votes)
  • 80%
    Kohl Simas: 1 IP, 3 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 2 K
    (29 votes)
  • 11%
    Bryan Ramos: 0-for-4
    (4 votes)
36 votes total Vote Now

The good news for Winston-Salem is that 100% of its hits on Thursday were for extra bases. Also, the Dash were remarkably efficient with run production, turning two hits into three runs. The bad news, well, both of the hits came in the fifth inning, giving Asheville a sort of eight-inning no-no. Plus, well, just two runs. No wonder W-S is 53-64.

James Beard, of all people, provided 100% of the run production, with his first home run of the year, with two outs and an 0-1 count, Ivan González (double) and Jason Matthews (walk) on the corners.

The utter lack of runs somewhat sullied a splendid start by Tommy Sommer, who went six innings and is on the short list of legit starters in the system. He’s been just as great in the month since his promotion to High-A as he was before the move, combining for a 5-7 record, 2.86 ERA and 1.12 WHIP as 2022 winds down. Sure seems the southpaw should see significant time with the Barons in 2023.

Sommer’s win was stolen away by a rare turkey ninth inning by Skylar Arias, who coughed up five earned to blow the save and take the loss; he’d only given up six earned in his first 21 games for the Dash this season.

Poll

Tough loss for W-S, but who deserves the MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 71%
    Tommy Sommer: 6 IP, 4 H, ER, BB, 6 K, pickoff at 1B
    (27 votes)
  • 2%
    Everhett Hazelwood: 1 2⁄3 IP, 3 H, 3 K, HOLD
    (1 vote)
  • 26%
    James Beard: 1-for-2, R, HR, 3 RBI, BB, CS, LOB
    (10 votes)
  • 0%
    Jason Matthews: 0-for-1, R, 2 BB, K
    (0 votes)
38 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Five runs in the ninth don’t lead to many wins, so who was the Cold Cat for Winston-Salem?

This poll is closed

  • 88%
    Skylar Arias: 2⁄3 IP, 2 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, BS, LOSS
    (32 votes)
  • 5%
    Andy Atwood: 0-for-4, 3 K, 2 LOB
    (2 votes)
  • 0%
    Ben Norman: 0-for-3, BB, 3 K, LOB, SB
    (0 votes)
  • 5%
    Colby Smelley: 0-for-4, 2 K, GIDP, 2 LOB
    (2 votes)
36 votes total Vote Now

Same sort of game in Low-A as High, as the bullpen blew a great start and erased a starter win. This time it was Dylan Burns with a great effort, two hits over five innings, with two walks and four Ks. But Bowen Plagge came in for the sixth and coughed a 1-0 lead up. But his Cannon Ballers teammates like him a lot, because blown save turned to win in the bottom of the sixth, thanks to a two-run double from Benyamín Bailey. And Bailey bailed out Kole Ramage in the eighth, as Ramage gave up a run-scoring double that could have been a game-tying one if not for the left fielder gunning Branlyn Jaraba at the plate! And lookit one-time two-way player Adisyn Coffey, piling up the saves and getting No. 7 on the season.

Poll

Kannapolis tried to give it away, but held on. Who was the MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 71%
    Dylan Burns: 5 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 4 K
    (35 votes)
  • 14%
    Benyamín Bailey: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, GWRBI, K, 4 LOB, LF assist at home
    (7 votes)
  • 2%
    Adisyn Coffey: IP, H, 2 K, SAVE
    (1 vote)
  • 2%
    Jordan Sprinkle: 2-for-4, R, 2B, SB, K
    (1 vote)
  • 0%
    Brooks Baldwin: 2-for-4, R, K, LOB
    (0 votes)
  • 10%
    Troy Claunch: 3-for-4, R, RBI
    (5 votes)
49 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Kanny held on, but there has to be a Cold Cat. Who was it?

This poll is closed

  • 50%
    Bowen Plagge: 2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, K, BS, WIN
    (20 votes)
  • 2%
    Kole Ramage: IP, 3 H, ER, HOLD
    (1 vote)
  • 45%
    Tim Elko: 0-for-4, R, 3 K, 5 LOB
    (18 votes)
  • 2%
    Jacob Burke: 0-for-4, 3 K, 4 LOB
    (1 vote)
40 votes total Vote Now

Well, the ends of both the Arizona Complex League and Dominican Summer League are here. The final games, on Tuesday, snuck right up on us. Neither club made their league playoffs.

Surely Darren Black will provide some sort of season wrap for us, but for now, let’s check in with how things ended up.

The Complex Sox finished 26-28, good for third place in the ACL West. That record placed them ninth out of 18 teams in the ACL. Like the White Sox themselves, the Complex Sox were poor at home (12-15), with a winning record on the road. And like the White Sox, the ACL Sox had a negative run differential (-40) that would indicate quite a bit of luck or managerial savvy to get as close to .500 as they did.

Shortstop Layant Tapia played in 48 of 54 games, and also led the team in at-bats (178), runs (28), doubles (12) and RBIs (26). First baseman Dario Borrero led the club in hits (52), average (.313, with no other ACL Sox hitter getting within 45 points of him), OBP (.347) and OPS (.722). Center fielder Alvaro Aguero paced the club in triples (two), homers (seven), steals (12) and caught stealing (three). Left fielder Cameron Butler excelled at keeping the ball out of play, leading the team in both walks (24) and Ks (71). And catcher Luis Pineda was the top slugger on the club, walloping at .406.

The only two pitchers to qualify as ACL regulars (0.8 IP per game) were Wyatt Burns (3-3, 3.97 ERA, 1.32 WHIP in 12 games/11 starts) and Manuel Veloz (3-5, 6.30 ERA, 1.74 WHIP over 13 games/10 starts).

Down in the DSL, it’s worth reminding dear readers that the White Sox are one of only 10 MLB franchises to field just one team in the Dominican Republic. That said, The DSL Sox finished 32-26, good for fifth in the nine-team DSL San Pedro Division. The club finished 18th out of 49 teams. It was much better at home (19-10) than on the road. And its run differential of -2 indicates a .500 team, so like the ACL Sox, the DSL club played over its head.

Third baseman Arxy Hernandez played in 49 of 58 games, tops on the team, also leading in at-bats (159). Second baseman Loidell Chapelli Jr. was tops in runs (41), hits (53), triples (seven) and walks (27). He also swept the slash categories, leading the DSL Sox with a .344 average, .488 on-base, .636 slugging and 1.084 OPS. First baseman Carlos Jimenez had the most doubles (10) and RBIs (37). Right fielder Godwin Bennett had the most home runs (11) and Ks (45). And shortstop Ryan Burrowes had a team-high 12 steals and was never caught, while five other DSL Sox tied for honors with four times caught stealing.

The only two pitchers to qualify as DSL regulars (0.8 IP per game) were Frankeli Arias (4-1, 3.33 ERA, 1.11 WHIP in 13 games/5 starts and one shutout) and Gabriel Rodriguez (3-3, 3.64 ERA, 1.34 WHIP over 13 games/10 starts and one shutout).

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