Chisoxfn Posted April 9, 2004 Share Posted April 9, 2004 2004 Charlotte Knights Preview By Andrew Dunn April 9, 2004 FutureSox.com In 2004, the Charlotte Knights look to rebound from a disappointing 2003 season, when they finished with a 74-70 record and one game behind Durham in the International League South Division despite going 29-19 after the All-Star break. Manager Nick Capra returns for his third season in charge at Knights Stadium with Curt Halser as the pitching coach and hitting coach Gregg Ritchie. The 2004 Knights team will have a completely different look with only 11 players from the 2003 team returning. Among the players no longer with the Knights are Ross Gload, who is a part of the White Sox’s bench, Jon Adkins, who has won a bullpen spot with Chicago, and Arnie Munoz, who has returned to Birmingham to join their rotation. Some of the new names joining from other organizations include shortstop Kelly Dransfeldt from the Texas Rangers, pitcher Jason Grilli from the Florida Marlins and infielder Bobby Smith from the New York Yankees triple A affiliate, Columbus. Others have been elevated from Birmingham to Charlotte, and these names include pitcher Enemencio Pacheco, Scott Bikowski, and highly touted prospect Jeremy Reed. The Knights should go into this season as the favorites in the South Division due to the valuable experience and overall talent they will gain from their new players. The strength of the team should lie in the outfield. Jeremy Reed will play in a corner spot, and many expect him to hit around the .300 mark in another fine season. He should expect a call – up to the White Sox when they expand the rosters in September. Another outfielder, Joe Borchard, has a lot to prove. After for a couple of years of being the White Sox’s #1 prospect, Borchard had a disappointing season last year for the Knights, hitting only .253 in 114 games. However, Borchard looked extremely impressive in his limited AB’s at Tucson and could have won a bench spot if it wasn’t for his quadriceps injury. The other outfield position will most likely be rotated between Mario Valenzuela and Scott Bikowski. There will be a lot of experience in the infield this year for Charlotte. Behind the plate, first base and third base will be rotated between three players: Jamie Burke, Mike Rivera and Ryan Hankins. Burke and Rivera have played in the majors before, with Burke having an excellent chance at being called up to Chicago sometime during the season. This will be Hankins’ second season with the Knights and his versatility will come in handy. Kelly Dransfeldt will be the team’s starting shortstop, while the second base job will be rotated between Mike Bell and Bobby Smith. Charlotte also has a lot of pitching weapons to utilize this year. The starting rotation looks very capable at this level and should carry the Knights to a lot of victories. Jon Rauch will most likely be the #1 starter, and will be looking for a good season to help push his way back up to Chicago. He has pitched for Charlotte the last three seasons, obtaining a 15-12 record in 49 games. The other four spots in the rotation will most likely go to Josh Stewart, Felix Diaz, Enemencio Pacheco and Jason Grilli. Grilli and Stewart have had major league experience and will be trying to force their way back onto the White Sox’s roster. This will be Pacheco’s first season in Charlotte after an excellent 2003 season for the Birmingham Barons, posting a 12-2 record. Diaz pitched last season for the Knights, with a 5-7 record, although some see his long-term future in the bullpen. The bullpen will also be a major backbone to determine whether this season for the Knights is a successful one. Many who will pitch there have pitched in the major leagues before, including lefty David Sanders, who is one of three returning bullpen members from last season, and Jose Santiago. New additions to the pen are Mitch Wylie from Birmingham, Vic Darensbourg from the Florida Marlins and Courtney Duncan from the San Diego Padres (former Cub as well). Kelly Wunsch will also be a short part of the Knights bullpen, as he will complete a 15-day rehabilitation assignment with Charlotte. Overall the 2004 season should certainly be an exciting one for the Charlotte Knights. A lot of players have a great chance to be called up to the White Sox this season and most eyes will be on the outfield combination of Borchard and Reed. This year’s team is capable of finishing first in the International League South Division and perhaps going even further. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxfn Posted April 9, 2004 Author Share Posted April 9, 2004 Kris Honel Pulled Due to Injury By Jason Gage April 9, 2004 FutureSox.com Didn't want to make a new thread for this, since I'm a little late on actually writing the story. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Top prospect Kris Honel's season debut didn't go as expected. Honel pitched 4 innings and left after facing one batter in the fifth inning due to discomfort in his right throwing elbow. Honel is going to be evaluated by team doctors this morning. In his four innings of work, Honel gave up 3 runs on two hits. He struck out seven while walking three. Check back with FutureSox later in the day as we find out more about the status of Honel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danman31 Posted April 10, 2004 Share Posted April 10, 2004 Good stuff from dbah0. I personally think the Knights will suck just because they have no hitting that impresses me. Their pitching should do well though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBAHO Posted April 10, 2004 Share Posted April 10, 2004 Good stuff from dbah0. I personally think the Knights will suck just because they have no hitting that impresses me. Their pitching should do well though. They'll really miss Gload big time, but I think guys like Borchard and Burke will step up to cover that loss. A lot of competition for places in that team, which is good to see as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jordan4life_2007 Posted April 10, 2004 Share Posted April 10, 2004 I hope Honel is ok. That will be a big blow if this is serious. I'm lookin foward to see what Jeremy Reed does. If he tears it up this year i'll be convinced that he's for real... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danman31 Posted April 10, 2004 Share Posted April 10, 2004 I hope Honel is ok. That will be a big blow if this is serious. I'm lookin foward to see what Jeremy Reed does. If he tears it up this year i'll be convinced that he's for real... A good start for Reed so far has convinced me that he is at least going to hit well in AAA. Beyond that remains to be seen... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxfn Posted April 10, 2004 Author Share Posted April 10, 2004 I think he's going to be in Chicago pretty soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoxAce Posted April 11, 2004 Share Posted April 11, 2004 I think he's going to be in Chicago pretty soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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