Chisoxfn Posted April 30, 2004 Share Posted April 30, 2004 Warthogs Struggle Out of the Gate By Jason Gage April 30, 2004 FutureSox.com A month into the season and surprisingly the Winston Salem Warthogs are the worst team in the organization at 6-13. A recent hot streak (3 out of 4) has given a glimmer of hope that this talented team could pull out of their rut and get back into the race, but the question is when? At the start of the season the Warthogs looked to have a tremendous offense with top prospects Ryan Sweeney, Brian Anderson, and Ricardo Nanita in the outfield. Their pitching staff looked raw, but had a few minor league veterans that they hoped would keep them in games. Thus far, neither has worked out. Ryan Sweeney, Brian Anderson and Ricardo Nanita have all struggled at the plate. Nanita has done the worst hitting .182 with 0 HR, and 9 RBI’s while striking out 19 times. This comes as a bit of a surprise considering Nanita was arguably the best offensive player in the Pioneer League last season. While moving from rookie ball to High A is a big jump, the fact that Nanita has college baseball experience should have made the jump easier. Phenom Ryan Sweeney isn’t doing much better then Nanita. Sweeney had a strong spring that created some speculation that he could start the season as high as AA-Birmingham. It now appears that putting him in Winston Salem was the right thing to do. While Sweeney is struggling, he has a smooth swing that should generate power as his body fills out. He is hitting .212 thus far with 0 HR and 4 RBI. Sweeney is too good of a hitter to continue to struggle and the emergence of his bat will make the Warthogs offense instantly more potent. Brian Anderson started the season struggling but has lately started to improve, pulling his average to .262 with 0 HR and 4 RBI. Anderson has struck out 15 times, compared to 7 walks, but has a more than respectable .367 OBP. Anderson has missed 6 games this season as the Sox are making sure he occasionally rests to make sure his wrist doesn’t flame up. Anderson had surgery on his wrist over the off-season and its likely that his wrist had some effect on his slow start. The highly thought of outfielders aren’t the only members of the Hogs offense to struggle. Outside of Brian Becker, Normand Martel, and Casey Rogowski, everyone has struggled. Designated hitter Brian Becker is hitting a team high .375 with 6 HR and 13 RBI. Rogowski is second on the team in hitting with a .291 AVG with 1 HR and 10 RBI. Rogowski is a good defensive first baseman and has speed. This is his third season in Winston Salem. Recently the Warthogs made a few roster moves in hopes to revive their offense. They released starting 3rd baseman Troy Cameron and received infielder Andy Gonzalez from Kannapolis. Gonzalez will be an everyday player for the Hogs. Last season Gonzalez struggled offensively, but he has the tools to be a very good offensive and defensive player. Alongside Gonzalez, infielder Mike Myers (.182 AVG) should also get more playing time, possibly supplanting starting second baseman Chris Amador. Sean Tracey has carried the Warthogs rotation, going 1-1 with a 1.29 ERA in 3 starts. Tracey is a right hander from the University of California, Irvine, who has a chance to put his name on the charts. He has struggled with his control early (10 BB in 14 INN). B.J. Lamura and Nik Lubisich have also pitched solidly out of the rotation. Lamura is a talented hard throwing right hander, while Lubisich is a soft tossing lefty. Byeong Hak An and Rob Purvis have really struggled going a combined 1-4. Jose Espinal, Julio Castro and Brad Murray have all pitched well out of the pen. Some believe Espinal, a veteran, is due for a call up to Birmingham. Reliever Jason Stumm has also been a bright spot for the Hogs. While his numbers aren’t impressive (1-2, 5.79 ERA) he has stayed healthy and most of his runs were given up near the beginning of the season. Stumm has some of the best stuff in the organization, but health has always been a huge concern. On the Horizon: While the Hogs offense and pitching staff has struggled, it is hard to believe that Anderson, Nanita and Sweeney won’t get going. Those players alone are capable of carrying an offense. The Hogs should also get some help from Kannapolis, who has a stellar pitching staff, which includes some potential starters in their bullpen. It is likely that one or two of the Intimidators starters will join the Warthogs rotation sometime in the next month. The most likely candidates would be Daniel Haigwood, Brandon McCarthy, and/or Ryan Rodriguez. An improved offense with some more pitching could put the Hogs back in a position to repeat as the Carolina League Champions. Up Next: May 1-2 @ Wilmington Blue Rocks (Royals) May 3-6 @ Frederick Keys (Orioles) May 7-9 vs. Wilmington Blue Rocks (Royals) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danman31 Posted April 30, 2004 Share Posted April 30, 2004 Good stuff, but check your work. Worst instead of worst twice. Then instead of than. Its instead of it's. Hogs instead of Hogs'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gene Honda Civic Posted April 30, 2004 Share Posted April 30, 2004 Ryan Sweeney, Brian Anderson and Ricardo Nanita have all struggled at the plate. Nanita has done the worse hitting .182 with 0 HR, and 9 RBI’s while striking out 19 times. This comes as a bit of a surprise considering Nanita was arguably the best offensive player in the Pioneer League last season. While moving from rookie ball to High A is a big jump, the fact that Nanita has college baseball experience should of made the jump easier. Since grammar class is in session, Dan missed this one too. Should of = Should have or Should've. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danman31 Posted April 30, 2004 Share Posted April 30, 2004 Actually I caught it, but forgot to mention it here. I edited it on the actual article on FutureSox. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxfn Posted April 30, 2004 Author Share Posted April 30, 2004 Cool, thanks guys. I edited it here. I was editing it when you were first reading it Dan, so I think I caught some of those mistakes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBAHO Posted May 2, 2004 Share Posted May 2, 2004 Small piece I found from Baseball America, The White Sox released well-traveled infielder Troy Cameron to get more at-bats for third baseman Tommy Nicholson, who was batting just .176-0-1 in 17 at-bats. Cameron, who was entering his third season with as many organizations in the Carolina League, was hitting .200-0-6 in 45 at-bats for high Class A Winston-Salem this year. A first-round pick of the Braves in 1997, Cameron played parts of two seasons for Myrtle Beach before being traded to the Indians with lefthander John Rocker for righthanders Steve Karsay and Steve Reed in 2001. Cameron played in the Independent Northern League last season for the Joliet Jackhammers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danman31 Posted May 2, 2004 Share Posted May 2, 2004 He was a first-round pick. No wonder he's been given so many chances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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