With the recent track record of this post, maybe I should be happy I’m getting this done on Tuesday. I could change the name of the article, but “Tuesday Minors Recap” just doesn’t have the same ring to it.

Kannapolis Intimidators, A-ball (17-26)

Previously discussed in MMR, the Intimidators came into the week with generally competitive play save for one 0-6 week that was still weighing down their whole overall record. Unfortunately, the Intimidators now have two terrible weeks bogging down their record as they managed only a pair of W’s en route to a 2-6 showing. Swept in Greensboro, dropping 3 of 4 at home against Lexington, and splitting a doubleheader in Hickory – the 1^st 2 of 4 games in 2 days – made for an uninspiring result. The pitching was, in general, very poor for the week. Until the doubleheader against Hickory, the Intimidators managed to keep their opponents under 7 runs just 1 time and allowed 48 total runs over 8 games.

It is incredibly ironic that in such a poor week for pitching, the Intimidators had one man recognized for his excellent hurling. 2011 Pioneer League Pitcher of the Year Blair Walters was named South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week after his excellent start in Thursday’s 5-0 win over Lexington. Walters took a no-hitter into the 6^th inning, retired 14 straight Legends at one point, and finished with 9 K’s, no walks, and only 1 hit allowed in 7 innings. After a slightly slow start to the season, Walters has been heating up, allowing just 5 earned runs over 23.2 innings in his last 4 starts. That adds up to a 1.90 ERA and comes along with 23 K’s and just 5 walks in that time. For the season, Walters’ ERA is down to 2.84 and the lefty has 47 K’s in 44.1 innings and has walked just 11. Walters seems to have not missed a bit – and perhaps even improved – as he’s adjusted to the higher level of competition in full season ball, and is proving his time with the Voyagers was no fluke.

Kannapolis pulled a pair of roster moves in the last week, and both are very interesting. Yesterday, second-year Intimidators outfielder Collin Kuhn – hitting just .172 on the season and getting very little playing time – decided to end his time in professional baseball and retire. Kuhn finishes his professional career with a .224 batting average and a .368 OBP in 86 games.

To fill Kuhn’s spot on the roster, the Intimidators received righty reliever J.R. Ballinger from nearby Winston-Salem. Ballinger made the short trip to Hickory, pitched in yesterday’s doubleheader – he got two quick and easy outs before leaving – then was immediately sent back to the Dash. A quick and odd trip for Mr. Ballinger.

Other than Ballinger’s short A-ball sojourn, David Herbek replaced Collin Kuhn on the Intimidators roster as he was removed from the DL and placed back on the active roster. Herbek has fought some nagging injuries this year and is struggling a bit offensively with a .247 batting average. That said, with all the pitching problems in Kannapolis right now, the Intimidators will probably appreciate having the comfort of their regular shortstop behind them.

The Intimidators play another doubleheader in Hickory today before getting a travel day on Wednesday. On Thursday, they start a 4-game set in West Virginia against the Power.

Winston-Salem Dash, High A-ball (24-17)

After all their great play, it’s pretty surprising to see the Dash have a mediocre week, but even great teams stumble now and again. The Dash lost 3 of 4 against Myrtle Beach before taking 2 of 3 against the Lynchburg Hillcats. The 3-4 week leaves the Dash with just a .5 game lead over the Salem Red Sox.

The Dash got great pitching in all 3 of their wins. In a 4-0 7-inning win over Myrtle Beach on Tuesday, Jon Bachanov threw 6 shutout innings while striking out 9 and allowing only 2 hits. Bachanov started the year in the Dash bullpen before being moved into the rotation for his last two appearances. He didn’t fare well in his first start – though he came away with a no decision behind good offensive support – but his second was obviously sterling and earned him his 4^th win of the season. Bachanov is a perfect 4-0 with a 3.24 ERA for the year and has a 26/8 K/BB ratio in 25 innings.

Jake Petricka got good results on Friday as he went 6 innings and allowed only 1 run. The righty allowed only 3 hits but also walked 4 while racking up 6 K’s. The former 2^nd round pick has a 4.50 ERA in 7 Dash starts, but he is developing something of a control problem. With 17 BB’s in 36 High-A innings and 7 BB’s in his lone AA start, Petricka’s 24 walks in 41 innings are already approaching the 39 walks he handed out last year in 113.1 innings. Over half of Petricka’s 2011 came in Winston-Salem, so he hasn’t been moved up aggressively enough to count for the shaky command. Petricka’s 41 K’s are still a great mark and keep him on the prospect radar, but he’s going to have to throw more strikes to avoid getting off track.

Winston-Salem starts a big 3-game series in Salem with the 2^nd place Red Sox tonight before moving along to visit the Carolina Mudcats for 3.

Birmingham Barons, AA (22-23)

A rough week for the Barons as they dropped their final game in Pensacola before returning to Birmingham and losing 4 of 5 to the Montgomery Biscuits. The Barons now sit square in the middle of the Southern League’s Northern Division and are 5 games behind the streaking Jackson Generals.

Last week, Matt Wickswat’s trip to the 7-day DL was discussed, and I even speculated a bit about any connection between Wickswat’s very poor 10.20 ERA and whatever sent him to the DL. Whatever Wickswat’s problem was, it seems to not be too catastrophic as he has already been called back from the DL. He hasn’t pitched since returning to the active roster, so his early performance will have to be watched carefully. Wickswat has walked 23 hitters in 15 innings and simply won’t be permitted to continue struggling to this degree.

Jose Quintana has returned to Birmingham after his short stint with the parent club, and he’s generally picked up right where he left off. The Colombian lefty has 3 starts since returning to the minors and has allowed just 3 earned runs in 13.1 innings. Quintana has also picked up 15 K’s while walking only 3 and allowing 11 hits in that time. Quintana holds a 2.77 ERA with a 41/14 K/BB ratio in 48.2 AA innings this year, and the White Sox clearly like what the southpaw can offer a big-league club. After performing well in Chicago – he allowed only 1 hit and no runs in 5.2 innings – he’s one to keep an eye on as he appears to be squarely on Chicago’s radar.

The Barons have a pair of off-days this week that bookend a 5-game trip to play the Huntsville Stars. On Monday, they return home to host the Chattanooga Lookouts.

Charlotte Knights, AAA (23-22)

A hot start to the week followed by a pair of losses to Durham brought the Knights a 4-3 record for the week, which was a strong showing considering it was a week out of Charlotte and on the road. The Knights took down Norfolk 3 games out of 4 and won game one against the Bulls before dropping games on Sunday and Monday.

The Knights only saw a pair of roster changes this week as a DL swap happened on Sunday. Third Baseman Kyle Shelton was added to the 7-day DL while Dallas McPherson was placed back on the active roster. McPherson, previously mentioned in this space as flashing some cheap pop to the major league management, missed nearly a month of time and has seen his numbers fall off pace. With no hits in his last 19 at bats, McPherson has seen his batting average slip to .250, and those 7 doubles a 2 homers don’t look nearly as impressive with his slugging percentage sitting at .441.

The injury and slide may have cost him a major opportunity: White Sox everyday third baseman Brent Morel has struggled mightily on the season – he has a .420 OPS in 35 games – and has a hurt back. GM Kenny Williams must have decided he needed new options, and when veteran journeyman 2B Orlando Hudson was released by the San Diego Padres, Williams pounced. Hudson, it appears, will be asked to play third for the first time in his career and back up Gordon Beckham at second. Hudson is 34, has been declining for several years, and was totally unsuccessful offensively this season with a .577 OPS with the Padres. McPherson may be able to get his numbers up over the next few weeks while Hudson continues to struggle and wears out his welcome with the Sox, but it’s tough to say McPherson may not have missed a tailor-made opportunity to win a spot on a major league roster.

The Knights finish up their series in Durham this afternoon before heading home on Wednesday to start a series with Lehigh Valley. The series starts on Thursday with the completion of a suspended game from last month and ultimately lasts through Sunday and totals 5 games.

Things are increasingly busy here at Centene Stadium as we gear up for the season, but unfortunately that causes the Monday Minors Recap to be delayed sometimes! So… this week it’s Wednesday minors recap. If this were middle school, I’d be marked tardy. I think I’d have detention by now, considering this is the 3^rd of 4^th to be late through 6 weeks.

Most of this was written on Tuesday, so all the team records are only through Monday’s games. I’ll include editors notes with any Tuesday results to fill you in.

Kannapolis Intimidators, A-ball (15-20)

The Intimidators have been nothing if not consistent so far this season. With the exception of their 0-7 week, the squad has kept every other full week within in one game either way of .500. They continued that streak this week as they split 4 games in Delmarva and lost game 1 against the league-best Greensboro Grasshoppers for a 2-3 weekly record [ed note: the Intimidators lost game 2 with the Grasshoppers on Tuesday]. Considering all 5 games were far from home in the Sally’s league’s Northern Division, that’s not a bad mark.

More changes abound at Kannapolis, and this time, Voyager fans and frequent readers of this blog should recognize the names. The first change involved two fan favorites of the 2011 Pioneer League Champion Voyager team. David Herbek was added to the disabled list on Monday after being pulled in the middle of a game against Hickory. Herbek was playing second base in the game and caught an infield pop-up for the 1^st out in the bottom of the 4th, wasn’t scheduled to hit in the top of the 5^th, then didn’t come back out to play his position in the bottom of the 5^th. There weren’t any major incidents in this time that could give clue to what changed with Herbek that took him out of the game. Herbek had a nagging leg injury that kept him off the field for 5 games earlier this year, but it’s currently unknown if this DL trip is at all related to that problem.

Herbek hitting the DL made room for his Great Falls double play mate to rejoin the Intimidators. Joe De Pinto, who was sent back to extended spring training earlier this season, has returned to Kannapolis. De Pinto was hitting 6-28 before he was sent down, and was 0-3 in his lone game post-return. With Herbek on the DL, De Pinto should have a bit of time to get things going, but he’s hitting below .200 now and needs to get things going before his roster spots starts to get squeezed by Herbek’s return.

Last week, I devoted a few words in this space to discuss the great start of Terance Marin. I even said “you have to think that Marin will get a chance to move up soon with his excellent performance record.” Turns out I was right on the money, as just 3 days later the Intimidators announced Marin had gotten the call up to Winston-Salem. Marin has already appeared once for Winston-Salem and got an easy out against his lone hitter.

Former Voyager Chris Devenski got the call from Glendale to replace Marin on the Intimidators, making Marin the only Intimidator roster move this week who never spent time in Great Falls. The 21 year-old Devenski is getting his first taste of full-season play after putting up a 2.25 ERA in 7 games last season. Devenski has seen action just once in Kannapolis so far, but it was an impressive outing. The 6-3 righty allowed 1 hit and 1 walk in 1.2 innings but also struck out 4 Shorebirds.

The Intimidators continue their series in Greensboro tonight and tomorrow [ed note: just tonight as of the Wednesday posting] before they return to Kannapolis to host the Lexington Legends for four games.

 

Winston-Salem Dash, High A-ball (21-13)

The first place Dash had more trouble with mother nature than they did with their opponents this week. Dropping only a pair of games to Lynchburg – while winning one other game against the Hillcats and sweeping a doubleheader with the Frederick Keys – the Dash lost 3 games to rainout. 1 of the 3 games has already been made up, but it still made for a very odd schedule for the week, which included a 3-day rain vacation. Those 3 off-days all came on the road, so hopefully the town of Frederick is recovering from all that pent up ballplayer energy. [ed note: the Dash split a makeup doubleheader with Myrtle Beach last night, bringing their record to 22-14]

Previously celebrated names like Brady Shoemaker, Michael Earley, and Dan Black continue to be big, trailblazing bashers for the Dash, but contributions from other positions have rounded out as well. While good teams expect big offensive production from the corner positions played by Shoemaker, Earley, and Black, it’s the solid offensive contributions of defensively difficult positions that can push a team over the edge. Middle infielders Daniel Wagner, Jake Oester, and Marcus Semien have come together to form a very strong up-the-middle presence with a run of hot streaks.

Wagner and Oester and primarily second basemen and have been forced to split time at the position with each having played no more than 22 games. Wagner is a left handed batter and Oester is right handed, so they may make a natural platoon team further up the system, but right now they’re being allowed to play regardless of the opposing pitcher’s handedness. Oester held a 6 game hitting streak into yesterday [ed note: this was snapped in an 0-2 performance reported here due to the tardiness of this post] and is 9-24 with 6 doubles and 10 runs scored in his last 7 games. That adds up to a .375 batting average in that time, and it brings Oester’s OPS up to .751 on the season. Wagner’s progress has been more steady but just as effective. Dating back to April 29, he’s 12-33 in his last 10 games and has stolen 7 bases in that time. Wagner is getting on base at a good .372 clip for the season and has stolen 10 bases in 12 attempts. This combination of speed and on base ability makes him a prototypical middle infielder and a run machine. If you project Wagner’s numbers out over an equal number of game, he’d have as many runs scored as big power producers like Michael Early and Dan Black. Those big bats need somebody speedy to drive in, and that’s Wagner and Oester.

Marcus Semien is a primary shortstop and hasn’t had to share time like the Oester/Wagner duo. Just the same, he’s been on a massive tear since April and is riding an 18 game hitting streak. In the 10 games in the month of May, Semien is 14-40 with 3 doubles, 3 homers, 9 RBI, 11 runs scored, and an incredible 1.063 OPS. All this comes while playing one of the most defensively demanding positions on the diamond and being younger than most of his competition at age 21. Even with his hot streak at the end of the month, Semien held only a .709 OPS on May 1, but his continued hot bat has his season OPS all the way up to .823. For reference, anything above .900 for an everyday shortstop puts a player in legitimate MVP consideration. After putting forth just a .696 last season in Kannapolis, this former 6^th round pick could be exploding onto the prospect scene.

[After Tuesday’s doubleheader split] the Dash continue their series against Myrtle Beach tonight and tomorrow, then stay at home as Lynchburg comes to town for 3 games over the weekend.

 

Birmingham Barons, AA (21-18)

Birmingham continues to play well in a competitive Southern League North Division and sits just two games behind the Jackson Generals after a 4-3 week [ed note: both the Barons and the Generals lost yesterday so Birmingham is still just 2 back]. The Barons won 2 of their last 3 games against the Tennessee Smokies and then split their 1^st 4 in Pensacola.

Following last week’s flurry of changes on the White Sox roster, the Barons experienced a lot more change this week. Jake Petricka – sent up to Birmingham from Winston-Salem last Monday – was send back down to Winston-Salem in the middle of the week. Petricka’s 7 walks in his lone AA start may have played a part in the decision. Nestor Molina also felt the sting of a quick reversal of a callup: Molina was sent back to Birmingham after just one start in AAA Charlotte. Molina had a rougher time than Petricka, who was able to work around his control problems and allow only 3 runs. Molina got shelled in the International League, allowing 6 runs and 9 hits in 4 innings. Both still just 23 years old, there’s still time for Petricka and Molina to recover and continue to progress up the system.

Continuing a trend from the lower levels, Justin Greene got moved up soon after getting some positive press on this blog. Green was promoted to Charlotte on Thursday after his recent hot streak brought his numbers up to very good levels. This is Greene’s second shot in the International League, and while he hit decently last year, the White Sox would likely be happy to see improved plate discipline and on-base skills from the speedy outfielder. He’s 3 for his 1^st 16 in Charlotte, and now could be a key time for the 26 year-old. His skillset is highly suited for a 4^th or 5^th outfielder role on a major league bench, but he’ll need to prove basic offensive ability at a AAA level before he gets a shot.

A pair of Barons went on the DL on Saturday as 1^st baseman Any Wilkins and lefty swing-man Matt Wickswat both left the roster for 7 days.  Wickswat has struggled this year with 23 walks and a 10.20 ERA in 15 innings, and it’s easy to speculate that this unknown injury may have played a role. Wilkins was struggling as well, hitting just .204.

Last, righty pitcher Leroy Hunt was called up to Birmingham from Winston-Salem last week, but he hasn’t gotten in any games yet.

[After Tuesday’s series concluding loss to Pensacola] The Barons head home to start a 5-game series with the Montgomery Biscuits on Wednesday. That series runs through the end of the week before Monday’s off-day.

 

Charlotte Knights, AAA (20-19)

Charlotte cooled down later in the week, but a hot start, including a doubleheader sweep on Wednesday, still brought the Knights a 5-3 week.  Charlotte won their first 3 with Toledo – the doubleheader sweep included – before dropping the final game and splitting their 4 games against Buffalo. Charlotte spent the whole week at home, so putting out the good record was an example of good execution of a favorable opportunity.

One of the hallmarks of a AAA club is giving bit-time to major league regulars recovering from injury, and Charlotte got a taste of that this week. White Sox reliever Jesse Crain, on the DL for a couple of weeks, is in Charlotte now getting ready to return to Chicago. He’s appeared twice – both single inning starts – and thrown 2 perfect innings with 6 strikeouts. Crain got a 3 year, 13 million dollar contract from the Sox last offseason, and has pitched well in a late-inning setup role for the Sox, so there’s no doubt he’ll return to Chicago as soon as the White Sox feel he’s strong enough. All reports indicate that will be very soon.

Successful Baron Drew Garcia – another regular on these pages – got the call to Charlotte on Wednesday but has started slow. A .202 hitter in 104 International League games last year, the 26 year-old shortstop has struggled to take his solid production to the AAA level. His first 5 games in Charlotte this year have been more of the same: just 2 hits in 20 at bats. A 5^th year player not on the White Sox 40-man roster – meaning he’s twice been eligible but untaken in the Rule V draft – Garcia is running out of time to impress the White Sox enough before he reaches the age of minor league free agency. Free agency would allow Garcia to go where he thinks is best, but it’s tougher to crack the show with another team than it is the one who proved they like you best by drafting you.

Garcia is trying to avoid the tumultuous fate of Jose Castro, the second baseman sent to Birmingham to make space for Garcia on the roster. Castro, originally signed by the Mets in 2005, will now spend part of his 5^th year in the AA Southern League as he continues to struggle in the high minors. Castro has never held better than a .717 OPS in AA, and managed just a .618 OPS in AAA last year. Castro wasn’t getting much playing time for the Knights and was only 4-23. Switch hitting middle infielders don’t grow on trees, but it would take a lot for Castro to see the inside of the White Sox clubhouse at this point. For now, he’ll be looking to hit AA pitching well enough to win his way back to Charlotte.

Charlotte hits the road tonight starting with a doubleheader in Norfolk. They play two more in Norfolk through Friday before heading to Durham to begin a 4-game set with the Bulls

Kannapolis Intimidators, A-ball (13-17)

Kannapolis continued to coast along this week as they won 2 of 3 with the Augusta GreenJackets but then lost the first 2 against a good Hickory Crawdads team. They won on Monday to preserve a 3-3 record for the week. An 0-6 week 3 has kept the Intimidators in a hole for the last two weeks, and they have yet to come close to escaping it. The Intimidators sit in 5^th place in the Sally League’s Northern division.

A couple more roster changes went down in Kannapolis this week as SS Michael Johnson was sent back to Glendale Arizona for some time in extended spring training. Johnson had seen his share of playing time, acquiring 17 games played and 67 plate appearances with the Intimidators, but his .175 batting average and trio of errors push the Sox to give another player a chance.

That new player was 20 year-old Dominican import Garis Pena. Formerly in the Blue Jays organization, Pena spent 77 games in the A-level Midwest League last year and was only able to collect a .550 OPS. Pena has hit a bit in his short time in Kannapolis – he boasts 3 hits and 2 doubles in 11 at bats – and this could be a critical few months for a young man already with his second organization in the low minors.

Last week, I spent a bit of time discussing Ross Wilson’s hot start to his return to Kannapolis. Wilson is still hitting very well, but another newcomer has been able to add some offense to Kannapolis as well. Grant Buckner, called up to Kannapolis from extended spring training 3 weeks ago, has worked his way into 13 games and compiled a .327 batting average with 6 RBI in 55 at bats. Buckner, a 24 year-old West Virginia Mountaineer, hit well in Bristol last year and has steady forward momentum up the system. At his age, he’ll likely need to maintain his positive results for awhile to become a part of the White Sox future plans, but he’s off to a great start in 2012.

A new entry in the “how haven’t I mentioned you yet through 4 weeks” file, Terance Marin is having a great year as the Intimidators lead closer. He has half of the team’s 6 saves, a 2-1 record, and a 1.21 ERA to go along with some sterling peripherals.  With 22 strikeouts, just 8 walks, and just 11 hits allowed in 22.1 innings, Marin has really shut down opponents in his 9 appearances. This 22 year-old from Modesto, California is in his 3^rd full season with the Intimidators – after spending a tiny chunk of 2010 there as well – and he pitched very well last year too. You have to think that Marin will get a chance to move up soon with his excellent performance record.

Kannapolis finishes its series with Hickory tonight – a game that will be visited by the iconic Budweiser Clydesdales – before a travel day sends them to Maryland for 4 games with the Delmarva Shorebirds.

Winston-Salem Dash, High A-ball (18-11)

The Dash continue to play at a high level in the Carolina League as they won 4 out of 7 games this week. Winston-Salem split its 4-game series with the Potomic Nationals at the start of the week, then returned home and took 2 out of 3 with the 2^nd place Salem Red Sox. It was the Winston-Salem’s 3^rd winning week of the season’s 4 full-weeks, and they sit in first place by 2.5 games.

Another week, another group of Dash players catching fire. Former Purdue Boilermaker Dan Black has played in all 29 games for the Dash, but has only recently seen his numbers swell in a big way. Highlighted by 9 hits in 2 days on April 30 and May 1, Black is 17-39 in his last 9 games – a .436 batting average – and has also racked up 2 homers, 4 doubles, and 8 RBI. This has given his season totals a huge boost, and the 24 year-old 1^st baseman now sits with a .919 OPS, 7 homers, and 22 RBI. Drafted in 2009, Black’s career started slowly, but he was an MiLB.com Organization All-Star last season and seems to be catching fire in his first chance in high-A.

Newcomer Juan Silverio only has 9 Dash at bats, but he’s one to watch. Already 3-9 with 2 doubles, this 21 year-old 3^rd baseman has youth on his side. A 2-time Dominican League All-Star, Silverio has generally overproduced for his age at every level, and a solid show in the Carolina League could really put him on the prospect map.

The Dash have to take their good play on the road this week as an off-day today is followed by 3 games in Frederick against the Keys. On Friday, the Dash are in Lynchburg playing the Hillcats.

Birmingham Barons, AA (17-15)

The Barons started a hard-fought 5-game series with Jacksonville on Tuesday, and even though they lost a couple of close games, they still pulled out a pair of wins before splitting 2 with the Tennessee Smokies over the weekend. The 3-4 week has the Barons above .500 and within striking distance at 3 games back of the division leading Jackson Generals.

Justin Greene was the hot hand this week for the Barons. The Goose Creek, South Carolina native is 15 for his last 31 and drew 5 walks and stole 6 bases in that time. The speedy centerfielder has scored 13 times this season, is getting on base at a .429 clip, and hasn’t been caught in 11 stolen base attempts. He’s in Birmingham for the 3^rd time after underwhelming in a short stint in Charlotte last year, so big output at this level is crucial to this 26 year-old’s future.

Birmingham saw a bunch of roster changes as the White Sox shuffled their struggling bullpen. 23 year-old Jose Quntana got the call to the show straight from the Southern League last week, and already has 1 big league appearance where he gathered 5.2 shutout innings. Quintana also allowed only 1 hit in the appearance. Quintana, who left AA with a 3.06 ERA in 35.1 innings, had never pitched above the high-A Florida State League before this season, so this is an incredibly meteoric rise.

Jake Petricka was bumped up to Birmingham from Winston-Salem as a result of the Quintana move. He allowed 3 runs over 5 innings in his first AA start and walked a whopping 7 hitters. The Northfield, Minnesota native had a 5.63 ERA in the Carolina League, but he’s generally regarded as one of the White Sox better pitching prospects, so the team appears to want to challenge him aggressively.

The Barons play the last 3 games of their 5 with the Smokies starting tonight, then head to Pensacola for 5 with the Blue Wahoos.

Charlotte Knights, AAA (15-16)

Rough week for our boys in Charlotte as they lost the last game in Syracuse on Monday, dropped 2 of 3 to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, split 2 games with the Gwinnett Braves, and lost the first game of 4 with the Toledo Mudhens. The good news is the Knights are still in second place in the International League South, 4.5 games behind Gwinnett.

All the changes in AA were naturally connected to a host of changes in Charlotte as well. Dylan Axelford, called up only very recently, was sent back to Charlotte after being roughed up in his last major league appearance. Axelford got only 7.2 major league innings and allowed 3 earned runs before the team decided to try Birmingham’s Quintana instead. In the meantime, Nestor Molina and Matt Zaleski were bumped up to the Knights. It’s Molina’s first crack at AAA baseball, and the young Venezuela native is surely being watched closely by White Sox brass. He had a 3-1 record with a 3.72 ERA with Birmingham. He didn’t fare well in his 1^st AAA start, allowing 6 runs and 9 hits in 4 innings against Toledo, but he’s still considered one of the White Sox better pitching prospects. At 23, Molina is young for the level and doesn’t necessarily have to set the world on fire to maintain the interest of Kenny Williams. That said, there is enough turmoil in the White Sox bullpen – they moved successful starter Chris Sale back to closer just to try to stabilize that position – that a good couple of months from Molina could be enough to win him a shot at the next level.

Zaleski is in his 4th run through the International League after spending half of 2011 and parts of 2009 and ’10 in Charlotte. Zaleski pitched well in his first start with the Knights – allowing just 2 runs and 5 hits over 7 innings against Syracuse – but hasn’t been able to sustain success at the AAA level in the past. At 31 years old, Zaleski isn’t a prospect any more, but a good few months could still be enough to give this minor league warrior his first trip to the show.

Offensively, Dan Johnson may be wondering why he let himself end up playing AAA for an organization that has had Paul Konerko anchoring 1^st base for over a decade. Johnson, who’s been a back-and-forth AAA and ML player for over half a decade, is simply hammering International League pitching to the tune of a 1.074 OPS. 6 home runs, 25 RBI, and 7 doubles in 92 at bats are big time numbers. Johnson has obliterated AAA pitching for much of his career, and his .739 career major league OPS has proven he has offensive value to major league teams. Lack of any good defensive position is the reason Johnson continues to constantly scrap for major league playing time, and things may be tough for him as long as he’s behind a truly great slugger like Paul Konerko.

The Knights are better off this week after spending last week on the road. They finish their 4-game home series with Toledo starting tonight, then host Buffalo for 4 games starting Friday.

Kannapolis Intimidators, A-ball (10-14)

After a terrible 0-6 week 3, Kannapolis started week 4 off with more of the same, losing 2 of their first 3 in Augusta, before coming alive over the weekend with 3 wins in 4 days backed by 29 runs scored. The winning spurt – started in Augusta and completed in Rome, Georgia – continued earlier this morning at the Intimidators coasted to a 7-0 win in the morning getaway game.

The Intimidators experienced a couple more roster moves this week as Stephen McCray got the call up to Winston-Salem. The 24 year-old lefty had pitched well in 15.2 innings for Kannapolis, allowing only 4 runs 10 hits and 3 walks while striking out 14. McCray was back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen in Kannapolis, but his first appearance in Winston-Salem was a start. It was marred by some errors by his teammates, but he still finished with no earned runs in 4 innings pitched.

Myles Jaye was called up from extended spring training to fill McCray’s spot on the roster. He hasn’t pitched in Kannapolis yet. The 20 year-old former 17^th round pick played for the Bluefield Blue Jays – the Toronto Blue Jays’ Appalachian League Rookie Affiliate – last season and compiled a 3.00 ERA with 49 K’s in 54 innings over 13 appearances.

One of last week’s moved players, who had a bunch of space devoted to him in my writings as well as in an excellent user comment, has had a hot start so far in Kannapolis. Ross Wilson, a 2011 Sally League all-star, was moved from Winston-Salem back to Kannapolis and has flourished in his renewed playing time. Wilson has played in 11 games since coming from the Dash and is hitting .341 with a .491 OBP, .732 slugging percentage, 4 home runs, and 13 RBI. Talk about mashing. Wilson seems to be somewhat blocked in the White Sox system right now, so he may need to display some patience, but his domination of A-ball must have the White Sox scrambling for ways to give him more chances.

The Intimidators have May Day off while they return home after their long week on the road. They start a 3 game set against Augusta on Wednesday before hosting Hickory for 4 starting Saturday.

Winston-Salem Dash, High A-ball (14-8)

What a week for the Dash. After having their Sunday game last week soaked with rain, the Dash set themselves on fire with a 7 game winning streak. The run has put the Dash in command of the Carolina League Southern Division as they now are in first place by 1.5 games. The pitching was good for the week, allowing only 21 runs, and the offense was spectacular with 56 runs scored: a whopping 8 run per game average.

It has been difficult up to this point to avoid talking about Andre Rienzo and Brady Shoemaker in the space every week. And yes, Riezno had another good start last week as he allowed just one run in 5 innings and struck out 8. Finally though, some more Dash players are starting to elevate their contributions. Michael Earley, who had a good start to the season, pushed his numbers up to great with a ridiculous 11 hits, including 3 home runs, and 10 RBI in the last 6 games. Earley now has a .942 OPS along with his 15 RBI. The catcher position has become a source of offense for the Dash as well. Primary backstops Miguel Gonzalez and Michael Blanke – owners of .794 and .806 OPS’s respectively – came alive in the last week. Helped out by Gonzalez’s 5 RBI game on April 25, the two catchers had 10 RBI during the week to go along with their 15 hits. Obviously, many teams struggle to get much offense from the catching positions, so the Dash have a big advantage in these two going forward.

Dash relievers have also started to compile some impressive numbers. Take a look the ERA’s on these bullpen options: Justin Collop at .071, Jon Bachanov at 3.21, Nick McCully at 2.38, Kyle Bellamy at 2.53, Leroy Hunt at 0.84, and Chris Bassitt at 0.87. Most managers hope for 1 or 2 really great guys to use at the back of the bullpen and shut down an opposing team late. Dash manager Tommy Thompson has 6 of those options.

The Dash will look to stay hot as they hit the road this week for 4 games with the Potomic Nationals. On Friday, they return home for a 3 game set with the Salem Red Sox.

Birmingham Barons, AA (14-11)

Compared to the Dash, the Barons look like a bunch of sluggards in week 4. Compared to any other kind of reasonable expectations, their 6-1 record for the week is a rousing success. After splitting the last two against Mississippi on Monday and Tuesday, the Barons stormed into Montgomery and handed the Biscuits their second 5-game sweep of the season. The Barons outscored the Biscuits 39 to 17 in the series.

Two players I’ve already discussed a lot in these pages are continuing to hit well: Jared Mitchell still has “holy cow” type numbers, and Drew Garcia’s bat continues to do great work, but a couple of other players have also seen their numbers tick upwards. Tyler Saladino, one of Garcia’s middle infield partners, has his OBP up to .406 along with a .782 OPS. A middle infielder capable of getting on base at that rate is already very valuable, but when you ad in Saladino’s 7 steals in 8 tries, the White Sox have to be excited about the tools Saladino is displaying. Saladino really lit up Montgomery this week, collecting 9 hits in the last 4 games.

Cameron Bayne hasn’t been talked about in any Monday Minors Recap yet, but his pair of winning starts in the last week merit him mention. Now boasting a 3-0 record and a 2.70 ERA in 5 starts this season, Bayne has been a big piece of the Baron rotation. The Honolulu native isn’t without fault – he’s walked 21 hitters in only 26.2 innings – but at 24 he’s still not too old for AA and has ultimately been able to prevent runs from coming across the plate. A drop in the number of walks he’s handing out could put him on the White Sox serious radar.

The Barons get a day to return home today and they won’t have to get back on the bus for quite a while. A 10-game homestand starts Tuesday with 5 games against the Jacksonville Suns. On Sunday, the Barons begin a 5 game series with the Tennessee Smokies.

Charlotte Knights, AAA (13-11)

The Knights stayed in 2^nd place in the International League South Division – behind the league leading Gwinnett Braves – with a 3-3 record this week. After losing 2 of 3 to the 17-7 Braves, Charlotte headed up to Syracuse and won 2 of their first 3 against the Chiefs.

After a rough start to the season – he gave up 7 runs in his first start of the season – Terry Doyle has seen his numbers creep back down. In fact, Doyle hasn’t given up an earned run in his last two starts, spanning 12 innings, and has his ERA down to 3.63. Doyle also has 16 K’s in those 2 starts and now has 23 in 22.1 innings this season. Combined with the fact that he has only 5 walks, Doyle is starting to look like a serious candidate to help some major league team’s bullpen.

Dylan Axelrod was discussed in this space two weeks ago, and his hot start has paid off in the way all AAA players hope it will: a call to the bigs. White Sox reliever Jesse Crain hit the disabled list on Saturday, and Axelrod was given the call to fill Crains spot in the bullpen. Axelrod, who pitched 18.2 innings in the show last year, has appeared once so far for the White Sox. He pitched 2.1 innings against Boston on Friday and gave up 1 run on 3 hits and a walk while striking out 2. Crain’s injury is “retroactive” from April 21, meaning he is eligible to be removed from the DL on May 6, but he isn’t a lock to return as soon as he’s eligible, so Axelrod may have several more chances to prove himself before somebody has to losees roster spot to Crain.

Charlotte finishes off their series in Syracuse tonight before continuing their road trip with 4 games in Lehigh Valley and 2 games, starting on Friday, back in Gwinnett.

Kannapolis Intimidators, A-ball (6-11)

The last week didn’t go so well for the Intimidators and their stable of former Voyagers. After a good week 2 that put them back above .500, week 3 saw the Intimidators get whipped 6 times in a row, free-falling down to 6-11 overall. The only thing that saved Kannapolis from losing every day last week was Wednesday’s getaway day game in Hickory being mercifully rained out. Still, they lost the first two in Hickory and were then swept at home by the Lexington Legends.

The Intimidators, who have already started the season by firing off some of the earliest roster moves in the system, saw another change this week as 2011 Voyager Kyle Eveland was sent ahead to Winston-Salem. 2010 Voyager Ross Wilson falls into Eveland’s spot as he was moved down from the Dash. Eveland, you may recall, was involved in one of the two moves last week as he was called to Kannapolis from extended spring training. The stats he accrued during his short Kannapolis stint weren’t impressive – only 1 hit in 8 at bats – but whether he impressed the eye of White Sox scouts or the organization planned to push him quickly all along, Eveland is getting his shot at the higher level.

[editors note: There is a great comment below giving more insight into the history of Kyle Eveland and further explaining this move. Thanks Felds!]

This week marks the third in a row that forces me to mention Rangel Ravelo. In addition to his .393 batting average and .975 OPS in 16 games, Ravelo is riding a 13 game hitting streak. With 34 total bases, Ravelo is averaging a sensational 2 bases a game – picture that as either two singles or a double every day – and is second on the team with 8 RBI. He’s having a great run in his second go-around in Kannapolis, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see his name involved in the next Intimidator transaction.

Kannapolis is already 6 games out of first place in their division, and their upcoming schedule doesn’t scream “comeback.” After a travel day today, the Intimidators go on a 7-day road trip. They start with 3 games in Augusta against the GreenJackets and follow that up with 4 games visiting the Rome Braves.

Winston-Salem Dash, High-A (7-8)

Winston-Salem fared a bit better than Kannapolis, but only just, as the Dash’s pair of well-played wins on Wednesday and Thursday were surrounded by four losses. With Sunday’s game suspended due to rain, that left Winston-Salem with a 2-4 record for the week, losing 2 of 3 against both the Myrtle Beach Pelicans and the Wilmington Blue Rocks.

Andre Rienzo again had the performance of the week as he pitched 7 innings while allowing only 1 run and striking out 9 in the Dash’s 3-1 Wednesday win. Incredibly, the performance actually increased Rienzo’s ERA, though it still sits at a tiny 1.00. The Brazilian righty also has 23 K’s in 18 innings.

Brady Shoemaker provided an RBI in the Wednesday win, but that was nothing compared to his heavy lifting on Thursday. Shoemaker drove in all 3 Dash runs in the 3-2 win, hit a pair of solo homers along with an RBI double, and raised his season batting average to .347.

Winston-Salem continues their 8-game homestand tonight as they host the Potomac Nationals for 4 games. They then match up with the Blue Rocks this weekend, this time traveling to Wilmington.

Birmingham Barons, AA (8-10)

Birmingham started the week on one of the Southern League’s patented 5-game, single-series road trips before they returned home to start a set with the Mississippi Braves. The Barons split the final 4 games with Chattanooga and lost 2 of the first 3 with Mississippi, leaving the team 3-4 for the week and 2 games under .500 overall.

SS Drew Garcia has seen his hitting numbers climb up in the last week as he collected 2 multi-hit games and had 5 games with at least 1 hit. The 6-1 El Cajon, California native has his average up to .294 along with a nice .377 OBP. He has also shown good gap power for a middle infielder with 7 extra base hits on the season. Switch-hitting middle infielders with patience and a little pop are valuable commodities, and he’s certainly proving a useful player for the Barons so far.

The Barons had excellent pitching performances in a pair of games against Mississippi that unfortunately still ended in a split. Nestor Molina – universally ranked as one of the top few prospects in the White Sox system – got the start on Friday in a 10-0 blowout win. Molina went 7 shutout innings while striking out 5 and allowing only 7 base runners. After a shakier start to the season, the effort stabilized Molina’s numbers as the converted outfielder now sits with a 3.80 ERA and a 16/2 K/BB ratio in 23.2 innings.

The next day the Barons got into an intense pitchers’ duel with the Braves. Baron starter Jose Quintana allowed 3 of his 5 hits and his lone run in the 2^nd inning, and that was unfortunately all Braves starter Zeke Spruill would need, as he put in 7 shutout innings to earn his 2^nd win. Quintana has arguably been the staff ace in Birmingham with a 2.66 ERA in 23.2 innings. Quintana also has 21 strikeouts. Despite those excellent numbers, Quintana has failed to get any run support and sits at 0-2 on the season.

The Barons finish up their 5-game set with 2 more games against Mississippi starting tonight, then get a travel day before heading to Montgomery for 5 games with the Biscuits. Games 1 and 2 of that series are on Thursday in a day/night doubleheader.

Charlotte Knights, AAA (10-8)

After a slow first 2 weeks, Charlotte bucked the trend from the rest of the system and took off in week 3 as they won 6 of their 7 games. A 4-game sweep of the Durham Bulls and 2 out of 3 against the Gwinnett Braves put Charlotte as the only White Sox affiliate with a winning record and only 2 games out of first place in their division.

Several Knights who started slow are getting things going with the bat.  2009 first-round pick Josh Phegley is getting hot as he splits catching time with Hector Gimenez, hitting .373 on the season with 6 doubles and a home run. Any player on the AAA roster is always one big-league injury from the phone call of their life, but that’s especially true at the volatile catcher position. Phegley has never had a full season anything like his current numbers before, so some correction is likely, but if he is able to maintain anything remotely like his current pace he’s bound to be the first emergency option if something goes wrong in Chicago.

Former LA Angel Dallas McPherson also heated up this week and now has his OPS raised to .862. Though he has struck out 24 times already, McPherson’s 7 doubles and 2 home runs have led to a strong .500 slugging percentage. McPherson hasn’t spent more than token time in the bigs since 2006, so he’s likely viewed as an emergency option by White Sox brass, but the potential upside of cheap pop is definitely the kind of things GM’s go for when picking out new, in-house bench options.

After an off-day today, the Knights continue their play against Gwinnett as they head on the road for 3 with the Braves starting Tuesday. The long road trip continues over the weekend as the Knights start a 3-game set in Syracuse on Friday. The Knights had better get used to the road: they won’t be back in Charlotte again until May 7.

The first week of the season was terrible across the board for the White Sox system, but week 2 brought much better fortunes. After a 6-13 start, the organization combined for a 15-9 record in the second go around, and every team but one had a winning week.

Kannapolis Intimidators, A-ball (6-5)

After a poor first week that saw only 1 Intimidator win, the boys in Kannapolis turned things around this week and got over .500 by rattling off 5 wins in 6 days. The run included several close games, extra-inning affairs, and walk-off wins.

The Intimidators also become the first team in the White Sox system to experience a batch of roster changes. Former Voyager SS Kyle Eveland and infielder Grant Buckner were called to Kannapolis from extended spring training. Eveland spent sizeable chunks of time with both the Voyagers and Kannapolis last season, and the 24-year old even picked up 11 at bats in 6 games with Winston-Salem. He hit .234 with a .358 OBP for the Voyagers in 40 games last year. To make space on the roster, C Jim Jacquot was released from the organization and 2011 Voyager Joe De Pinto was transferred to extended spring training. De Pinto was hitting .214 with a .674 OPS in 28 at bats with the Intimidators. He also committed 3 errors, tied for the team lead.

After taking his first professional loss in his first start, 2011 Pioneer League Pitcher of the Year Blair Walters picked up his game in his second effort. Last Wednesday, Walters matched a career high with 10 strikeouts in one game as he held the Delmarva Shorebirds to just 1 run in 6 innings. He didn’t earn a decision, but the Intimidators took a lead after he left and won 2-1. Walters now has a 2.70 ERA with a whopping 15 K’s in just 10 innings and has allowed only 6 hits and 3 walks.

Fellow starter Kevin Vance has been another bright spot in the Intimidators rotation, allowing only 1 run and 6 hits while striking out 10 in 2 starts. Though Vance walked 6 in his 10 innings of work, his ERA still sits at a miniscule 0.90.

Offensively, not much has changed since last week as Rangel Ravelo and Leighton Pangilinan are still far outpacing the rest of the squad. With 14 hits, 6 RBI, 1 home run, and 5 doubles or triples each, the two are neck-and-neck for early-season team MVP status. Ravelo has the edge in OPS – 1.050 to .931 – thusfar, but this early in the season just one big game could tip the scales towards Pangilinan.

The Intimidators continue their week-long road trip tonight as they start a 3 game series with the Hickory Crawdads. On Thursday, they return home for a 4-game set with the Lexington Legends.

Winston-Salem Dash, High A-ball (5-4)

Like the Intimidators, the Dash started the season with only 1 win in the first week but picked things up in week 2. A strong 4-2 week put the Dash in a tie for first place in the Southern Division of the Carolina League. Offense was the main reason for the surge as the Dash scored 37 runs in the 6 games, averaging of over 6 runs per contest, but the week also included a pair of top-notch pitching performances as well.

The winning run began on Wednesday with a 13-0 drubbing of the Frederick Keys, and it showcased Dash talent in both sides of the game. Matthew Heidenreich got the start – his first appearance of the season – and promptly threw 5 shutout innings while striking out 6 and allowing only 3 hits. Justin Collop, Paul Burnside, and Kyle Bellamy combined to work 4 hitless bullpen innings to preserve Heidenreich’s well-earned win.  Collop has established himself as the go-to setup man in the Dash bullpen with a 1-0 record in 3 appearances. While he has only struck out two opposing hitters in his 7 innings of work, he has managed to disrupt hitters in other ways, allowing only 5 hits and boasting a 1.29 ERA. Meanwhile, 9 different Dash had hits in the contest and 6 had RBI.

Andre Rienzo got the start on Friday and dominated en route to a 1-0 Dash win. Outdueling Carolina Mudcat starter Mike Rayl, Rienzo threw 6 shutout innings while striking out 9. In the 6’ 3” 24-year old’s 2 starts this year, he’s gone 11 innings, allowed just 1 run and 8 hits, struck out 14, and complied an ERA of 0.82.

The offense has been deep and well-balanced for the Dash with 8 different players with 5 or more runs scored and 7 different players with an OPS above .716, but 3B Carlos Sanchez and LF Bray Shoemaker have provided the heaviest lifting. Both are getting on base at very high rates – Sanchez leads the team with a .488 OBP with Shoemaker in third at .395 – and slugging effectively as well. Former Voyager Michael Early is also putting forth good offensive numbers with 1 home run, 5 RBI, and a .292 batting average.

Winston-Salem plays the first of 3 in Myrtle Beach tonight, then returns home for 4 games with the Wilmington Blue Rocks.

Birmingham Barons, AA (5-6)

Birmingham continued the trend of an improved week two by following up their 1-4 start with a 4-2 second week of play. The Barons won 3 games of their Southern League signature 5-game series with the Huntsville Stars, and then won the first of 5 with the Chattanooga Lookouts.

Henry Mabee has continued to be the key member of the Baron bullpen, and after 5 more scoreless innings this week he sits at 9.1 shutout innings to start the season. Mabee has picked up a pair of wins and a save in the process, giving him a key statistic in 3 of the Baron’s 5 wins. In the Southern League since 2009, it may be critical that Mabee continue to totally shut-down opponents if he wants to be the next Voyager in the White Sox big-league plans.

Offensively, Jared Mitchell is eclipsing the rest of the team by a wide margin.  The 23^rd overall pick in the 2009 draft, Mitchell missed all of 2010 with an injury and then disappointed last year in Winston-Salem. Still talented, the White Sox decided to challenge him by aggressively moving the speedy center fielder up to AA, giving him an opportunity to reestablish himself as a major piece in the franchise’s plans. Mitchell has responded with a tremendous start, collecting 12 hits in 35 at bats – a .343 average – along with 3 doubles, 2 triples, and 10 RBI. It is still very early, but his 1.053 OPS ranks fourth in the Southern League, and the 3 players ahead of Mitchell all play offensively-minded corner infield positions. Perhaps most important to Mitchell’s long term development is his renewed control of the strike zone. He struck out 183 times while only drawing 52 walks last season: a devastatingly poor ratio for a speedy, on-base type. This year, Mitchell has reestablished his patience and drawn 11 walks while striking out 11 times. This has resulted in Mitchell reaching base in over 50% of his plate appearances. Obviously, any speedy, solid-defending center fielder with good on base skills is a premium asset for major league teams, and Mitchell has to have the White Sox hopeful that he’s ready to fulfill his high promise.

The Barons finish out their last 4 games in Chattanooga starting tonight before returning to Regions Park to host the Mississippi Braves for 5 games.

Charlotte Knights, AAA (4-7)

Charlotte had the best record in the White Sox system by the last edition of Monday Minors Recap, but they still sat below .500 at 2-3 and faced a long week on the road in week 2. Unlike the other teams in the system, the Knights didn’t put together a winning week, lost 4 of 6 games, and fell to last in the International League South. Pitching wasn’t the problem, as the Knights only allowed 16 runs in 6 days: a 2.66 run-per-game average. While the offense outscored the pitching with 20 runs, the runs didn’t come at the right times and the team dropped 4 one-run contests.

The Knights have a pair of starters who have excelled so far in Dylan Axelrod and Eric Stults. Stults is a 31 year-old lefty the White Sox signed out of free agency. He’s spent parts of 5 different seasons on various MLB rosters since 2007 and is expected to be ready if the White Sox need help on the major league staff. Through two starts, he’s pitched 11 innings, allowing only 2 runs – a 1.64 ERA – and struck out 9.

Axelrod has similar numbers: 2 starts, 12 innings, 2 runs – a 1.50 ERA – and 14 strikeouts, but his career outlook is much different. A 26 year-old from UC-Irvine, Axelrod commands four different pitches and is usually ranked among the White Sox best half-dozen prospects. Axelrod is seeking to prove his abilities as a solid 4^th or 5^th starter on a good major league team, and a dominating start against International League competition puts him on the right track.

Offensively, Jordan Danks was probably the highlight of a bad week for the Knights. Danks is coming into today riding a 5-game hitting streak, and he also drew 7 walks in the last week. All this adds up to give the center fielder a .432 OBP and an .886 OPS. Danks has also showed a bit of gap power with 3 extra base hits while only striking out 8 times. The 6’ 4”, left-handed, former Texas Longhorn is in his third full season in AAA and has improved at the plate every season. If he can sustain something like his current pace, it may be time for the 25 year-old to finally break through to the bigs.

The Knights will hope a little home cooking will reverse their fortunes this week as they return to Knight Stadium for a 7-game homestand. 4 games with the Durham Bulls are followed by a 3-game weekend set with the Gwinnett Braves.

Welcome to the first ever feature of Monday Minors Recap. Every Monday for the rest of the season I’ll be taking a look at the other teams in the White Sox system and updating readers on how the teams have done. Of course, I’ll be paying special attention to Voyager alums.

Yes. I know it’s Tuesday. Better late than never, right? Consider yesterday a preview…

The White Sox farm system hasn’t done well so far. With a combined record of 6-13, the wins haven’t quite come yet across the system. That said, there are plenty of individual players who are having nice starts, and many once wore a Voyager uniform.

Kannapolis Intimidators, A-ball (1-4)

Kannapolis struggled in the first week of play, dropping 3 of 4 to the Hickory Crawdads and the first of 3 with the Delmarva Shorebirds. Going has been tough on both sides of the ball as the team has allowed 35 runs (7 per game) and scored just 19 (3.8 per game). The power bats have been almost completely silent with only 1 home run so far. The Intimidators have also made 12 errors.

It’s not all bad, however, as a couple of Intimidators have had great starts. 2011 Voyager Stephen McCray started half of a doubleheader against Hickory on April 7 and threw 4 scoreless innings. McCray only allowed 2 hits while striking out 5 as he came out with a no-decision.

Leighton Pangilinan has provided one of the few bright spots offensively as he’s lit up Sally League pitching through the first weekend. 8 hits, 13 total bases, and only 3 K’s in 21 plate appearences has the first baseman boasting a .421/.476/.684 triple slash line (batting average/on-base percentage/slugging). Those are big time numbers. Rangel Ravelo never played in Great Falls, but he has the team’s only home run and boast a 1.038 OPS. Most of the rest of the team has started poorly offensively, but there is still plenty of time to get going.

The Intimidators continue their series with Delmarva tonight and tomorrow.  On Thursday, they head on the road for the first time for 4 games with the Lexington Legends.

Winston-Salem Dash, High A-ball (1-2)

The Dash have also started a bit slow, dropping their first series 2 out of 3 to the Carolina Mudcats. The offense has put forth a strong 18 runs, but the pitching has given that back with more to spare allowing 23 to score. Former Voyager Spencer Arroyo was shelled particularily hard in his start on Sunday. Arroyo couldn’t get through the fourth inning and allowed 7 runs on 6 hits and a walk. He did, however, pick up 5 K’s, which could be a sign of better things to come.

None of the hitters have much of a stat line through 3 games as 11 at bats is the most any Dash player has, but a couple Voyager alums have picked up some big knocks. Catcher Michael Blanke has the only Dash home run of the season in his 7 at bats. Trayce Thompson has also walked 3 times and stolen a pair of bases so far, a good start for a speedy center fielder who looks to get on base and run.

The Dash start a new road series against the Frederick Keys tonight before heading home for a weekend trio with the Carolina Mud Cats.

Birmingham Barons, AA (1-4)

Continuing the trend of rough starts in the White Sox system, the AA Birmingham Barons of the Southern League lost 4 games of a 5-game road series against the Jacksonville Generals. The Barons actually outscored their opposition 19-18 but lost 3 1-run games. For many teams, that is simple bad luck, so Baron fans shouldn’t get down on their team yet.

2007 Voyager Henry Mabee was a key contributor on the hill for the Barons, pitching 4.1 scoreless innings in two relief appearences and earning the team’s only win. Mabee also picked up 3 K’s and didn’t walk a man. Drew Garcia, back with Birmingham after spending much of last season with AAA Charlotte, has been the big stick, collecting 7 hits, including a double, in 17 at bats.

The Barons head back to Birmingham tonight for their home opener, the first of 5 games with the Huntsville Stars (the Southern League seems to play oddly long 5 game series), then hits the road again on Sunday to start a 5-game set in Chattanooga.

Charlotte Knights, AAA (2-3)

The Knights have been the White Sox most successful team so far this season, which isn’t too good when you consider they are only 2-3. The Knights won the first two games of the season against the Norfolk Tides, but then dropped the final two games of the series and lost the first game of 3 against the Durham Bulls.

Yesterday, I discussed how this season may be make-or-break for Tyler Kuhn’s career, and he has answered the bell in a big way thusfar. Through 5 games, the 25 year-old second baseman is hitting .421 with 3 extra base hits, 12 total bases and has racked up a 1.032 OPS. This comes while playing without an error at second base. Former Voyager Anthony Carter has also had a solid start from the mound. He has two scoreless innings and has picked up a save along the way.

Charlotte plays game 2 of 3 in Durham tonight before going to Norfolk to play 3 more with the Tides over the weekend.

I’ve been promising to take a look at the Voyagers filling out the White Sox minor league system above Kannapolis, and now I’m finally going to make good. Obviously, there are lots of guys to take a look at, so for the most part, I’m just going to provide a nice, broken down list of where guys have ended up. Don’t worry, I’ll help you keep up with them throughout the season too.

Most Mondays, starting next week, I’ll be doing look around the entire White Sox minor leagues and updating readers how things are going. There will be special attention paid to Voyager alumni. That should make it pretty easy to keep informed about all the guys I’ve been tracking as rosters were set. Though the weekly feature will be called “Monday Minors Recap,” I’ll still put up the first one tomorrow, so the first iteration of ‘MMR’ will actually be on a Tuesday. How’s that for confusing?

We already went over the White Sox A-ball team in Kannapolis, so next up is the High-A Winston-Salem Dash of the Carolina League. Here’s the list of former Voyagers assigned to Winston-Salem along with the years they appeared in a Voyager uniform.

Winston-Salem Dash

• Gary Ward (Hitting Coach 2011)
• Michael Early (2010, ’11)
• Spencer Arroyo (2010)
• Jon Bachanov (2010)
• Paul Burnside (2009, ’10)
• Michael Blanke (2010)
• Ross Wilson (2010)
• Ryan Buch (2009)
• Justin Collop (2009)
• Nick Ciolli (2009)
• Trayce Thompson (2009)
• Leroy Hunt (2007)

In addition to Paul Burnside, who played in Great Falls for two seasons, and Michael Blanke, who slugged the ball around a good bit in 2010, there are two names off that list that I think should jump out to Voyager fans. Both Michael Early and Gary Ward took the leap straight to the Dash from Great Falls and skipped Kannapolis in the middle. Both guys have rings from the Voyagers championship run last year as well. Early was of course a key hitter for the Voyagers last year and has played 124 lifetimes games in a Voyager uniform. Gary Ward makes the jump not as a player, but as hitting coach. It’s an exciting move up the ladder for both guys, and it speaks well for how both factor into the White Sox future plans.

Moving along to AA ball, here’s the list of former Voyagers with the Birmingham Barons of the Southern League.

Birmingham Barons

• Andy Wilkins (2010)
• Matt Wickswat (2008, ’09)
• Kevin Dubler (2009)
• Cameron Bayne (2008)
• Dan Remenowsky (2008)
• Luis Sierra (2008)
• Kenneth Williams (2008)
• Henry Mabee (2007)

The fast rise of Andy Wilkins is noteworthy; the patient first baseman hit well for the Voyagers in 2010 and then skipped Kannapolis altogether, jumping straight to Winston-Salem in 2011. After continued success at that level – something that bodes well for Michael Early – Wilkins continued to progress up the system into AA, where he is now a few games into the season. With long time White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko signed through 2013 perpetually nearing retirement, the White Sox will be looking for a new first baseman before too long, and Wilkins may be making himself part of the plans.

Last, we take a look at the AAA Charlotte Knights of the International League. As is often the case with AAA teams, Charlotte is filled with much older players than the rest of the farm system as the White Sox have loaded the roster with a variety of positional backups for the major league roster. Is various key White Sox go down, it’s important for GM Kenny Williams to know he has a variety of veteran journeymen with major league experience to step in if needed. There are still 5 Voyagers on the Knight’s roster though.

Charlotte Knights

• Anthony Carter (2007)
• Jim Gallagher (2007)
• Tyler Kuhn (2008)
• Kyle Shelton (2008)
• Terry Doyle (2009)

Tyler Kuhn was definitely a noteworthy Voyager when he played in Great Falls in 2008. He absolutely raked while in a Voyager uniform, finishing the year with a .375 batting average and 23 doubles in 62 games while roaming second base at Centene Stadium. He’s never quite replicated that level of success, but he had a very good 2011 season in his second go-around in AA Birmingham (.341 batting average with 28 doubles in 107 games) and will get his first full-season crack in AAA ball this year. The White Sox infield is quite set for the foreseeable future, but Kuhn is a good option should a player like 2B Gordon Beckham get hurt, and if he performs well in Charlotte this season he just may become valuable trade bait to another major league franchise looking to acquire a young starting second baseman.

I also want to mention Terry Doyle, who has rocketed through the White Sox system. This year will be his first in AAA, but he’s already there after playing in Great Falls in 2009. That’s a very quick amount of time to go from Rookie ball to AAA. Doyle almost became a Minnesota Twin after he got taken by that team in the Rule V draft, but the Twins decided to send him back to the Sox, so he’ll get his first action in Charlotte instead of Minnesota this season. He’s definitely on the radar of the Sox if they need long relief help any time this year.