Yermin Mercedes and Things That Travel Far
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Coming into this spring Yermin Mercedes had 2,396 plate appearance in the minor leagues and one in the majors. Densely built at 5-foot-11 and 245 pounds, the first baseman did enough to make the Chicago White Sox as the team headed north to embark on a season where they are expected to contend. And somewhere along the way, the 28-year-old became the best hitter on the face of the planet.
Mercedes set a MLB record by going 8-for-8 to begin the season. He collected another two hits in the Sox s home opener Thursday night, including a titanic 485-blast for his first career dinger at the top level. The majestic flight lasted longer than any in team history since the inception of StatCast.
Southern Illinois continues to bolster roster in preparation for 2021
Marion, IL (March 3, 2021) – The Southern Illinois Miners announce that pitcher Blake Stelzer and outfielder Dalton Mitchell have returned to the club after playing elsewhere in 2020, and have also signed outfielder Jared Mang out of the California Winter League.
Stelzer, a 6’3” right-handed pitcher, played for the St. Cloud Rox in the summer collegiate Northwoods League in 2020, and had a 3-1 record and seven saves in 16 appearances out of the bullpen along with 22 strikeouts, 11 walks, and a 2.73 ERA. He was slated to join the Miners last year out of Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he pitched to a 0.52 ERA in 17 1/3 innings along with a 25:5 strikeout-to-walk ratio as a senior before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down college athletics.
Miners bring back Stelzer, Mitchell; sign Mang cilfm.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cilfm.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Today, the Chicago Cubs announced their minor league managers, coaching staffs, and coordinators for the 2021 season. The official team releases are included below.
What’s most notable is the manager announcement, which appears to confirm that the Cubs are indeed contracting down to just one rookie league team in each of Arizona and the Dominican Republic. Previously, the Cubs had two of each. With the draft shrinking (dramatically last year, and less dramatically – but still shrinking permanently to something like 10 to 20 rounds), you can see why a second stateside rookie league club might not be necessary or fill-able in the current setup. Nevertheless, I’d hoped the Cubs would still see it as a possible edge, especially in the Dominican Republic where signings are not necessarily as limited internationally. Maybe all teams are doing this? What was going to happen at the rookie level was never as clear as what was happening in the full-season leagues (every organization now
For 31 seasons (1988-2018), Colorado Springs was a Triple-A affiliate in the grand Pacific Coast League. Beginning this June, and for the first time in the city’s long history with professional baseball, two minor league teams will call Colorado Springs home.
Welcome back Rocky Mountain Vibes and hello to the new Colorado Springs SnowSox.
The Vibes, as many of you know, were the replacement team for the Sky Sox after team owner Dave Elmore relocated the Sky Sox to San Antonio following the 2018 season. The Vibes played just one summer 2019 in the short season Rookie Pioneer League. They were all set to play last spring when the COVID-19 pandemic rocked the sports world, shutting down the minors.