Winston-Salem Dash Announce 2021 Roster
May 3, 2021 - South Atlantic League (SAL)
Winston-Salem Dash News Release
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - In conjunction with the Chicago White Sox, the Winston-Salem Dash have announced their roster for the inaugural 2021 High-A East League season. The roster features 26 newcomers as well as five returners from the 2019 Dash season.
As in prior years, the Dash will field several of the top prospects in the White Sox farm system. Bryce Bush, Caleb Freeman, Yolbert Sanchez, and Lenyn Sosa, ranked in the top 30 of all prospects in the White Sox organization by MLB Pipeline, will make their first High-A appearance at Truist Stadium this season.
Debuting in Cuba's top league at 18 years old, Sanchez signed with the White Sox during the 2019-20 international signing period. He played with former Dash star Luis Robert on Cuba's 18-and-under team.
Freeman brings a three-quarters delivery to Winston-Salem after pitching 17 times across three levels in his minor league career. The right-hander punched out 38 batters in 24 innings between rookie-level and Low-A in 2019.
Headlining the returners is Johan Cruz, who will call Winston-Salem home for the third time in his minor-league career. Cruz, who played for the Dash in both 2017 and 2019, has totaled 23 doubles while amassing 112 games in a Dash uniform.
Joining Cruz around the diamond are Alex Destino, Travis Moniot, Evan Skoug, and Taylor Varnell. Each player finished the 2019 campaign with the Dash, combining for 58 games between the five. Skoug suited up in 44 of the 58 games, belting five homeruns. Varnell joins the Dash for a second stint after firing 21.1 innings in four starts.
Among the 26 Dash newcomers, 10 pitchers have arrived in Winston-Salem after completing the 2019 season with Low-A Kannapolis. Jason Bilous, Cooper Bradford, Hansen Butler, Isaiah Carranza, Declan Cronin, Johan Dominguez, Caleb Freeman, Davis Martin, J.B. Olson, and Lane Ramsey head up the pitching corps from Kannapolis.
Johan Dominguez, who posted a 2.98 ERA with 90 strikeouts in Kannapolis, will make his High-A debut this year. The right-handed pitcher will be a staple in the Dash rotation after compiling 15 starts with Kannapolis in 2019. Another newcomer in Pauly Milto is set to make his High-A debut as well. Milto pitched 19 times at Great Falls last season, posting a 1.88 ERA.
A pair of prospects will be making their professional debuts with the Dash, as Carranza and Luke Shilling join the club looking to toe the rubber for the first time in the minor-leagues. Both pitchers have not pitched due to injury, with Carranza finishing the season at Kannapolis, while Shilling spent his time with the rookie-level Arizona White Sox.
The pitching staff will utilize two different catchers this year with Skoug, and Henri Lartigue shouldering the catching duties. Lartigue joins the White Sox organization after spending four seasons in the minor leagues with the Phillies.
On the offensive side, the Dash welcome Bryce Bush from Kannapolis. Bush, who slugged 12 doubles in Low-A, is joined by Luis Curbelo, Duke Ellis, Lazaro Leal, Harvin Mendoza, and Lenyn Sosa as players looking to make their High-A East league debut.
Ellis, known for his speed and defensive prowess, signed with the White Sox as an undrafted free agent in 2020. His father Robert won the 2001 World Series with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Both Sosa and 2016 international-signee Luis Mieses will make franchise history as the first players born in the year 2000 or later to play for the Dash. The pair were born in the year 2000, with Mieses being the youngest player on the team by four months and six days.
Of the 31 players assigned to the Dash, 25 have spent their entire career in the White Sox organization; newcomers Vincenzo Aiello, Sal Biasi, Johan Dominguez, Henri Lartigue, Dilmer Mejia, and Wilber Perez are the only players who accumulated time in other organizations. Biasi joins his fourth minor-league organization in the White Sox after spending time with Kansas City, Milwaukee, and Seattle, while Perez was a former member in the Braves organization.
Ryan Newman, who skippered the Dash in 2013, rejoins the club as manager. Newman has been a member of the White Sox organization since 2011, dating back to his days with rookie-level Great Falls. Newman also led both Double-A Birmingham and Low-A Kannapolis, bringing a decade of managerial experience to Winston-Salem.
Danny Farquhar joins Newman in the dugout as the team's pitching coach. Farquhar returns to the White Sox organization after pitching for Chicago in 2017 and 2018. The 2021 campaign marks Farquhar's first in coaching. Mike Daniel rounds out the Dash coaching staff, acting as the team's hitting coach. A UNC graduate, Daniel spent seven seasons in the Nationals, Braves, and Rockies organizations during his playing career.
The season also marks the first year the facility will be referred to as Truist Stadium. May 4th marks the first time the stadium will be hosting a Dash game in 615 days. The season opener will be broadcast live on wsdash.com/broadcast and streamed on MiLB.tv.
Winston-Salem's opener is set for Tuesday, May 4, with a six-game series against the Rome Braves at Truist Stadium. Tickets are on sale now. For more information, call (336) 714-2287 or visit wsdash.com.
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