Kelly’s Korner: Revving Up

As we near the end of the month, we’re starting to prepare ourselves for the “busy” season. Any businessman will tell you that busy is good and the same goes for running a baseball team. ‘Tis the season for phone calls, meetings, arriving early and staying late.

Some of the on-going projects we’re working on are: the elementary school reading program where kids are rewarded with Voyagers swag depending on how many hours they read per week, designing ads for the program, updating our social media presence, and filling our promotional calendar. I’m in the midst of getting folks around town on board for a Home and Garden Night, BBQ wing Night, and a Bike to the Ballpark Night to add to the summer fun at Centene Stadium.

So as we gear up for what’s to come, I’ll let you wind down with some pictures of Orbit from the Ice Breaker Road Race last weekend and a picture of Billy C., our head groundskeeper, showing off his 2011 Pioneer League Championship Ring courtesy of Gretchen Swift over at Floors and More.

Visitors at the Ballpark!

We had a little fun at the ballpark yesterday that reminded everybody what enjoying baseball is all about. The great folks at the Head Start program in Vaughn brought their preschoolers out to Centene Stadium yesterday for a tour of the park and lunch. Voyager concessions manager and pro-level tour guide Sarah Connors brought them around the park and showed the kids all the best spots of the park. Sarah walked them through all the best parts of the hall of fame, the press box, the concession stands, and the field itself.

The field itself definitely looked like the most fun part. After getting to sit in the dugouts just like the players, Sarah took the kids out for a run around the bases. After that, it was a little trip down the right field line for a shot in the batting cages. All the kids got a few swings at the same tees the Voyagers use. As you can see, there were a few major sluggers among the group.

All the kids had worked up quite an appetite after all that running and hitting, so the staff fired up the grill and got some lunch ready. What better food for the ballpark than a hot dog and chips?

All in all, it looked like the kids had a great time! They were our first tour group of the year, but there is lots of room for more coming up. Sarah is ready with different tours for different ages and groups, and all the plans are very affordable. To be honest, I’d be impressed by ANYBODY who can just give that many kids lunch for what the tour cost, and we gave them lunch AND a fun day at the ballpark! All you have to do to schedule a tour is call us at (406) 452-5311.

Great Falls Historical Room Gets Well-Earned Accolades

Followers of the official Voyagers Twitter account (@gfvoyagers) may have noticed a few days ago that the Voyagers had been included on a list of very prestigious baseball clubs. On Friday, BallparkDigest.com announced its list of the 12 best in-ballpark museums in the country, and the historical room at Centene Stadium made the cut!

In fact, the Great Falls Historical Room didn’t merely sneak on the list: it placed 4th. The room finished behind only the museums at the Atlanta Braves’ Turner Field, the Cincinnati Reds’ Great American Ballpark, and the home of the Arkansas Travelers of the AA Texas League. The Great Falls Historical Room, placing 2nd among all minor league baseball museums, was ranked ahead of museums at the Kansas City Royals’ Kauffman Stadium, the Philadelphia Phillies’ Citizens Bank Park, and even the legendary Monument Park at Yankee Stadium.

The article unveiling the list gives big credit to museum historian and caretaker Jim Eakland. The accolades are well deserved as preserving the huge wealth of artifacts and information present in the museum has been a labor of love for Jim for many years. The Cincinnati Reds’ Museum, Monument Park, and many of the other museums on the list were results of multi-million dollar renovations and the efforts of whole crews of curators. Meanwhile, Jim has managed to accumulate one of America’s leading repositories of baseball wealth through mostly his own efforts. Anybody coming to the ballpark should make time to talk to Jim: he can tell you about any aspect of the epic tale of Great Falls baseball you would care to hear about. He’s always willing to share what he’s learned, and he’s definitely already helped me learn about Voyager history as I prepare for this season’s broadcasts.

Mention by BallparkDigest.com won’t be the only recognition Jim receives this season. The team is planning several public relations efforts starring Jim’s efforts this year. All these efforts will culminate in a special series of conversations between Jim and me which will be recorded and played live before select Voyager radio broadcasts this season. Don’t worry if you miss one: they’ll all be uploaded on this blog after they air. I’ll have more details in this space as the season nears.

So round of applause for Jim Eakland, who has received a well-earned tip-of-the-cap with the museum’s inclusion in this list. Jim’s efforts to catalogue the rich baseball history of the town are truly one of the things that make Great Falls great.

Monday Minors Recap Week 3

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 2nd inning, and that was unfortunately all Braves starter Zeke Spruill would need, as he put in 7 shutout innings to earn his 2nd 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.

Kelly’s Korner: Don’t Break the Ice!

Presented this week without annotation!

On your mark, get set, GO! The 33rd annual Ice Breaker Road Race is this Sunday in Downtown Great Falls. Grab your favorite pair of Nike’s and join over 3,400 people for the 1 mile, 3 mile and 5 mile event. If you need a little incentive to get going, Orbit our trusty mascot, will be there cheering on runners and walkers, playing with the kids and participating in the 1 mile fun run.

For most participants, this is an event to work toward accomplishing a goal, to get together with friends and a fun way to be a part of the Great Falls community. This is true for Orbit as well but I have a sneaking suspicion the Alien is taking things one step further. Every time I walk by the training room, Orbit is training on the treadmill or working on his powerlifts. You’d think it was a crazy CrossFit workout he’s doing. Plus, I know that none of us in the office are drinking three protein shakes a day. Let’s just say to keep an eye on our mascot, he’s always got some sort of trick up his sleeve. I’ll be out there on Sunday and I expect to see some fast runners (listen for the name Matt Baker), a good costume or two (look for super hero Cord Houston) and lots of smiling faces.

The real fun will happen after the race when the loser of a long standing bet between some of my buddies will have to jump into the Missouri River. The temperature right now is a balmy 43 degrees. The Ice Breaker always brings out a good crowd. Come join in on the afternoon’s activities and support fellow friends and family in Great Falls. At the very least, make sure to give Orbit a hi-five! Happy weekend, All. Cheers!

New Draft Rules

Over the next couple of months, I’ll be spending the occasional blog post delving into past White Sox rookie drafts. Obviously the rookie draft holds an immediate influence over who shows up to play ball in Great Falls, and it should be interesting and revealing to delve into what tendencies the White Sox have in their annual draft strategy. Once the 2012 draft rolls around, we’ll already have built a great picture of what the Sox usually do, so we’ll be able to see how the deviated this time and analyze what that might mean.

Before we get into that, it’s important to note that some VERY major changes were made to the draft this season. When Major League Baseball and the players’ union agreed to the new collective bargaining agreement last offseason, substantial changes in draftee compensation – and international signings – came along with the other adjustments.  In order to prepare for our analysis of past White Sox draft classes, here’s a rundown of the changes that were made.

International Spending

The White Sox have traditionally been very quiet here, so these changes may not affect who we see in a Voyager uniform as much, but they’re still a major shift. Limits are being imposed on all spending on international signings starting this offseason. This year, the limit is $2.9 million, but in later years the limit will be different for every team with winning teams allowed less and losing teams allowed more. Penalties for exceeding the limit are very strict. Teams going over by less than 5% have to pay a 75% tax on the overage. Going over by 5-10% costs the 75% tax and the right to pay more than one player a bonus of over $500k the following offseason. 10-15% over means a 100% tax and that team can’t sign any player for more than $500k, and more than 15% over means no player can be signed for more than $250k. Basically, going over your limit by more than 5% substantially hamstrings a franchise’s ability to chase highly sought-after internationals the following offseason. Players from Japan, currently signed by a complex posting system, and professional Cubans over the age of 23 do not count under this budget. The idea, as written into the CBA, is that this system will be replaced with an international amateur draft by 2014.

Amateur Draft

The draft is seeing a huge host of changes, including harder bonus slotting, a quickened schedule, and a competitive balance lottery. The spending limitations will have the most pronounced effect on the Voyagers roster, though the other changes will cause the actions of the White Sox to have a little more effect on available draft picks. Since most of the Sox draft picks become Voyagers before too long, these little changes could obviously add or subtract an extra star or two from the Voyagers’ roster any given year.

The compensation changes are similar to the ones the NFL instituted two years ago. After seeing huge bonuses handed out to guys like Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper, the MLB decided to draw the line against the Scott Borases of the world and impose strict limits on bonuses that go to top picks.

Draft picks have always had slotted values, but these values were largely ignored in the early rounds and only used as guidelines in later rounds. These slots values will now be extremely important: each team will be given a different limit, based on total slot value, to hand out in bonuses for players drafted in the first ten rounds. Depending on what picks a team has, these limits will vary greatly. Teams may be allowed as little as $4.5 million to hand out or as much as over $11 million. Draft picks taken after the 10th round won’t count under the new limit unless their bonus exceeds $100k.

Like the international signing rules, penalties for exceeding the limit are harsh. Going over by 5% costs a team a 75% tax. A fair amount by teams are likely to end up in this region by going over by a few thousand dollars. Going over by more than 5% starts to cause extreme losses of draft picks. A 5-10% overage costs a team the tax and loss of their first round pick in the next year’s draft. 10-15% and the team loses a first rounder and a second rounder, and over 15% costs the team a 100% tax and their next two first round picks. Going more than 5% over the limit is essentially not an option for any reasonable team.

Some would expect teams to draft a couple players they have no intent of signing to save money, but new rules take that option off the table too. Any player drafted in the top ten rounds who isn’t signed has his draft slot’s value deducted from that team’s spending limit. This puts a premium on teams drafting players they know they can sign to avoid surprise limit problems. In the past, teams have generally taken care to draft players they know they can sign easily, especially in rounds 5-10, but this definitely adds more weight to that calculus. All the decisions will have to be made in less time too: the draft signing deadline has been moved from August 15 to the week of July 12, only about 5 weeks after the June 4 draft.

Agents have recently taken to demanding major league contracts for their top picks. In addition to bringing in more salary for their client, it starts a player’s free-agent clock, meaning they become a free agent 6 years after signing instead of having to fight up through the minors and then wait 6 more years before they can get a lucrative free-agent deal. This is no longer allowed. Draftee contracts can only be standard minor league deals. This only really affects the top few spots in the draft.

Perhaps the most out-of-the-box change to the draft is the competitive balance lottery. In addition to upgrades to the luxury tax system, the competitive balance lottery will give added benefits to poorer teams by offering them the chance to win draft picks in addition to their luxury tax proceeds. The teams with the 10 lowest total revenues and the teams with the 10 smallest markets – obviously there will typically be a lot of overlap between these two lists – will be entered into a lottery to win 1 of 6 “sandwich” picks added to the end of the 1st round. Teams that don’t win one of those 6 picks will have their names entered into the drawing for 6 more picks attached to the end of the 2nd. A team’s chances of winning in these lotteries will be determined by the previous season’s record. These picks will also break a long-held tenant of MLB drafts picks: they will be fully tradeable.

Effects on the Voyagers

These rule changes might affect the Voyagers less than they do the minor league franchises of most other teams. The White Sox have consistently had some of the very lowest draft spending for many years – they spent less than 3 million on bonuses last season – so they won’t have to change their strategies too much to stay under their bonus limit. As I mentioned above, they have been almost totally uninvolved in the market for big-ticket international free agents for many years as well, so don’t expect those restrictions to suddenly curtail their behavior. Forbes also recently reported the White Sox have the 10th highest revenue in baseball, so don’t expect them to be eligible for any extra lottery picks soon.

Without many effects through these changes, the biggest effect on the Voyagers’ rosters will likely be a result of any overall macro changes caused by the new rules. It is difficult to predict what these may be, however, as nobody is really quite sure and there are plenty of competing theories. The changes were made ostensibly to give smaller market teams an advantage in player development, but there are a few who have argued that the changes will eliminate an advantage small market teams have held: the ability to gamble by spending big on the draft. A small market team can never hope to sign free agents with the big boys, so their only chance to compete is to hit a few lucky drafts in a row and develop lots of young players before they all get bigger paydays elsewhere. I don’t find that alternate theory very convincing – this “draft roulette” strategy hasn’t really existed anywhere in reality and many of the big market teams are also the big spenders on draft day – but there is still dissent over how helpful the changes will be to poor teams.

Others, mostly agents unhappy with the changes, have also argued that the substantially lower amount of money available to young ballplayers will shrink the available talent pool in the draft. Agents argue that without the possibility of huge, over-slot bonuses more high school ballplayers might opt to go to college for a couple of years, or more multi-sport athletes might decide to try their hand in the NBA, NCAA, or NFL rather than playing pro baseball. These examples aren’t totally without backing: Minnesota Twins star Joe Mauer, for example, was given an over-slot contract from the Twins to induce him to walk away from a scholarship offer to play quarterback for Florida State. For the most part, though, examples of elite athletes equally gifted in multiple sports are few and far between. It is hard to imagine many ballplayers who would have taken $5 million to play minor league baseball instead of taking their scholarship offer to Texas would choose Texas over the allure of the major leagues just because their offer dropped to $3 million. Last, even if a few prep sluggers decide to play college ball for a few years before signing a pro contract, can we really call that a bad thing? Those players will still join the MLB talent pool someday. Now they’ll just come in having been seasoned in college for a few years, have an education, and add their talents to the exciting, if underappreciated, tapestry of college baseball. That seems like a wash, at worst, for pro baseball and a possible big gain for the college game.

While it doesn’t seem the changes will have a direct impact on the White Sox particular draft strategy, the overall effects on the landscape of the draft could be profound enough to cause a noticeable shift in MLB draft trends. As I promised 1,800 words ago, we’ll all get a good look at the White Sox tendencies over the next couple of months in this space. Once the actual draft results roll in, we might get a better idea how the new rules have changed which players show up in Great Falls.

Monday Minors Recap: Week 2

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 23rd 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 4th or 5th 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.

Kelly’s Korner: Centene Upgrades and Fun Around Town

Welcome Back to another Friday on ‘the Volume,’ and that means another edition of Kelly’s Korner! Kelly has lots of fun tidbits this week including several pieces of news on the latest improvements to Centene Stadium. As we promised before, she also has checked out a few of the restaurants in Great Falls over the last couple of weeks, and she talks about a couple of her favorites. I’ll be back on Monday for your weekly Monday Minors Recap. Here’s Kelly!

Hello All,
With this springtime 55 degree weather outside and the ballpark starting to come to life after a long winter, things are starting to fall into place for the 2012 Voyagers season. I just got word of two new Centene Stadium renovations and installations to happen ASAP: landscaping to be done near the main entrance and a new bike rack to be placed by the Box Office. These improvements will be welcomed with open arms seeing as how the front of the stadium now consists of dirt and gravel and there’s no way to keep bikes secure.

I am particularily excited about the new bike rack! Moving from Missoula, where people ride their bike everywhere and even transport their children and dogs with them, it’s taking me a while to adjust to a more motor vehicle oriented Great Falls. The streets are easier to navigate here but things are more spread out, thus making it less convenient to commute on bike. With that said, I’m hoping that our new bike rack at the stadium will entice folks to strap on a helmet, clip on their reflecting light and ride on out to the games. Who knows…on a Thirsty Thursday with plenty of empty $2 domestic beer cans (what a deal!) in front of you , your bike could be your new best friend. Needless to say, I’m excited for the additions to Centene to get underway and excited for the challenge to see how many days I can ride my bike to the ballpark.
On a different note, I had the pleasure of two nice afternoons experiencing the cuisine of Great Falls. My friend Jeff suggested Boston’s Pizza for lunch. Other than the Masters on TV and my delightfully tasty fries (that surely rival those of McDonalds!), the best part about Boston’s was that they have people open the doors for you when you enter and exit the restaurant. How’s that for service?! It’s not every day you feel like royalty! My friend Derrick and I found ourselves at the Staggering Ox downtown a few days later, where I had the ever popular “Nuke” three-meat sandwich. Imagine a circular, mini loaf of bread hollowed out in the middle for all the fixins. Voila! That’s an Ox sando! With names like “Chernobyl Melt Down,” “Headbanger’s Hoagie,” and “The Beastie” you can tell the employees have fun where they work.
Well folks, I’m off to enjoy the weekend. Hopefully the sun keeps shining so I can get out on the River’s Edge Trail. Don’t forget to dust off that old Ouija Board – It’s Friday the 13th. Have a great and safe weekend!

Monday Minors Recap: Tuesday Edition

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.

Opening Day Look: The Dash and Beyond

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.