Trio of Intimidators promoted to Warthogs

By Bill Kiser
Kannapolis Citizen
The Kannapolis Intimidators saw their roster undergo another shakeup last week, with three players promoted to Winston-Salem.
Pitchers Matt Long, Daniel Albritton and Anthony Carter all got the callup to the Warthogs, the Chicago White Sox’s Advanced-A level Carolina League team.
The trio was replaced by pitcher Levi Maxwell, who was sent down from Winston-Salem after a three-week stint; and pitcher Charlie Shirek, called up from Great Falls (Mont.), the ChiSox’s rookie-level Pioneer League team.
The Intimidators also picked up first baseman Mark Fleisher, who was assigned to Kannapolis after being obtained from the Baltimore Orioles’ minor league organization.
The Intimidators also reactivated pitchers Jason Rice, Leroy Hunt and Johnnie Lowe from the disabled list, activated then released pitcher Justin Klipp, and sent down catcher Danny Jordan and pitchers Kevin Skogley and Adam Bowling to Great Falls.
Maxwell was the biggest prize for Kannapolis. He went 4-1 with an ERA under 2.00 with the Intimidators before being called up to Winston-Salem on May 14. However, the righthander struggled with the Warthogs, going 0-1 with a 6.32 ERA in four appearances.
Shirek, who played in six games with Kannapolis last year after being taken in the 23rd round of the 2007 draft, opened the 2008 season with the Intimidators, going 1-2 in six starts. However, the righty struggled in his last start, going just two innings on May 4, and was reassigned to Extended Spring Training a few days later.
Fleisher, picked in the 14th round of the 2005 draft by the Orioles, and spent the next three seasons with Aberdeen (Md.) in the Class A short season New York-Penn League, Delmarva (Md.), the O’s A-level South Atlantic League team and Frederick (Md.) of the Advanced-A Carolina League. He hit 16 home runs, 29 doubles and 67 RBIs with Delmarva in 2006, and belted 16 homers with Frederick in 2007.
Long, a second-round pick in the 2006 draft, spent the 2006 and 2007 seasons with the Intimidators, and opened the 2008 season with Winston-Salem. However, he was briefly sent back to Kannapolis in early June, only to be called back to the Warthogs two days later. Long is currently 3-7 with a 5.01 ERA in 13 appearances.
Albritton, picked in the 25th round of the 2007 draft, went 1-3 with three saves and a 5.16 ERA in 20 appearances with Bristol (Tenn.) of the rookie-level Appalachian League. He opened the 2008 season with Kannapolis, going 0-0 with a 7.18 ERA in 10 appearances before the callup.
Carter, a 26th-round pick in the 2007 draft, went 5-3 with a 3.93 ERA in 15 starts at Great Falls last season, then opened the 2008 season with the Intimidators. There, he went 5-2 with a 2.77 ERA in 11 starts before the callup.
Rice went on the DL on May 13 after going 1-4 in eight starts, Lowe had been on the disabled list since May 28 after going 2-3 in eight starts, and Hunt has been on the disabled list since April 30 after going 1-1 with two saves in seven appearances.
Klipp was picked in the 22nd round of the 2007 draft by the White Sox, but missed the season with a fractured leg. He opened the 2008 season on Kannapolis’ roster, but spent the season on the DL before his outright release last week.
Jordan, a 27th-round pick by the White Sox in the 2005 draft, hit .184 with two home runs and 18 RBI at Bristol in 2006, and .235 with 13 RBIs in 32 games with Great Falls in 2007. He hit .235 with three home runs in 22 games with Kannapolis this season.
Skogley, a 12th-round pick in the 2007 draft, went 2-5 with one save and a 4.72 ERA in 18 appearances (including nine starts) with Great Falls last season. He was 0-1 with a 7.79 ERA in four starts with Kannapolis this season.
Bowling, a free-agent signee by the White Sox in 2007, went 3-2 with two saves and a 6.41 ERA in 17 appearances last season with Great Falls, and was 1-0 with a 4.76 ERA in eight games with Kannapolis this season.

McKenna pulls out of All-Star Game
Kannapolis trainer Chris McKenna, who was picked to be the Southern Division team trainer for next week’s South Atlantic League All-Star Game, has been replaced by Asheville trainer Chris Dovey.
According to Intimidators officials, McKenna opted to spend the time off for the All-Star Game — which is scheduled for June 17 in Greensboro — spending time with his family.