KANNAPOLIS, N.C. – The Kannapolis Cannon Ballers struggled mightily this week, dropping five of six against the Low-A leading Charleston RiverDogs (TB).
Overall Statistics:
W-L: 1-5 (Overall: 16-37)
Hitting – (Slash Line): .263/.330/.420, 54 Hits, 20 XBH, 34 Runs, 19 BB, 60 SO
Pitching – 9.00 ERA, .346 OPP BA, 2.11 WHIP, 79 Hits, 60 Runs, 28 XBH, 35 BB, 62 SO
As you can see by the stats, Kannapolis got their doors blown off by stiff competition. There were a few players who were able to stand out for the Cannon Ballers amidst their gut-check week. The Kannapolis bats were fairly quiet, despite being able to match Charleston on a few occasions. The big issue lay with the pitching that couldn’t keep the RiverDogs off the scoreboard. Charleston had double digit hit totals on five occasions and scored tallied double digit run totals on four occasions, their largest production coming on June 29 with 16 runs scored on 18 hits.
Who Balled Out?
Kannapolis just got outplayed, flat out. Even though it was a struggle as a collective, some individuals performed well enough to keep themselves in games. Here’s a look at who contributed this week:
Bryan Ramos, IF/DH
Stat Line: 6 G, 25 AB, .280/.333/.400, 7 H, 3 2B, 5 RBI, 3 R, BB, 4 SO
Ramos had himself a respectable week against the RiverDogs pitching that consistently was in the upper 90 mph range all week. The 19-year-old was able to collect three multi-hit games, including a two-double performance in the aforementioned June 29 shootout loss. While his stat line might not be flashy, just keeping his consistent play has provided enough of a spark for Kannapolis and himself to steadily cruise and keep contributing. With this solid stretch, Ramos’ season batting average moved up to .247 and his OPS is nearing the .800 threshold.
Not only was he solid at the plate, he was able to go a week without making an error in the field. Despite splitting the six game set between second base and designated hitter, Ramos having an error-free week shows signs that he might be able to play more consistently in the field. The approach that manager Guillermo Quiroz has with alternating between the two positions seems to be helping the Cuban import settle in quite nicely.
Harvin Mendoza, IF
Stat Line: 6G, 22 AB, .318/.400/.591, 7 H, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 4 R, 3 BB, 4 SO
Hot Harvin Mendoza keeps on cruising at the plate for another week. Over his last 12 games, Mendoza posted an impressive .372 average and a strong .986 OPS while driving in 11 runs. The call-down to Kannapolis has been fruitful for the lefty in helping him find his swing and become a leader amongst the scrappy Cannon Ballers roster. His performance of the week came back on June 30 when he had a three-hit contest, which saw him launch a three-run home run in an 8-5 loss. Should Mendoza continue this streak, don’t be surprised if he returns to the Winston-Salem Dash.
Ty Madrigal, LHP
Stat Line: 2G, 5.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 2 H, 2 BB, 10 SO, SV, 0.75 WHIP, .125 OPP BA
The Madrigal name is still on the field for the White Sox organization. This Madrigal, a lefty-reliever, was one of the few Kannapolis arms able to shut down the Charleston offense. While his first taste of pro-ball this year hasn’t gone to plan, it seems like he has been putting things together. In his two appearances, he lasted 2.0+ innings in both, striking out six and four RiverDogs respectively.
While he doesn’t have the power fastball like fellow prospect McKinley Moore, Madrigal is able to maneuver around hitters with the finesse of his slider and changeup. Topping out in the mid-90MPH range and bottoming out in the low-70MPH range is enough of a speed differential that will keep the hitters on their toes.
Chase Krogman, OF
Stat Line: 4 G, 12 AB, .250/.438/.833, 3 H, 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R, 4 BB, 3 SO
It had been a struggle of late for Krogman. The series prior with Fayetteville saw him collect one hit and strikeout a whopping eight times. A change in the approach at the plate had to be made for the outfielder to succeed at the plate. Like Jose Rodriguez, the lefty was looking to rifle the ball over the fence on each swing against Fayetteville. That aggressive approach has hurt both players at times, yet contributed some solid results when they’re on the ball.
This week proved to be a bounce back for Krogman as he put some solid swings together and cut down on the strikeouts. The biggest thing for him was being able to draw walks. He had a two-walk game on June 29, the same night he crushed a home run. The raw power is there for Krogman, it’s just being able to harness the discipline to wait on pitches and not get behind in the count early.
Other Notables
In the middle of the series, southpaw Bailey Horn was promoted to High-A Winston-Salem and made his debut at that level on July 1. While it was a brutal outing, allowing seven earned runs and only recording a single out, the Texas native is still poised to have strong showings throughout the year. Maybe a stronger defense behind him, unlike the defense in Kannapolis, will allow him to show how deep he can pitch into ball games and execute high-level situations.
Infielders Jose Rodriguez and Samil Polanco both had strong showings. Rodriguez led Kannapolis to their lone win on July 4 with a three extra-base hit performance, including a three-run home run. Polanco had his hit streak end this week at 15 games, but had an impressive four-hit game on June 29 with two doubles that batted in three runs.
Looking Ahead
Despite struggling to record wins, Kannapolis has been in more games of late than they were earlier in the season. Earlier, whenever they got behind in a game, the offense had no response and fell flat. Lately, they have been able to rally late, even when the game seems completely out of reach.
The Cannon Ballers leave home and head on the road to face the Fredericksburg Nationals (WSH) on July 6. Their opponent has the same amount of wins on the year (16). This is a series for Kannapolis to claw back in the standings and get back on the right track.
Photo credit: Michael Guariglia/FutureSox
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