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White Sox Minor League Update: April 6, 2023

Opening Day joy for Barons and Ballers, but tears for Dash; Knights lose

By Julie Brady
/ new
Just 11 more before José Rodríguez bests last year’s career-high in taters.
| Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images

Over the last few months, time has engaged in such an incredible excess of unyielding forward movement that we now find ourselves faced with Opening Day 2023 for the three full-season affiliates not called the Charlotte Knights. For the Knights, it is Thursday.

Knights/Clippers linescore
Batting stats
Pitching stats
Misc pitching

Box score link

Nate Fisher, attempting to pitch his way back to the majors after a taste with the Mets last season, had some Knights Opening Day deja vu anyway, when he found himself in trouble in the fourth inning with two on and one out. A pickoff at second helped him escape with no damage; he eventually exited with one out in the sixth having walked four, but given up just two hits and no runs while striking out four as well. Nicholas Padilla finished the sixth for him and Tanner Banks earned a hold over two scoreless innings.

This was a low-offense affair for both teams until late, both entering the seventh inning with just two hits apiece. With two outs in the top of that inning and Old Friend Jason Bilous pitching, Victor Reyes singled from the DH spot and shortstop Erik González doubled him in, or at least hit a double upon which Reyes then scored on an error.

They doubled their lead in the eighth, which went like this: Billy Hamilton hit by pitch. Billy Hamilton steals second. Adam Haseley strikes out. Billy Hamilton steals third. Lenyn Sosa reaches on a fielder’s choice/error while Billy Hamilton scores. Carlos Pérez singles Lenyn Sosa to second. Zach Remillard grounds into double play.

Calamity struck in the bottom of the ninth, statistically one of the most common places for calamity to strike. Zack Collins, who is in the Guardians system now, BTW, singled to lead off against offseason signing Ricardo Sánchez. Another single, a walk, and a sacrifice fly later, Lane Ramsey was in the game to protect a 2-1 lead. Instead, he was doubled against by the first batter he faced, tying the game.

The Knights took control again in the top of the 10th in classic “you love to see it” fashion: Erik González was the zombie runner at second base. He advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a second wild pitch, both during Laz Rivera’s leadoff at-bat. Rivera then struck out swinging, as did Hamilton and Haseley.

Ramsey was left in for the bottom of the 10th, trying to protect a 3-2 lead, but instead he walked the leadoff man, quickly was faced with a second-and-third situation after a sacrifice bunt, induced a strikeout on a full count for the second out of the inning, then gave up an infield single that both tied and won the game for the Clippers. In good news for Ramsey’s cumulative stats, he is only credited with one blown save instead of two.

The Knights are 3-2. Collins DHed and went 2-for-3 with a walk and a double. In five games (19 at-bats) he is hitting .421/.500/.737.

Poll

Who was the Knights MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 3%
    Lenyn Sosa (2B): 1-for-4, 2B
    (1 vote)
  • 0%
    Carlos Pérez (C): 1-for-4
    (0 votes)
  • 0%
    Zach Remillard (1B): 1-for-3, HBP, GIDP
    (0 votes)
  • 3%
    Victor Reyes (DH): 1-for-4, R, 2 K
    (1 vote)
  • 0%
    Erik González (SS): 1-for-4, 2B, R, 2 K
    (0 votes)
  • 7%
    Billy Hamilton (CF): 0-for-3, R, HBP, 2 SB
    (2 votes)
  • 85%
    Nate Fisher: 5 ⅔ IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 4 K, pickoff (2B)
    (24 votes)
28 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Knights Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 26%
    Adam Haseley (RF): 0-for-5, 3 K
    (8 votes)
  • 10%
    Yolbert Sánchez (3B): 0-for-4, K, GIDP
    (3 votes)
  • 3%
    Laz Rivera (LF): 0-for-3, BB, 2 K, SB
    (1 vote)
  • 20%
    Ricardo Sánchez: ⅔ IP, 2 H, 2 R, BB, 0 K (H)
    (6 votes)
  • 40%
    Lane Ramsey: IP, 2 H, 2 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 2 K, 2-1 inherited runners-scored (L, BS)
    (12 votes)
30 votes total Vote Now
Barons/Smokies linescore
Batting stats
Pitching stats
Pitching misc

Box score link

Last year, between the Dash and the Cannon Ballers, Garrett Schoenle had a remarkable trend of being near-unhittable out of the bullpen, but being eminently hittable when starting games. He found more consistency in four starts with the Barons towards the end of the season, and in his debut tonight, he displayed a wide range of potential in both directions: Despite an ugly five walks and throwing just 43 of 81 pitches for strikes, Schoenle shut out the Tennessee Smokies for four innings, allowing just one hit — an infield single — and striking out seven, six of those swinging.

Alejandro Mateo had a fantastic 2022 pitching in limited time and in leagues he was much older than. One can only hope the 29-year-old sees Charlotte quickly, and his four strikeouts over two scoreless innings today should help. Gil Luna Jr., who missed most of last year with an injury, struck out the side in his inning of work, and Edgar Navarro walked two but was saved by a double play in his inning. Caleb Freeman, who also lost time due to injuries last year, didn’t have the cleanest ninth from his end, allowing a walk, double, two singles, and a sac fly, but he wasn’t helped by a passed ball and error either, making both of his runs unearned.

Overall, Barons pitching limited the Smokies to just four hits while striking out 14. They also walked nine, buuuuut there’s a whole season to work on that.

The Barons continually sliced away all game; in the second, while the play log is ambiguous, Adam Hackenberg apparently scored on a strike-em-out, make-an-error double steal. In the third, José “Popeye” Rodríguez hit a leadoff double, then Luis Mieses singled him in and took second as well.

The lead grew to 3-0 in the sixth after third baseman Nate Mondou hit a solo home run in his organizational debut, and to 4-0 when Popeye joined him in the Dong Zone one inning later.

Two more runs in the ninth made it 6-0 for the eventual 6-2 victory; Duke Ellis drew TDLW and presumably easily made it to third on Popeye’s third hit of the game (he ended a triple away from the cycle). Mieses preserved a 4-for-4 night with a sac fly to score Ellis, and Yoelqui Céspedes doubled Popeye home.

Poll

Who was the Barons MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 70%
    José Rodríguez (2B): 3-for-5, 2B, HR, 3 R, RBI, K
    (21 votes)
  • 30%
    Luis Mieses (LF): 4-for-4, 2 RBI, SF
    (9 votes)
  • 0%
    Yoelqui Céspedes (RF): 2-for-5, 2B, RBI, K
    (0 votes)
  • 0%
    Nate Mondou (3B): 1-for-2, HR, R, RBI, 2 BB, SB
    (0 votes)
  • 0%
    Garrett Schoenle: 4 IP, H, 0 R, 5 BB, 7 K
    (0 votes)
  • 0%
    Alejandro Mateo: 2 IP, H, 0 R, BB, 4 K, balk (W)
    (0 votes)
  • 0%
    Gil Luna Jr.: IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
    (0 votes)
30 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Barons Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 0%
    Duke Ellis (CF): 0-for-4, R, BB, K
    (0 votes)
  • 96%
    Chris Shaw (DH): 0-for-5, 3 K
    (25 votes)
  • 0%
    Adam Hackenberg (C): 1-for-4, R, K, SB, E, PB
    (0 votes)
  • 3%
    Moisés Castillo (SS): 0-for-4, 2 K
    (1 vote)
26 votes total Vote Now
Dash/Crawdads linescore
Batting stats
Pitching stats
Misc pitching

Box score link

Like most teams who find themselves in such a situation (probably), the Winston-Salem Dash were not able to recover from an early 8-0 deficit, although they did claw a few runs back near the end of the game.

Starting pitcher Dylan Burns, who pitched decently for the ACL Sox and well for the Cannon Ballers last year, was trailing 1-0 after the first inning and faced five batters in the second without recording an out. He allowed five singles and walked three overall.

Chase Plymell entered with two on and nobody out, and after retiring one, walked a batter and gave up back-to-back doubles, scoring the rest of Burns’ runs and contributing two of his own for a seven-run inning. Ernesto Jaquez and Jerry Burke both pitched two scoreless innings, and by the time Haylen Green was in the game to give up two final runs the eighth, it didn’t matter.

Crawdads pitching didn’t have to do much; at least, starter Winston-Santos didn’t. He no-hit the Dash until Loidel Chapelli Jr.’s two-out single in the fifth, and other than Alsander Womack reaching on error one batter later, that was all Santos allowed.

After he finally exited, the Dash quickly scored five runs in the remaining three innings. In the seventh, Womack singled to scored Wilfred Veras, who had singled, taken second on Michael Turner’s walk, and reached third on a Chapelli force out. They added two more in the eighth, DJ Gladney singling in Jason Matthews from a leadoff walk and Wilfred Veras’ ground ball scoring the speedy Terrell Tatum after he had reached on a bunt single.

The Dash looked poised for a big ninth, but it ended up being merely a moderate ninth; Chapelli walked, Womack singled, and Ben Norman singled them both up two bags, scoring Chapelli with the help of an error. Womack scored on a Matthews sacrifice fly, but after Tatum walked, Wes Kath struck out and Gladney flew out to end the game.

Poll

Who was the Dash MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 0%
    Terrell Tatum (CF): 1-for-4, R, BB, 2 K
    (0 votes)
  • 9%
    Wilfred Veras (RF): 1-for-4, R, RBI, K
    (2 votes)
  • 18%
    Loidel Chapelli Jr. (2B): 1-for-3, R, BB
    (4 votes)
  • 72%
    Alsander Womack (DH): 2-for-4, R, RBI
    (16 votes)
  • 0%
    Ben Norman (LF): 1-for-4, K
    (0 votes)
  • 0%
    Jason Matthews (SS): 0-for-2, R, RBI, BB, K
    (0 votes)
22 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Dash Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 13%
    Wes Kath (3B): 0-for-5, 2 K
    (3 votes)
  • 0%
    DJ Gladney (1B): 1-for-5, RBI, 2 K, E
    (0 votes)
  • 0%
    Michael Turner (C): 0-for-3, BB
    (0 votes)
  • 86%
    Dylan Burns: IP, 5 H, 6 R, 3 BB, K (L)
    (19 votes)
  • 0%
    Chase Plymell: 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, BB, K
    (0 votes)
  • 0%
    Haylen Green: IP, 2 H, 2 R, BB, 2 K, HBP
    (0 votes)
22 votes total Vote Now
Cannon Ballers/Wood Ducks linescore
Batting stats
Pitching stats
Misc pitching

Box score link

Last year, the Cannon Ballers started out 4-0, and so far this season, they are just 3-0 away from duplicating that. There was a surprising amount of back-and-forth for what ended up being a 5-4 game, and the Ballers came out on top.

Kannapolis struck first in the first, which began with 2022 fourth-rounder Jordan Sprinkle walking and then immediately caught stealing second. Designated hitter Mario Camilletti also walked, then first baseman Tim Elko singled. After a strikeout and wild pitch, Layant Tapia (born after 9/11) and Drake Logan (too young to remember 9/11) both walked, Logan’s forcing in a run.

Back-to-back doubles by Logan and Chris Lanzilli, who tore up the ACL as a 24-year-old last year, extended the lead to 2-0 in the fourth, which is good because that’s how many runs starting pitcher Tyler Schweitzer allowed in the bottom of the frame.

Schweitzer was the Fifth Round choice for the Sox last year, but did not pitch, so this was his professional debut. He nearly pitched around a leadoff single and wild pitch, but with two outs, another single and double did him in. He did end up completing five full innings with those runs all he allowed, walking one and striking out six.

He was relieved in the sixth by Drew McDaniel, who gave the hated Down East Wood Ducks a one-run lead after a hit by pitch, wild pitch, error, and double. Quickly, though, the roller coaster looped back the Ballers’ way, and in the top of the seventh, after singles by Sprinkle and Camilletti, Elko went deep to put Kannapolis up 5-3.

McDaniel gave up one more run in the eighth, although it was unearned on Sprinkle’s error at short, and Billy Seidl struck out two in a scoreless ninth to close it out. Ballers pitching struck out 14 and walked just one.

Notably, this box score includes a “Shift violation” (look under “Fielding”). This does not appear to be in the play-by-play log.

Poll

Who was the Cannon Ballers MVP?

This poll is closed

  • 0%
    Jordan Sprinkle (SS): 1-for-4, R, BB, K, CS, E
    (0 votes)
  • 0%
    Mario Camilletti (DH): 1-for-3, 2 R, 2 BB
    (0 votes)
  • 80%
    Tim Elko (1B): 2-for-5, HR, R, 3 RBI, 2 K
    (20 votes)
  • 0%
    Luis Pineda (C): 1-for-3, 2 BB, K
    (0 votes)
  • 0%
    Drake Logan (RF): 2-for-3, 2B, R, RBI, BB
    (0 votes)
  • 0%
    Chris Lanzilli (LF): 1-for-4, 2B, RBI, K, GIDP
    (0 votes)
  • 20%
    Tyler Schweitzer: 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, BB, 6 K
    (5 votes)
25 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who was the Cannon Ballers Cold Cat?

This poll is closed

  • 23%
    Layant Tapia (3B): 0-for-3, BB, 2 K, HBP, CS
    (5 votes)
  • 57%
    Caberea Weaver (CF): 0-for-4, K
    (12 votes)
  • 19%
    Wilber Sánchez (2B): 1-for-4, K, E
    (4 votes)
21 votes total Vote Now

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