In between a Birmingham Barons team that won the Southern League and a Kannapolis Cannon Ballers team that fell a game short of a title, the Winston-Salem Dash couldn't provide the same kind of excitement. They were able to supply the Barons with quality starting pitching replacements midseason, but between a leaky bullpen and a lineup that struggled to hit for power, the Dash struggled to distinguish themselves as a cohesive unit.
This year figures to be more dynamic at Truist Stadium, although maybe not quite on Opening Day. The rotation has the makings of a strength once again after what the starters accomplished in A-ball last year, but while the position player side is a little lacking, the roster has room to accommodate promotions from Kannapolis, and those should be more expedient this time around.
Coaching Staff
- Manager: Pat Leyland
- Pitching coach: Blake Hickman
- Hitting coach: Cam Seitzer
- Bench coach: Pat Listach
Leyland and Hickman get promotions from Kannapolis, and they're joined by Seitzer and Listach, who were reassigned from Charlotte.
Starting Pitchers
Batista is coming off 26 sterling innings in five starts with Winston-Salem last year, a strong spring where impressive rival scouts, and he topped 110 innings for the season, so he could be the first one promoted to Birmingham with a hot start. Gordon and Keener also got their feet wet with the Dash at the end of the season to less successful degrees, but they earned their promotions as well. Peppers figured out how to throw strikes over the last couple months in Kannapolis, and we'll see if that holds.
McDougal gets one last crack at sticking as a starter, but based on Paul Janish's comments to James, it sounds like they're prepared to shift him into the bullpen if there's no progress. He touched triple-digits on multiple occasions late last season.
Relievers
- Frankeli Arias
- Luke Bell
- Jake Bockenstedt
- Phil Fox
- Clete Hartzog
- Carson Jacobs
- Madison Jeffrey
- Jared Kelley
- Mark McLaughlin
- Shane Murphy
- Tommy Vail
- Joseph Yabbour
If the Dash do end up needing another starter, Murphy has served them well in that swingman role. Vail struck out 100 batters against 35 hits and 36 walks over 69⅓ innings split between the A-ball levels. He turns 26 in May after a lengthy journey to professional baseball, so if he has more of the same success, it's probably worth testing his fastball's riding ability in Birmingham sooner rather than later. New names include Yabbour, who was selected from the Mets in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft, and Fox, the 5-foot-9-inch righty from Pitt who will go straight from the seventh round of last year's draft to High-A. Jacobs is a foot taller than Fox, so here's a request for a photo of them warming in the bullpen at the same time.
Catchers
Appel, last year's sixth-round pick out of Texas A&M, will get an open chance to stake his claim to the Winston-Salem starting job after an encouraging pro debut at Kannapolis last year. Eberly and Pineda are organizational catchers.
Infielders
The middle infield is the focus here, as Perez will be the primary shortstop and pair up with Antonacci for the double-play combo. Both hit well in Kannapolis, with Perez's .259/.344/.431 being impressive for a 19-year-old, and Antonacci's .471 OBP reflecting the scouting reports from his Coastal Carolina days, which led the White Sox to take him in the fifth round.
Elsewhere, Kath led the Dash in homers last year, his second straight full season in Winston-Salem. That he's starting a third season in Winston-Salem isn't great for him, as he also led qualified South Atlantic League hitters in swinging strike rate. Janish has labeled Hernandez as a strong defender at third and a potential sleeper.
Outfielders
Zavala returns to Winston-Salem after underwhelming with his performance there last year. He's joined by the law firm of Hogan, Logan & McConnell, who don't get paid until you do. Hogan and Logan are known org outfielders, while the 10th-round pick McConnell hit .378/.461/.671 as a fifth-year senior for Louisiana Tech.
But this is the area of the roster that's more defined by who isn't there, namely Braden Montgomery, Nick McClain and Casey Saucke. It makes sense that the first two would receive conservative season-opening assignments in Kannapolis since they have yet to play a professional game. Saucke's absence is the real surprise since he went straight from Virginia to Winston-Salem after being taken in the fourth round last year, and he hit .290/.333/.398 over 99 plate appearances with the Dash after starting 5-for-32. He's limited to DH in the early going, however, so perhaps the White Sox want him to ramp up both his activity and the competition in a gradual manner. All in all, this season-opening outfield could be overwritten in short order.
White Sox Minor Keys
Charlotte 4, Norfolk 3
- Mike Tauchman started his rehab stint loudly, going 1-for-4 with a three-run homer and two strikeouts.
- Chase Meidroth was 0-for-2 with a walk, strikeout and stolen base, along with a nifty play that ended the game.
- Kyle Teel was 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts.
- Colson Montgomery wore the collar and silver sombero.
- Tim Elko went 1-for-2 with two walks.
- Justin Dunn: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 9 K, 2 HR.
