Intimidators keep shuffling roster

By Bill Kiser
Kannapolis Citizen
The Kannapolis Intimidators’ roster underwent a major reshuffling for the second consecutive week, with one player moving on, four others coming in and three more going on the disabled list.
Pitcher Levi Maxwell became the third Intimidators player to move up the Chicago White Sox’s minor league system when he was promoted to Winston-Salem of the Advanced-A level Carolina League.
Maxwell joins infielder Joe Persichina and pitcher Steve Spurgeon to be called up from Kannapolis this season. Persichina was sent to Birmingham (Ala.), the White Sox’s Double-A Southern League team, on April 25 (although he was eventually reassigned to the Intimidators two weeks later), while Spurgeon was sent to Winston-Salem on May 9.
Added to Kannapolis’ roster were three pitchers — Adam Bowling, Kevin Skogley and Gregory Infante — and outfielder Lyndon Estill from the White Sox’s extended spring training program.
The additions come as the Intimidators lost three players to injuries. Pitcher Jason Rice went on the disabled list on May 13, outfielder Ronnie Gaines joined him on May 16, and outfielder Jose Martinez went on the DL the following day.
Maxwell had become one of Kannapolis’ most effective pitchers, both as a reliever and spot starter. He was 4-1 with one save and a 1.23 ERA in 11 appearances (two starts). He also had 29 strikeouts in 291⁄3 innings.
Bowling, a free agent signee by the White Sox in 2007, went 3-2 with a 6.41 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 17 relief appearances last season at Great Falls (Mont.), Chicago’s Advanced Rookie team in the Pioneer League. Skogley, a 12th-round draft pick by the White Sox in 2007, went 2-5 with a 4.72 ERA in 18 games (including nine starts) last season with Great Falls. He struggled as a starter, with a 6.02 ERA in 401⁄3 innings, but proved himself as a reliever, giving up just two earned runs in 15 innings.
Infante, a 2006 free agent signee by the White Sox, was 2-3 last season with a 4.01 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 10 games (eight of those starts) with Bristol (Tenn.), Chicago’s Advanced Rookie team in the Appalachian League. He also held opposing batters to a .207 average.
Estill, an eight-round pick by the White Sox in the 2007 draft, hit .247 last season at Great Falls, and finished tied for second in the Pioneer League in triples with seven. He was named the best athlete in the White Sox organization by Baseball America magazine this season.