Rick Hahn isn’t getting much love these days but early returns suggest he did at least one thing really well in 2023. Thanks to Hahn, the Triple-A Charlotte Knights is home to ample roster depth for his major-league squad.
Triple-A baseball — at least as far as affiliates of contending major-league teams are concerned — is much more about developing a taxi squad for the 26-man roster. And for an injury-prone team like the White Sox, adequate depth can make or break them.
Thus far, the Knights have supplied the White Sox with 11 players: Jake Burger, Lenyn Sosa, Jesse Scholtens, Adam Haseley, Tanner Banks, Billy Hamilton, Alex Colomé, Nick Padilla, Keynan Middleton, Sammy Peralta and most recently Carlos Perez.
There are still some interesting options left in Charlotte, including outfielders Clint Frazier, Jake Marisnick, Victor Reyes and Stephen Piscotty, as well as Oscar Colás, who began the season with the big-league club before his demotion on May 2. In addition, Zach Remillard continues to turn heads in Charlotte, and veteran Erik González provides even more depth.
On the pitching side, two starters, Nate Fisher and Jesse Scholtens, have been rock-solid all season, while Daniel Ponce de Leon is looking increasingly viable as well as a multi-inning reliever.
Sammy Peralta had a brutal re-entry to Triple-A on Sunday after a tough outing a few days earlier in his three-day stint with the White Sox. Still, he’s been Charlotte’s most consistent reliever, though others have certainly excelled at times and it wouldn’t surprise me to see a couple other arms make their way to Chicago as the season rolls along.
UPDATING THE STARTING PITCHING
The Knights’ ace, Davis Martin, is on the IL with some type of arm injury and hasn’t pitched since April 14. I’m wondering if what was thought to be load management and general soreness issues are not more serious.
Sean Burke is back in the rotation after a stint on the Development List to tweak his mechanics, and seems to be moving in the right direction. He remains a work in progress with a big upside.
A trip to the Developmental List and a break from starting might benefit AJ Alexy, who is struggling mightily with command. The 25-year-old righty pitched an inning of relief on Sunday, importantly, with no walks and requiring just 16 pitches.
John Parke, Jonathan Stiever and Johan Dominguez remain on the IL with no timetable for a return.
WILL THE KNIGHTS FINISH ABOVE .500?
They laugh at me in the press box — and understandably so — when I say that this Knights’ squad can finish with a .500 record this season. Years of last-place finishes in the 20-team International League and a ballpark that can destroy a team’s best pitchers have systematically racheted down the expectations of a lot of Knights’ watchers.
But this team, unlike the past few seasons, has pitching. Injuries and call-ups can change that picture in a hurry, but so far the Knights have demonstrated enough starting pitching and improved relief pitching.
At the outset of the season, I thought the preponderance of line-drive hitters, and corresponding lack of power, in the Knights’ lineup would be the team’s biggest problem. But the additions of Stephen Piscotty and Clint Frazier, plus the demotion to Charlotte of Oscar Colás, have turned the lineup into a pitcher’s nightmare, as evidenced by the team’s 51 runs in four wins in Gwinnett this week.
The Knights are one game below .500 (16-17) as they return home to face their pesky nemisis, the Durham Bulls. A series split, or better, will keep that .500 record well within reach.
