Thanks to the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers starting their season a day earlier than the other non-Triple-A affiliates in order to have Easter Sunday off, we're rounding out our preview series with the second-lowest rung of the ladder.
"Last but not least" also applies to the roster. As I wrote in Saturday's Minor Keys, the Dash feature a lineup full of players who merit watching, and more on the way if a handful of prospects are able to make smooth-enough returns from significant injuries, or significant injury histories.
Coaching staff
- Manager: Guillermo Quiroz
- Pitching coach: Jacob Dorris
- Hitting coach: Adam Sinkoe
- Bench coach: Tyler Coolbaugh
Quiroz is back in Winston-Salem after winning the Southern League title with the Barons, but don't call it a demotion. Dorris (who spent last season in Kannapolis) and Coolbaugh (ACL White Sox) were bumped up a level or two, while Sinkoe joined the organization from Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania.
Starting pitchers
The rotation was dealt a blow when Aldrin Batista needed another procedure on his pitching elbow that will cost him months, and Mathias LaCombe was delayed out of spring training, so the hope is that this unit gains depth by June.
As it stands, Davis will be making his pro debut at High-A after the White Sox drafted him out of Oklahoma State in the fifth round. He stands 6-9 and looks every bit of it. Umberger set Kannapolis' strikeout record with 113 over 102 innings last season, which is another way of saying he deserved more than one start at Winston-Salem last year. McDaniel returns to Winston-Salem's rotation after missing all of 2025, while Cumming did pitch for the Dash last year, but to the tune of a 5.34 ERA. Sinibaldi is a guess for how they round it out, as he was the most accomplished of the Kannapolis arms.
Relief pitchers
- Frankeli Arias
- Morris Austin
- Luke Bell
- Jonathan Clark
- Jake Curtis
- Phil Fox
- Carson Jacobs
- Seth Keener
- Aric McAtee
- Liam Paddack
- Tommy Vail
- Jack Young
It's always fun seeing the 5-foot-9-inch Fox and the 6-foot-7-inch Jacobs in the same bullpen, and both posted some of the more notable strikeout numbers in the low minors. Fox ended up fanning 78 against just 14 walks over 63⅔ innings, while Jacobs struck out 85 batters over 57⅔ innings, but with 39 walks, and the control problems worsened in the Arizona Fall League. It’s less fun seeing them both open the year on the IL. Keener spent his college years in Winston-Salem at Wake Forest, and he's having problems escaping it as a pro. He returns to the Dash after posting a 11.18 ERA over a not-small sample last year (16 games, 33 innings).
Catchers
It's org catchers from Birmingham on down. Appel posted a .387 OBP over 81 games with Winston-Salem last year, so he has more going for him.
Infielders
The Winston-Salem infield is like a reversible sweatshirt, because Bonemer and Lodise will be splitting time at shortstop and second, and Shelton and DePino will be sharing the corners. Bonemer is Sox Machine's No. 1 prospect, of course, while the other three will all be testing the merits of their collegiate production in the South Atlantic League in their first full pro seasons. Burrowes will be a jack-of-all trades, coming off a 47-steal season split between the A-ball levels.
Outfielders
Wolkow, last seen polluting the streets of Bowling Green with batting-practice baseballs, finally makes it out of Kannapolis in what feels like a big year. He doesn't have to put it all together, but he has to put some of it together. Brown, the 12th-round pick out of Mercer, had the best pro debut of the 2025 draft class by posting a .417 OBP and 15 steals in as many attempts over 27 games in Kannapolis. Ungar is an undrafted free agent out of Sacred Heart, and before that an Albany Dutchman. He was supposed to start the season in the Frontier League, but had his contract transferred to the White Sox.
Just like the rotation, this group stands a chance of getting an upgrade if Casey Saucke and Nick McLain are able to return from their injuries at some point.
