Opening Day Roster Features 11 Returners from 2018
April 4, 2019 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Winston-Salem Dash News Release
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - In conjunction with the Chicago White Sox, the Winston-Salem Dash have announced their 2019 Opening Day roster, which features 11 returners from last year's 84-54 regular-season campaign. Infielder Nick Madrigal and outfielder Luis Robert, who are both ranked as top-50 prospects per MLB Pipeline, highlight this group.
The fourth overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, Madrigal hit .306 and posted a .353 on-base percentage with the Dash last season. A College World Series champion with the Oregon State Beavers, Madrigal struck out just five times in 155 at-bats between Winston-Salem, Low-A Kannapolis and the AZL White Sox in his first year in the professional ranks.
Signed to the second-largest bonus ever for an amateur player, Robert will suit up in the Dash purple after playing 32 games in Winston-Salem in 2018. A native of Cuba, Robert has posted a .281/.389/.415 batting line during his time in the Minors.
Joining Madrigal and Robert, the position players back from last season include catcher Daniel Gonzalez and infielders JJ Muno, Zach Remillard and Yeyson Yrizarri.
On the mound, the Dash's starting rotation consists of four returners - Lincoln Henzman, John Parke, Blake Battenfield and Kyle Kubat - and one newcomer in Cristian Castillo.
Henzman, who yielded a 2.60 ERA in 14 outings for Winston-Salem last year, will get the Opening Day nod on Thursday at Frederick. The former fourth-round pick out of the University of Louisville is ranked the 26th-best prospect in the White Sox system per MLB Pipeline.
Last season, Parke finished third among White Sox farmhands with 153.0 innings pitched. Battenfield, who was a South Atlantic League All-Star with Kannapolis in 2018, recorded five victories in nine starts for the Dash a season ago. Kubat also pitched in the rotation for Winton-Salem at the end of last season. Meanwhile, Castillo joins the White Sox organization after previously pitching in the Royals system, where he reached as high as Double-A Northwest Arkansas.
Right-hander Alec Hansen, who is ranked the 15th-best prospect in the White Sox system per MLB Pipeline, comes back to Winston-Salem for a third consecutive year and will work in the bullpen to begin the campaign.
Along with Hansen, Gonzalez, Kubat and Yrizarri, the Dash's Opening Day roster will have three other players who logged time with the team in 2017 - infielders Johan Cruz and Jameson Fisher, and right-hander Jake Elliott.
Among the newcomers, Carlos Perez will share catching duties with Gonzalez. The 22-year-old backstop posted a .290 average and threw out 23 of 64 would-be base stealers with Kannapolis in 2018.
Infielder Tate Blackman and outfielder Craig Dedelow join the Dash's position player crop this year after earning South Atlantic League Midseason All-Star honors for the Intimidators last season. Blackman, who was a 13th-round pick out of Ole Miss in 2017, hit 17 home runs for Kannapolis, good for second on the club. Dedelow, who was a ninth-round selection in 2017 out of Indiana University, was third on Kannapolis with 12 home runs.
Tyler Frost, who led Kannapolis with 18 homers last season, will also make his High-A debut this season. Outfielder Jordan George, the lone position player on the team to have been drafted by a different organization, rounds out the position player group. Originally a 35th-round pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates out of Arkansas State, George hit .263 for Double-A Altoona last year.
Outside of Elliott and Hansen, the Dash's relief corps will consist of first-time members of the Dash. Winston-Salem's bullpen includes left-hander Kevin Escorcia and right-handers Elliott, Hansen, Codi Heuer, Luis Ledo, Zach Lewis and Jose Nin.
Justin Jirschele, who played for the Dash in 2014 and 2015, will manage the team in 2019. He is the first former player in the Dash era (2009-present) to become the team's skipper. Only 28 years old, Jirschele will be the youngest manager in full-season Minor League Baseball this year. Before joining the Dash, Jirschele served as the manager for the Intimidators, guiding the franchise to playoff appearances in both 2017 and 2018.
Matt Zaleski joins Jirschele in the dugout, returning to Winston-Salem as the Dash's pitching coach for a second consecutive year. Jamie Dismuke will work as the club's hitting coach after spending the last two seasons on Jirschele's staff in Kannapolis. John Ely will serve as the team's assistant coach for the first half of the season, while Hyeon Kim enters his first season as Winston-Salem athletic trainer. George Timke is back in his role as the Dash's strength and conditioning coach for a fourth consecutive year.
The 2019 season begins on Thursday as the Dash face the Frederick Keys at 7 p.m. in Frederick, Md. The season opener will be broadcast live on The Sports Hub Triad (101.5 FM & 600AM), http://www.sportshubtriad.com, and the TuneIn Radio App.
Winston-Salem's home opener is set for Thursday, April 11, against Potomac. Single-game tickets and season-ticket packages are on sale now. For more information, call the Dash at (336) 714-2287 or visit wsdash.com. The Winston-Salem Dash are the Class A-Advanced Minor League affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. To purchase tickets and for more information, please call 336-714-2287 or visit www.wsdash.com.
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