West Virginia Power: Game Notes (April 6)
April 6, 2018 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston Dirty Birds News Release
POWER OUTAGE: West Virginia was held to one run and three hits on Opening Night at Appalachian Power Park, as the Drive used three pitchers and a 13-hit offensive attack to take an 8-1 season-opening win on Thursday. Oneil Cruz, Cal Mitchell and Rodolfo Castro were the only three West Virginia batters to scratch the hit column, while Drive starter Jhonathan Diaz set down a career-high nine batters. Power starter Domingo Robles lasted just 3.2 innings.
THE COACHING STAFF: A pair of familiar faces headline the Power coaching staff in 2018, as Wyatt Toregas returns to the helm in Charleston for his second season as the club's manager. Matt DenBleyker also returns as the team's Athletic Trainer, while the Power welcome a new pitching coach, hitting coach and strength coach to the Kanawha Valley. Joel Hanrahan takes over for Drew Benes as the pitching coach, while Chris Petersen handles the hitters in place of Ryan Long, who moved to Triple-A Indianapolis. Nick Pressley is the new Strength and Conditioning Coach.
THE ROSTER: Six top-30 MLB.com Pirates prospects headline one of the most talent-laden rosters in Power history, led by 10th-ranked prospect outfielder Lolo Sanchez. Joining Lolo in Charleston are #14 INF Oneil Cruz, #16 OF Cal Mitchell, #25 RHP Travis MacGregor, #26 OF Mason Martin and #29 LHP Braeden Ogle. Cruz is one of three returning players in Charleston this season, along with right-handers Blake Cederlind and Dylan Prohoroff. The Opening Day roster features 13 pitchers, nine right-handers and four southpaws, along with 12 batters.
DRIVE SCOUTING REPORT: The Drive Opening Day roster brings two of Boston's top five draft picks in 2017 to Greenville in outfielder Cole Brannen and RHP Alex Scherff. Also of note is the fact that eight players are returning from last year's championship squad, including SS C.J. Chatham, LHP Jhonathan Diaz, who got the Opening Day nod for the Drive, RHP Juan Florentino and OF Jagger Rusconi. Greenville claimed the South Atlantic League crown a year ago by defeating the Kannapolis Intimidators three games to one in the SAL Championship Series.
OPENING DAY: West Virginia dropped to 4-11 on Opening Day following their 8-1 loss to Greenville on Thursday. The Power have now dropped three consecutive season openers, with their last win coming in 2015 when they triumphed over Savannah, 7-6, in 10 innings. West Virginia's seven-run margin of defeat was the most in team history on Opening Day since 2011, when the club was blanked by Savannah, 8-0.
THE PITCHING MATCHUP: RHP Travis MacGregor will head to the bump for the Power in game two of their four-game series against the Greenville Drive. MacGregor, a second-round selection in 2016 by the Pirates, made 12 starts for rookie-level Bristol a season ago, going 1-4 with a 7.84 ERA. After a promising start to 2017 where he allowed just one run in nine innings, MacGregor platooned to the tune of a .339 opponent's average against him. Drive righty Kutter Crawford will oppose MacGregor. Crawford was Boston's 16th-round selection a year ago and tossed just one inning in the New York-Penn League last season.
A LOOK BACK AT 2017: The Power started the year with two top-30 prospects in SS Stephen Alemais and RHP Luis Escobar. The first half of the season did not start well, as the team dropped seven of their first eight games and finished the first half with a 30-36 record. Four players were tabbed as Midseason All-Stars: INF Trae Arbet, OF Ty Moore and LHPs Jordan Jess and Cam Vieaux. Meanwhile, Escobar represented the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 15 at the SiriusXM Futures Game. The Power turned things around in the second half, going 39-31 thanks to a torrid 19-10 August stretch, but missed the playoffs due to a .002 differential in winning percentage. 1B Albert Baur led the team with a .298 batting average, while 3Bs Hunter Owen and Adrian Valerio paced the club with 11 homers. On the mound, RHP Eduardo Vera topped the Power staff with a 3.33 ERA, while Escobar set a new Power single-season strikeout record with 168, eclipsing Tyler Glasnow's 2013 mark of 164.
POWER POINTS: West Virginia struck out 13 times in a game for the first time since their final contest against Greenville in 2017, when Drive pitching fanned 14 Power batters... A West Virginia lineup had not accumulated 13 strikeouts at home since July 3, 2017, vs. Hickory... Adam Oller, Ike Schlabach and Dylan Prohoroff combined for 5.1 innings of relief, allowing one run and four hits while fanning four (1.69 ERA)... The Power went 0-for-3 with RISP.
ON THE AIR: West Virginia Power games can be heard on The Jock 1300 & 1340 AM in the Kanawha Valley, online at wvpower.com and on the TuneIn Radio App. David Kahn and John Kocsis will handle play-by-play duties in 2018.
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