White Sox Minor Keys: Sept. 2, 2019

Harbor Park in Norfolk (Joenad)

As the Charlotte Knights drew closer to the only postseason appearance by a White Sox affiliate this season, the White Sox broadcast booth was effusive in the value of the experience various prospects would gain during an International league playoff push.

Alas, as Hawk Harrelson used to say, experience was something the Knights got when they didn’t want to get it.

Even though Gwinnett took care of the other half of the equation by beating Durham 8-5, the Knights missed out on a chance to play on, blowing a 5-1 lead and losing to Norfolk, 7-6. Dylan Covey did his job, but neither Matt Foster nor Jose Ruiz could say the same.

The Knights blew a four-game lead over the last week and a half, going 2-8 while Durham finished 6-4. That slide included a sweep at home against the Bulls, who ended up holding the tiebreaker by going 12-11 over the season series.

With the loss, Charlotte also lost its grip on the best winning percentage among White Sox affiliates, as Winston-Salem slipped ahead, .541 to .540.

  • Charlotte: 75-63
  • Birmingham: 64-72
  • Winston-Salem: 72-61
  • Kannapolis: 64-74

Norfolk 7, Charlotte 6 (10 innings)

  • Luis Robert went 1-for-6 with a triple, but he tripled up on strikeouts.
  • Nick Madrigal singled all five times up.
  • Yermin Mercedes came up a triple short of the cycle while going 3-for-4, adding a sac fly.
  • Zack Collins walked twice and struck out thrice.
  • Danny Mendick went 0-for-5 with a strikeout.
  • Seby Zavala, 2-for-5 with a stolen base.

Biloxi 6, Birmingham 1

  • Blake Rutherford won the outfielder OPS crown, goign 1-for-4 with two strikeouts to finish at .684.
  • Luis Gonzalez finished at .675 after going 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
  • Luis Basabe settled at .660 after wearing the collar with a couple strikeouts.
  • Laz Rivera went 0-for-3.
  • John Parke: 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
  • Tyler Johnson: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K

Winston-Salem 3, Lynchburg 0

  • Steele Walker went 0-for-3 with two walks and a strikeout.
  • Andrew Vaughn, 2-for-4 with a double.
  • Konnor Pilkington lowered his ERA to 4.99: 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 1 HBP

Delmarva 9, Kannapolis 5

  • Lenyn Sosa went 1-for-4 with a homer and a sac fly.
  • Romy Gonzalez was 1-for-4 with a walk.
  • Corey Zagnari singled and struck out four times.
  • Amado Nunez went 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.

Great Falls 4, Billings 1

  • Cabera Weaver went 2-for-5 with a stolen base.
  • Kelvin Maldonado was 2-for-4 with a walk.
  • Harvin Mendoza doubled, singled twice, walked and struck out.
  • Luis Mieses went 2-for-3 with a walk.

Author

  • Jim Margalus

    Writing about the White Sox for a 16th season, first here, then at South Side Sox, and now here again. Letโ€™s talk curling.

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roke1960

At least this pathetic organization can’t say they had a playoff team, even though they used players that should have been with the White Sox (Madrigal, Robert, Collins, Mercedes), while they stuck the White Sox with players that should have been at Charlotte (Skole, Engel, Goins) or released (Castillo). Sorry, Rick, but your playoff-less streak continues. You are really bad at your job.

knoxfire30

LOLOLOL nice collapse, the organization desperately grasping at straws was pushing hard the narrative that charlotte was gonna make the playoffs and how awesome that would be for some of the players. Now all they have is a collapse on their record, and no one meaningful likely coming up.

Sox absolutely punting on using September (and to a lesser extent even August) as a way to get guys real MLB experience who may factor into their alleged competitive window to chase a AAA playoff push is an astonishingly stupid choice from an incompetent organization that only ever seems to make the wrong choice.

They have 3 AAA catchers worthy of some MLB at bats and yet I still see wellington freaking castillo out there yesterday. They have Robert and Madrigal ready for the next step and yet a string of incompetent 4A fodder has manned the outfield and dh spots, and a likely non tender is taking every start at 2nd base. The starting rotation is full of horrific arms and yet the organization lacks depth somehow (terrible drafting and development) to even have anyone better then Ross freaking Dettwieler in the rotation.

So now heading into 2020 you have no idea about at least 4 positional spots, likely 2 or 3 starting rotation openings, and likely the entire front end of your bullpen. This thing isnt even close!!!!

marquettepark

Wellington freaking Castillo says it all…….?

Neat_on_the_rocks

I’m with you on all of this, but when shitting on an organization I think it behooves your point to be fair. And to be fair to the sox, most MLB teams dont really know what their last few bullpen arms are going to be.

And uhh, thats it. Thats the only criticism you made that can be defended against. The rest of it?… yeah. Well said.

WestEddy

Robert is the CF next year, moving Leury to RF unless they upgrade. Collins is the backup catcher and DH. Again, without an upgrade. Madrigal moves Yolmer to a utility role. That leaves all 9 positional spots (and DH) filled, again, unless they upgrade. If they don’t resign Abreu (both sides are claiming they will) then they probably have to figure that one out. I guess all other 29 teams have released their 2020 opening day rosters already?

Oh, you’re saying *you* have no idea. Don’t they write articles about that, here?

knoxfire30

seems like you are being intentionally stupid

robert and madrigal have 0 mlb at bats that means their spots are 100% question marks, as presently constructed you dont have a DH, you havent resigned your first basemen, you dont have a right fielder unless you move garcia there who is ok but viewed as underwhelming as a starter for a real contender, your lf’er of the future is gonna check in at about a 1 war this year… so while I can hope all these guys develop or come up and produce that lineup has a lot of “ifs” which is why calling some of them up now would of been nice

you also have all of 1 pitcher with an ERA under 5 in your starting rotation, multiple arms coming back off serious injury and about 2 guys you can rely on in the bullpen

what articles have you been reading?

burning-phoneix

Calling Collins, Zavala and Mercedes “Catchers” is pretty generous.

Madrigal will take 2nd Base and Abreu will most likely be extended. McCann is still Arb-Eligible so he will be back next year with Collins as Backup and DHing. That’s the 2020 infield settled.

Outfield, Jimenez will be out there in LF, Robert is 100% gonna be the starting option in CF in 2020 unless he gets pushed to a corner outfield spot if his glove doesn’t play at the Major League level.

The only question marks position wise is RF (Ozuna? Trade?)

But September MLB experience is overrated. No team in MLB rushes their prized prospects in meaningless September games: Bryant, Acuna, Springer, Vlad Jr., Pete Alonso were all stashed in AAA, most of them till April, to manipulate service time yet somehow only the White Sox are incompetent when they do it.

TheBigHrabosky

What time are the September call-ups being announced?

Neat_on_the_rocks

September 1st…

Flitcraft

To dispense for the moment with the pikes and pitchforks, old pal Eddy Alvarez had about his most productive season this year at age 29. Playing for the New Orleans Baby Cakes (MIA-AAA) he slashed .323/.407/.570 (136wRC+) and stole a modest number of bases with a facility he hasn’t shown in years.

I know I’m not the only one who rooted for him while he was in the Sox system, so likewise maybe some of you will also be rooting for him to get a call up. If need be, however, you can always set his release and rebound, down as yet another another failure by Hahn et. al.

Everybody wins.