SAL1 Kannapolis Cannon Ballers

Intimidators' 2014 Roster Announced

Published on April 1, 2014 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers News Release


KANNAPOLIS, N.C. (April 1, 2014) - The Chicago White Sox have assigned 25 players to the Class A Kannapolis Intimidators to open the 2014 season. The team, which will be managed by Pete Rose Jr., arrived into town earlier today from the White Sox spring training complex in Glendale, Ariz.

Right-handed pitcher Tyler Danish, the White Sox second round pick (55th overall) in the June 2013 First-Year Player Draft, headlines a roster that features five of Chicago's Top 30 Prospects, according to Baseball America. Danish (#10) is joined in Kannapolis by fellow top prospects 3B Trey Michalczewski (#19), OF Adam Engel (#22), IF Cleuluis Rondon (#26) and RHP Andrew Mitchell (#27). Both Danish, the 2013 Louisville Slugger National High School Player of the Year, and Rondon, whom the White Sox acquired in last season's trade with Boston for Jake Peavy, are two of the seven players that also spent time on the Intimidators roster in 2013.

Ten members of the White Sox 2013 draft class will open the season in Kannapolis, including Danish, fourth rounder Mitchell, sixth rounder RHP James Dykstra, and seventh rounder Michalczewski, whom Baseball America tabbed the Best Power Hitter in the White Sox 2013 draft class. Catcher Omar Naraez, a Rule 5 draft pick from Tampa Bay this offseason, will also start the year with the Intimidators.

A pair of former North Carolina collegians are coming to Kannapolis. Former Charlotte 49ers hurler Tyler Barnette is returning to the area after making his professional debut last season with Advanced Rookie Bristol. The right-handed pitcher, who was named Atlantic-10 Freshman of the Year in 2011, was drafted by the White Sox in the 14th round of the June 2013 First-Year Player Draft. Catcher Jeremy Dowdy, a former standout at Appalachian State, appeared in 31 games for Kannapolis in 2013.

The Intimidators roster comprises 13 players who spent time on Rose's Great Falls Voyagers team, which went 48-28 en route to a playoff appearance, in 2013. Outfielder Jacob Morris, who spent his entire professional debut in 2013 with the Voyagers, was named to the Pioneer League All-Star Team last season.

The Intimidators are preparing for the 20th season of professional baseball in Kannapolis and 14th as a Chicago White Sox affiliate. Opening Night of the 2014 season is Thursday, April 3, against the Greenville Drive at 7:05 p.m. Since the team came to town in 1995, a total of 77 players have gone from Kannapolis to the Major Leagues, including 1998 Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams and 2007 NL MVP Jimmy Rollins. Season tickets, mini-plans and select single-game seats are currently available by calling the F&M Bank Box Office at (704) 932-3267 or by visiting the team website at www.IntimidatorsBaseball.com.

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South Atlantic League Stories from April 1, 2014


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