Warthogs Preview

[SouthSide2004]

Pretty good read. Looks like Brice is having trouble cracking the Warthogs outfield.

 

If returning to Class A is salt in the wounds of veterans Normand Martel and Leo Daigle, Manager Chris Cron of the Winston-Salem Warthogs is hoping to use that salt as seasoning for his otherwise young ballclub.

 

Martel, 26, and Daigle, 25, will be in the middle of the order when the Warthogs open their 2005 Carolina League season tonight at Kinston. Martel will most likely start his fifth professional season playing left field and batting third. Daigle is expected to begin his eighth professional season at first base or designated hitter and batting fourth.

 

Both spent most of spring training with Class AA Birmingham before they were assigned to Winston-Salem only days before the club broke camp.

 

"Martel and Daigle kind of got shortchanged out of spring training," Cron said. "They were at a different level with two or three days left with spring training, but that's the business, and that's the part of it they have no control over, and they're going to have to live with it.

 

"When that time comes they need an outfielder or an infielder, and they're playing well, then they can move on. But if they're holding a grudge or saying 'Why me?' or 'Why this or that?' then they're only really hurting themselves.

 

"They're not that type of players or individuals and they're going to come out here and do everything they can to do their job and be successful."

 

The Warthogs will return home Monday to open their 50th season at Ernie Shore Field against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. How long the Warthogs will continue to play at Ernie Shore is an open question, given efforts by owner Bill Prim, and others, to have a new ballpark built downtown.

 

President Guy Schuman of the Warthogs declined to say if the team is any closer to moving from Ernie Shore Field.

 

"Get back to me in a few months," Schuman said.

 

Being assigned to Winston-Salem for the third season was tough on Martel, who hit .301 last season in 282 at-bats for Birmingham. Daigle landed with the Chicago White Sox after being released by the Detroit Tigers and last season batted.292 with 18 homers and 90 RBIs for Kannapolis of the Class A South Atlantic League.

 

"We need them to be the backbone of our team, with the young kids improving as the season progresses," Cron said.

 

Wes Whisler, a left-hander who turned 22 yesterday, will start for the Warthogs, and will be followed in the rotation by left-hander Daniel Haigwood, right-hander Rafael Flores, left-hander Ryan Rodriguez and right-hander Gary Bakker.

 

Whisler, a second-round draft pick last season, spent most of the season at Kannapolis but arrived in Winston-Salem in time to go 2-1 with a 3.38 earned-run average in 27 innings.

 

Cron said he probably will bat center fielder Ricardo Nanita first, shortstop Robert Valido second, Martel third, Daigle fourth, first baseman/DH Travis Hinton fifth, third baseman Micah Schnurstein sixth, right fielder Thomas Collaro seventh, catcher Gustavo Molina eighth and second baseman Chris Amador ninth.

 

Nanita, Martel, Molina and Amador spent at least part of last season with Winston-Salem.

 

Valido is 19, Schnurstein, Flores and Rodriguez are 20, Amador and Haigwood are 21, Collaro and Bakker are 22, Molina and Nanita are 23, and Hinton is 24.

 

"I'm fairly comfortable with the offensive and defensive side of things," Cron said. "The pitching staff is always a question mark. Every year you want that to be a big strong part of your team. It looks like it could be, there's no doubt. But with the age and the experience, you don't know.

 

"You look at the fact that almost all these guys pitched at Kannapolis or lower at some point last year. Experience means a lot at any level, and they need to gain that as the season progresses."

 

Cron said that the White Sox are becoming more and more excited about the play of Valido, a fourth-round draft pick in 2003 who hit .252 last season with 28 stolen bases for Kannapolis.

 

"He's some kind of player," Cron said. "He's got all the intangibles that are just off the charts.

 

"Yes he can play. He can run very well. He's very, very athletic. The things that are very, very difficult to teach, he already brings, like the instincts on always looking to take an extra base.

 

"He does things that will make you go 'Wow.' He's got some kind of instincts."

[Chisoxfn]

Good stuff. Too bad about Brice. I am not much of a fan when minor league free agents steal the playing time of potential prospects. At the same time I realize the teams want to win and having a few vets that can hit the ball helps in that regard.

 

Thats also a pretty interesting staff WS has.

[MnSoxFan]

Pretty good read.  Looks like Brice is having trouble cracking the Warthogs outfield.

 

If returning to Class A is salt in the wounds of veterans Normand Martel and Leo Daigle, Manager Chris Cron of the Winston-Salem Warthogs is hoping to use that salt as seasoning for his otherwise young ballclub.

 

Martel, 26, and Daigle, 25, will be in the middle of the order when the Warthogs open their 2005 Carolina League season tonight at Kinston. Martel will most likely start his fifth professional season playing left field and batting third. Daigle is expected to begin his eighth professional season at first base or designated hitter and batting fourth.

 

Both spent most of spring training with Class AA Birmingham before they were assigned to Winston-Salem only days before the club broke camp.

 

"Martel and Daigle kind of got shortchanged out of spring training," Cron said. "They were at a different level with two or three days left with spring training, but that's the business, and that's the part of it they have no control over, and they're going to have to live with it.

 

"When that time comes they need an outfielder or an infielder, and they're playing well, then they can move on. But if they're holding a grudge or saying 'Why me?' or 'Why this or that?' then they're only really hurting themselves.

 

"They're not that type of players or individuals and they're going to come out here and do everything they can to do their job and be successful."

 

The Warthogs will return home Monday to open their 50th season at Ernie Shore Field against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. How long the Warthogs will continue to play at Ernie Shore is an open question, given efforts by owner Bill Prim, and others, to have a new ballpark built downtown.

 

President Guy Schuman of the Warthogs declined to say if the team is any closer to moving from Ernie Shore Field.

 

"Get back to me in a few months," Schuman said.

 

Being assigned to Winston-Salem for the third season was tough on Martel, who hit .301 last season in 282 at-bats for Birmingham. Daigle landed with the Chicago White Sox after being released by the Detroit Tigers and last season batted.292 with 18 homers and 90 RBIs for Kannapolis of the Class A South Atlantic League.

 

"We need them to be the backbone of our team, with the young kids improving as the season progresses," Cron said.

 

Wes Whisler, a left-hander who turned 22 yesterday, will start for the Warthogs, and will be followed in the rotation by left-hander Daniel Haigwood, right-hander Rafael Flores, left-hander Ryan Rodriguez and right-hander Gary Bakker.

 

Whisler, a second-round draft pick last season, spent most of the season at Kannapolis but arrived in Winston-Salem in time to go 2-1 with a 3.38 earned-run average in 27 innings.

 

Cron said he probably will bat center fielder Ricardo Nanita first, shortstop Robert Valido second, Martel third, Daigle fourth, first baseman/DH Travis Hinton fifth, third baseman Micah Schnurstein sixth, right fielder Thomas Collaro seventh, catcher Gustavo Molina eighth and second baseman Chris Amador ninth.

 

Nanita, Martel, Molina and Amador spent at least part of last season with Winston-Salem.

 

Valido is 19, Schnurstein, Flores and Rodriguez are 20, Amador and Haigwood are 21, Collaro and Bakker are 22, Molina and Nanita are 23, and Hinton is 24.

 

"I'm fairly comfortable with the offensive and defensive side of things," Cron said. "The pitching staff is always a question mark. Every year you want that to be a big strong part of your team. It looks like it could be, there's no doubt. But with the age and the experience, you don't know.

 

"You look at the fact that almost all these guys pitched at Kannapolis or lower at some point last year. Experience means a lot at any level, and they need to gain that as the season progresses."

 

Cron said that the White Sox are becoming more and more excited about the play of Valido, a fourth-round draft pick in 2003 who hit .252 last season with 28 stolen bases for Kannapolis.

 

"He's some kind of player," Cron said. "He's got all the intangibles that are just off the charts.

 

"Yes he can play. He can run very well. He's very, very athletic. The things that are very, very difficult to teach, he already brings, like the instincts on always looking to take an extra base.

 

"He does things that will make you go 'Wow.' He's got some kind of instincts."

 

 

I guess Brian Miller is not going to be a starter anymore???

[Randar68]

Good stuff.  Too bad about Brice.  I am not much of a fan when minor league free agents steal the playing time of potential prospects.  At the same time I realize the teams want to win and having a few vets that can hit the ball helps in that regard.

 

Thats also a pretty interesting staff WS has.

 

Could Brice be hurt? I have not seen him mentioned in any articles.

[CWSGuy406]

Hmm -- so Gio will start off at Kanny?

 

What about Donny Lucy?

[Gene Honda Civic]

Hmm -- so Gio will start off at Kanny? 

 

What about Donny Lucy?

Looks like Rookie ball or extended ST... He wasn't on any of the rosters.

[MnSoxFan]

Looks like Rookie ball or extended ST... He wasn't on any of the rosters.

 

 

Looks like Josh Hanson beat him out for Kanny

[SouthSide2004]

Hmm -- so Gio will start off at Kanny? 

 

What about Donny Lucy?

 

 

Looks like Rookie ball or extended ST... He wasn't on any of the rosters.

 

Not sure what to make of this, but Baseball America has rosters for every minor league team and this is what they have for Winston-Salem.

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/news/...r/whitesox.html

 

Not sure if I really believe that Lucy is on the roster, but it would make some sense.

[Chisoxfn]

I gotta feeling he's just listed there, but he hasn't gotten any ab's or anything yet. I heard he was in extended spring but maybe they want him up there just working with some of the pitchers in the pen while taking BP with the team because there really isn't much of a reason for him to skip Kannapolis, unless of course they want him in Winston Salem because they feel he's more ready to be rushed than Francisco.

 

Problem is Lucy didnt play well last year.

[Randar68]

Looks like Josh Hanson beat him out for Kanny

 

Hansen is a veteran at that level. Didn't beat Lucy out. They spread out the catchers and mix the prospects with the veterans. Reports I got on Lucy is that he was good defensively, but yeah, he struggled behind the plate. If Lucy isn't with a full-season league, it's because he was beaten out by Francisco Hernandez, not Josh Hansen.

 

BTW, early-round position-player college picks skipping Kanny after a starting out at Great Falls seems to be a common path the Sox have taken with prospects lately (regardless of success or playing no more than a few games due to injury), so I tend to believe the BA roster that has Lucy listed at Winston-Salem(although it's on the DL, and I hadn't seen anything about that previously)...

Edited April 11, 2005 by Randar68

[danman31]

Hansen was drafted last year. So unless you mean that he is a veteran at that level because of playing in college, then sure, but he has never played full season ball before.

[Chisoxfn]

The reason Hansen is in Kanny is most likely because he's more of an organizational guy. Latter round pick without much upside, but you never know. If Francisco and Lucy were together they would be fighting for playing time and that would be detrimental.

 

I still firmly believe you won't see Lucy get many AB's down in WS and that he's essnetially an extended spring training type of guy, but his college experience could make him ready for WS I guess. They say he's supposed to be a stud defensively. Offensively is where he's semi overmatched at this point, but he's a hell of an athlete for a catcher.

[MnSoxFan]

Hansen is a veteran at that level.  Didn't beat Lucy out.  They spread out the catchers and mix the prospects with the veterans.  Reports I got on Lucy is that he was good defensively, but yeah, he struggled behind the plate.  If Lucy isn't with a full-season league, it's because he was beaten out by Francisco Hernandez, not Josh Hansen.

 

BTW, early-round position-player college picks skipping Kanny after a starting out at Great Falls seems to be a common path the Sox have taken with prospects lately (regardless of success or playing no more than a few games due to injury), so I tend to believe the BA roster that has Lucy listed at Winston-Salem(although it's on the DL, and I hadn't seen anything about that previously)...

 

 

Well, maybe 'beat out' was not the correct phrase, but Hansen is far from a veteran of that level. One year in Rookie ball does not make one a veteran of Low A ball. But I get your jist. Now go argue with Ryan Christie

[Randar68]

Now go argue with Ryan Christie 

 

Oh good lord. Guy is just unreasonable. I'm not a pollyanna, but sheeesh, guy must live a depressing existence to always have that attitude.

 

I'm sure the other guy will also tell me that Austin Jackson is a sure-in at Ga Tech and that he is going to play both Hoops(colleg) and baseball(pro) despite being a 1st rounder this June...

Edited April 12, 2005 by Randar68

[MnSoxFan]

Oh good lord.  Guy is just unreasonable.  I'm not a pollyanna, but sheeesh, guy must live a depressing existence to always have that attitude.

 

I'm sure the other guy will also tell me that Austin Jackson is a sure-in at Ga Tech and that he is going to play both Hoops(colleg) and baseball(pro) despite being a 1st rounder this June... 

 

 

You got that right, been waiting for the guy to scream at me for posting that about Austin Jackson. Ya know, at times Ryan is a great poster, but he loves to be right. Not as bad as Hoopsguru was, but dang, all I ask is to be a bit more positive. I just try to get along with him. But sometimes I want to just choke him. Hah

[Randar68]

You got that right, been waiting for the guy to scream at me for posting that about Austin Jackson. Ya know, at times Ryan is a great poster, but he loves to be right. Not as bad as Hoopsguru was, but dang, all I ask is to be a bit more positive. I just try to get along with him. But sometimes I want to just choke him. Hah

 

 

Ryan is reasonable at times, but sometimes you'd swear he was drunk when he makes some of the comments he makes... SHEEESH! Just makes you shake your head sometimes.

 

OK, enough of the private convo on the public board! LOL!