SAL1 Kannapolis Cannon Ballers

Two Intimidators to Participate in SAL Home Run Derby on USS Yorktown

Published on June 12, 2012 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers News Release


KANNAPOLIS, N.C. (June 12, 2012) - Two members of the Kannapolis Intimidators, Class A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, will participate in the South Atlantic League Home Run Derby in Charleston, S.C., with the first round of being held Monday, June 18, at 11 a.m. from the flight deck of the USS Yorktown in Charleston Harbor. Right fielder Mark Haddow and third baseman Rangel Ravelo, two of the four Intimidators 2012 All-Stars, join three other players to represent the Northern Division in the slugfest. The championship round of the derby will be held at Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park on Tuesday, June 19, at 5:15 p.m. prior to the start of the All-Star Game.

Haddow, 24, currently leads the Intimidators and ranks eighth in the league with a .322 average (75-233) with four home runs and a team lead-tying 34 RBI in 63 games this season. The San Diego hit safely in a league-best 17 straight games from May 20 through June 4, batting .438 (28-64) in that stretch. Haddow also has seven outfield assists this season. The White Sox selected him in the 24th round of the June 2011 draft out of UC-Santa Barbara, and Baseball America rated him the Best Power Hitting in the White Sox 2011 draft class. Haddow led Advanced Rookie Great Falls with a .312 average in his professional debut last summer, also leading the team with 12 home runs, 51 RBI, a .528 slugging percentage and 31 extra-base hits in 70 games.

Ravelo, 20, is batting .311 (69-222), ranking 13th in the SAL, and has two home runs and 32 RBI in 59 games this season. He hit safely in 15- straight games during the first month of the season, which is tied for the third-longest streak in the SAL in 2012. He split the 2011 season between Advanced Rookie Bristol and Kannapolis, hitting .338 in 63 games. The White Sox selected Ravelo in the sixth round of the June 2010 draft out of Hialeah (Fla.) High School where he was named First- Team All-Dade County by the Miami Herald.

According to the Charleston RiverDogs, the host team of the 2012 South Atlantic League All-Star festivities, the US Coast Guard will assess and note the longest homers to determine the finalists and will radio the results to officials that are stationed on the USS Yorktown to record. Additionally, the RiverDogs have hired kayakers and personnel on jet skies to retrieve the balls hit into Charleston Harbor. The 2012 SAL Home Run Derby, which could be the first home run derby ever held on the deck of an aircraft carrier, is presented by Miller High Life.

The home run derby participants include five players both the Northern and Southern Divisions selected from the All-Star rosters of each division. The home run derby rosters include: Northern Division

Matthew Skole - Hagerstown

Mark Haddow - Kannapolis

Rangel Ravelo - Kannapolis

Alen Hanson - WestVirginia

Gregory Polanco - West Virginia

Southern Division

Tyler Austin - Charleston

Harold Riggins - Asheville

William Swanner - Asheville

Travis Taijeron - Savannah

Zachary Johnson - Lexington

Haddow and Ravelo join catcher Kevan Smith and starting pitcher Blair Walters as the Kannapolis Intimidators representatives in the 2012 South Atlantic League All-Star Game on June 19 in Charleston, S.C.

The Intimidators return from the All-Star break on Thursday, June 21, to open the second half of the season with an eight-game home stand against the Delmarva Shorebirds and Hickory Crawdads. For ticket information, call the F&M Bank Box Office at (704) 932-3267 or visit www.IntimidatorsBaseball.com .

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South Atlantic League Stories from June 12, 2012


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