Chisoxfn Posted April 16, 2004 Share Posted April 16, 2004 2004 Kannapolis Intimidators Preview By Danny Santaromita April 16, 2004 FutureSox.com The Kannapolis Intimidators finished the 2003 season with a dismal 55-82 record. This was the worst season in the young club’s history. The 2004 season should prove to be very different. A talented rotation leads the way and is accompanied with some talented young position players. A very good draft last year by the Sox has stacked a lot of talent in both of the A ball teams. While Winston-Salem has the higher profile prospects like Ryan Sweeney, Brian Anderson, and Ricardo Nanita, Kannapolis has their fair share of talent. Manager Chris Cron joins the Intimidators for his first season with the club. He managed Great Falls last season. Cron should benefit from managing a lot of these players at Great Falls. He has a deep group of hitters and a very talented starting rotation. It’s an unenviable position that Cron is in, to decide who is going to play each game as the hitters are all capable of doing some damage. Hitting coach Brandon Moore is also new to the team while pitching coach Sean Snedeker finishes off the coaching staff of the Intimidators. The starting rotation is where the team’s strength lies. Brian Miller, who threw a no-hitter last season for the Intimidators, returns as the team’s ace. He started the 2004 campaign off with a shelling against Lakewood, but he should bounce back strong. Tim Tisch also struggled in his debut as the team’s second starter only pitching four innings and giving up three earned runs, but Kanny still got the win. 6-7 Brandon McCarthy will be the third starter and has shown some promise after spending two seasons in rookie ball. He posted a 3.65 ERA in Great Falls last season. He is still only 20 years old and can emerge as a top prospect with a good performance this season. Lefty Daniel Haigwood has electric stuff. He missed the 2003 season with a knee injury, but has major potential. Ryan Rodriguez is another guy who missed last season, but he pitched well for Arizona (rookie league) in 2002. The rotation has a lot of potential and talent. Look for them to shut down the opposition for much of the 2004 season. The bullpen will be led by 19 year-old Fabio Castro. Castro pitched out of the bullpen in Bristol for much of last season, but was promoted to make a couple starts for the Intimidators last season. He pitched well at both levels and a good season in Kannapolis will turn some heads. Joining Castro as the only other lefty out of the pen is Frasier Dizard. Adam Larson, Jeremy Hudson, and Todd Deininger return to the Intimidators bullpen this season. Deininger could join the rotation or move up to Winston Salem’s weak rotation pretty quickly. The rest of the bullpen includes John Hurd, Michael Moat, and Ehren Wasserman. The infield has some major talent. There will be a lot of competition between the players and one can only hope that pushes them to play harder. All six infielders are capable players and should bring a lot to the table for the Kannapolis offense. Shortstop Andy Gonzalez is the lone returning player in the infield and has the tools to make it; it’s just a matter of putting it together in his case, especially offensively. Brandon Bounds will play 1st base after playing very well at Great Falls last season. 18 year-old Robert Valido has started the season at 2nd base, but could move over to shortstop if Gonzalez struggles. Micah Schnurstein will play 3rd base. He showed a lot of promise after batting .332 for Arizona in 2002, but last season he struggled at Great Falls. Look for Schnurstein to play step up his game this season. Antoin Gray and Chris Kelly are good players that will have to settle for backup time, at least early on. Catcher Charlie Lisk and Gustavo Molina should behind the plate with Cesar Castillo being filling in as the third string catcher. Despite being named Kannapolis player of the year last year, Aussie Thomas Brice remains with the team due to the depth and talent in the outfield within the White Sox organization. Brice has started the season at DH. Chris Young is a very good defensive outfielder that made the Preseason All FutureSox Team. Look for Young to have a breakout season this year. He has great ability and will be a big part of a very good all-around offense for Kannapolis. Young will play center field and bat leadoff and has already started the season off well. Clint King will play left field and Seth Morris will play right field. Both hitters will hit towards the end of the lineup, but can still produce. This year’s Kannapolis Intimidators should be able to rack up a lot more wins than last season. Look for Brandon McCarthy and Daniel Haigwood to have big seasons. Both pitchers have the talent, potential, and the chance to elevate themselves as top prospects. Robert Valido is a great talent that could establish himself as one of the better middle infield prospects in all of baseball. Chris Young has the mold of a good leadoff hitter and should set the table for the Kannapolis offense this season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Showtime Posted April 16, 2004 Share Posted April 16, 2004 Had to wait for my crappy graphic before posting it eh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxfn Posted April 16, 2004 Author Share Posted April 16, 2004 Ya, I was going to just put it up yesterday but then I slacked off. Your graphic is good though, me likey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Showtime Posted April 16, 2004 Share Posted April 16, 2004 Ya, I was going to just put it up yesterday but then I slacked off. Your graphic is good though, me likey Alright cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mccarthyp Posted April 16, 2004 Share Posted April 16, 2004 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danman31 Posted April 17, 2004 Share Posted April 17, 2004 Good to see my article brings a lot of comments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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