MnSoxFan Posted August 26, 2003 Share Posted August 26, 2003 The Great Falls White Sox are trying to earn a playoff berth, and the team's parent organization is doing what it can to aid the pennant chase. The White Sox organization has sent four players from its Single-A affiliate in Bristol to Great Falls, to compensate for the loss of three players who are headed back to college. Manager Chris Cron's Great Falls club has lost college-bound outfielder Clinton King and will be saying goodbye to pitcher Fraser Dizard and catcher Matt Deuchler this week, who are also heading back to school to finish up their degrees. The new Great Falls players, including outfielders Ryan Sweeney and Chris Young, and pitchers Sony Suarez and Sean Thompson, will be in uniform tonight when the White Sox open a six-game homestand with a 7 p.m. game against the Missoula Osprey. Sweeney, a second-round pick in the 2003 draft out of Xavier High in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, batted .313 with 3 doubles and 2 homers in 67 at-bats in Bristol. Sweeney, the 52nd overall pick in the recent draft, signed for a reported bonus of $785,000. Young, 19, a 16th-round selection in the 2001 draft, was hitting .290 with 18 doubles, 3 triples, 7 homers and 28 RBI in 238 at-bats in Bristol. Suarez, a right-hander who has been used as both a starter and reliever this year, was 2-4 with 3.70 ERA and one save in Bristol. Suarez was signed as a free agent in 1999 by the Pirates, who released him last winter. The Sox then signed him. Thompson, who played for Great Falls earlier this summer and was 1-0 with 7.77 ERA, was 0-1 with a 3.24 ERA in Bristol. King, a third-round pick in the 2003 draft out of Southern Miss, is returning to the Hattiesburgh, Miss., school. He hit .305 with 10 doubles, 4 triples, 3 homers and 29 RBI in 223 at-bats for Great Falls this summer. Dizard, a 10th-round selection in the recent draft out of Southern California, is heading back to USC after posting a 3-0 record and 4.02 ERA in 40.1 innings of work in Great Falls And Duechler, a 40th-round pick in the 2003 draft out of James Madison, is headed back to the Harrisonburg, Va., campus after batting .297 with 4 doubles, 2 homers and 9 RBI in 74 at-bats here. Great Falls currently leads the Pioneer League's Northern Division by a game over the Helena Brewers. If the Sox hang on and win the second-title title in the North, they will advance to a best-of-three playoff series against the first-half champion Brewers. Great Falls could also qualify for the playoffs if Helena wins the second-half title, by virtue of having a better overall record than both the Billings Mustangs and Missoula Osprey. Great Falls is currently 36-29 overall this year, while Billings is 33-32 and Missoula is 32-33. Pitching matchups for the Missoula series are as follows: Tonight, White Sox lefty Boone Logan (3-1, 7.04) vs. Missoula's Donald Julio (3-2, 6.62); Wednesday, White Sox righty Sean Tracey (7-5, 4.17) vs. Missoula's Ben Krantz (0-1, 4.54), and Thursday, White Sox TBA vs. Missoula's Angel Rocha (4-7, 3.06). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted August 26, 2003 Share Posted August 26, 2003 Let me make sure that I understand this right. They are leaving to finish their degrees, but are coming back to play baseball next year right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MnSoxFan Posted August 26, 2003 Author Share Posted August 26, 2003 Correct, I think it is a nice gesture by Sox to let them go finish up school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jordan4life_2003 Posted August 26, 2003 Share Posted August 26, 2003 Correct, I think it is a nice gesture by Sox to let them go finish up school. That's real decent of the organazation... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted August 26, 2003 Share Posted August 26, 2003 Correct, I think it is a nice gesture by Sox to let them go finish up school. Is that typical? I don't think I have ever heard that before, but then again I am following the minors closer than I ever have before too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Hudler Posted August 26, 2003 Share Posted August 26, 2003 Is that typical? I don't think I have ever heard that before, but then again I am following the minors closer than I ever have before too... I have never heard of it either. I know some guys go back to school, but I have never heard of them bailing before the season. Then again, most of the time, the season is over by Labor Day and they could probably go back then, only a week or two late. My guess is this was something that was negotiated in their contracts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxfn Posted August 26, 2003 Share Posted August 26, 2003 I have never heard of it either. I know some guys go back to school, but I have never heard of them bailing before the season. Then again, most of the time, the season is over by Labor Day and they could probably go back then, only a week or two late. My guess is this was something that was negotiated in their contracts. It was something the Sox did to get them in now. The players wanted to wait until next season to start, but the Sox were like hey, come on over, then finish up and you'll play again next year. I think its great for the player (He gets a few months experience, which is basically what short season is for) and then he can go back get his degree and make it back out next year knowing what he needs to improve on, etc. Plus the Sox had planned on bringing Sweeney up anyway...it was in his contract that he would play with Great Falls eventually this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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