The past two weeks have been filled with improvement, change and a win for the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers. The prolonged road-trip against the Carolina Mudcats and Fayetteville Woodpeckers tested the Ballers. Let’s dive into how things went down for Kannapolis.
The roster moves
With the season progressing, the evaluation period for some of the White Sox prospects has been growing. More games and more eyes on the players have shaped opinions on players, hence the number of players moving from Winston-Salem to Kannapolis to Arizona.
Heading out West
We finally saw some of those players who had been underwhelming get moved back to the AZL. The first notable who went down was first baseman Sam Abbott. The former water polo star had been solid at working counts at the plate, averaging a walk per game across his 14 games in Kannapolis. Aside from that, he had been strikeout machine and had been disappointing at the plate, slashing .119/.339/.190.
Two others who headed back to the AZL were LHP Garvin Alston and OF Benyamin Bailey. Alston had a rough start of things, dating back to opening week where he allowed 5 ER across 1.1 IP against the Down East Wood Ducks. Teams have been hitting Alston hard with a batting average of .303 and with a 14 BB/9 average. It is a recipe for disaster.
White Sox top 20 prospect Bailey struggled when he initially came to K-Town, but had started to figure things out as of late. Despite accumulating a five-game hit streak against the Columbia Fireflies on their recent homestand, he immediately went on a five-game stretch against the Mudcats with just one hit, two walks, and six strikeouts across 17 ABs. While at 19 years old, Bailey is still a very raw prospect with signs of potential. There needs to be an adjustment period for him to understand pro ball.
Coming to K-Town
A slew of players have come into the Cannon Baller clubhouse looking to get playing time and contribute for the scrappy team. The list of additions is a long one: 1B/C Tyler Osik, LHP Dilmer Mejia, RHP Jordan Mikel, LHP Corey Stone, RHP Kevin Folman, RF Luis Mieses, 1B Harvin Mendoza and RHP Jesus Valles.
I was curious as to how much playing time the new additions would see, but most of these guys contributed immediately and made an impact for Kannapolis. The new additions could bring some new life to the ball club and right the ship for the team.
Moving on up
With that long list of additions to the Kannapolis squad, some promotions had to level out the roster. Those who advanced to Winston-Salem: C Daniel Millwee, LHP Trey Jeans and 1B/OF A.J. Gill.
Millwee was sort of a surprise move up to the Dash as he only played three games for the Cannon Ballers, but backup catchers frequently move as needed. His move up allowed for some playing time for Osik, who could fill Millwee’s and Abbott’s spot behind the plate and at first.
Jeans had been on the right track following a harsh start to the year. With many pitchers coming down from Winston, Jeans seemed the likely candidate, who had improved on his ERA each of his last two outings.
Gill was the most notable of the callups to Winston-Salem. He had been the most impressive among them. Across his 15 games with Kannapolis, Gill was able to slash .273/.407/.341 with a home run and 6 RBIs. While he wasn’t crushing the ball, getting on base was huge for him and his chances to get moved up. Not only did Gill provide at the plate but his range, not only in the outfield, but at first base created a solid defensive approach, something that Kannapolis had struggled with. This move for Gill opens a spot on the Kannapolis roster for Chase Krogman, returning from a fractured hand on an HBP.
Road trip results
In their 11-game road trip, with a game getting rained out for a later date, the Cannon Ballers went a disappointing 2-9. Despite having a woeful trip, Kannapolis doubled their win total across that stretch. The team’s offense has started to figure things out of late. The pitching is still looking for consistency as they gave up a staggering 66 runs in the six-game stretch against the Mudcats. That included a 23-7 rout to open up the road trip – the most runs scored for the Mudcats in their 30-year history. The Cannon Ballers had a -48 run differential while posting the worst team ERA and third-worst batting average in the Low-A East division. While the numbers aren’t favorable, the visuals and the eyeball test shows that improvements are coming for Kannapolis.
Who ‘Balled out?
Ramos had scuffled up until the road trip, batting .188 and recording a strikeout in every game except on Opening Day. The Cuban brought his bat with him on the road and stepped up. In his 10 appearances, he was able to slash .306/.366/.583 while homering twice and knocking in eight runs. His strikeouts continued as he did so 11 times, but it’s clear his approach at the plate has changed as he has cut down on the aggressive swings and started taking measured ABs. Look for Ramos to continue this stretch into the homestand against the Mudcats this week, a team Ramos has two multi-hit games against.
IF Lency Delgado
While his position still transitions between the occasional second base and third base, Delgado had consistently struggled at the plate. Strikeouts were the main downfall as he averaged about two per game. Despite holding the line with strikeouts, going down on strikes a whopping 16 times across his 10 appearances, Delgado showed some power with his swing. The soon-to-be 22-year-old accumulated 10 hits including a game sealing home run against the Woodpeckers on June 5. Delgado is one who likes to wear his emotions on his sleeve when he’s out on the field and I could only imagine how it felt for him to get back on track and show a little prowess with the bat.
Delgado’s glove has also found some consistency at third base, a position he played for most of the road trip. The 2018 draftee has yet to pick up an error, something he had struggled with at second base. Early on in the season, Delgado seemed to be rushing plays, trying to do to much to make the play. He has settled into the season and the field quite nicely of late. His ability to play third base opens up second base for the likes of Ramos and Brandon Bossard to play. That’s a choice of power with Ramos or an on-base machine with Bossard, who drew 10 walks in his 7 games, bringing his season OBP to .514 across his 10 games this year. I think that’s a good problem to have for manager Guillermo Quiroz.
RHP Jordan Mikel
I mentioned that the pitching had struggled immensely in this road trip, but Mikel was a standout in his own right. As a recent call-up to the Cannon Baller squad from the AZL, it was still a question as to what he could bring to the table for Kannapolis. That question was answered quickly as he came in and shoved when the opportunity arose. In his three appearances, the Illinois native threw a clean 5.2 innings, allowing only three hits and three walks. He was also able to strikeout nine and collect his first save in the Cannon Ballers’ 7-3 win over the Fayetteville Woodpeckers back on June 1. We will see if this success continues for the young righty, but it’s an incredible start for him with the Cannon Ballers.
Looking ahead
The Cannon Ballers are finally back home against the Mudcats, the team they just faced on the road. While at home, we will look to see if those who balled out continue to do so. One thing I will watch for is if the starting pitching can piece things back together, especially Matt Thompson and Andrew Dalquist. Both got hit hard over the two-week period.
Photo of Bryan Ramos via Michael Guariglia/FutureSox
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