RiverDogs Leave Their Mark with Memorable Walk-Offs and Dominant Pitching Runs in 26th Season
The Charleston RiverDogs' 26th season in franchise history showcased one of the deepest rosters of future Major League talent in recent memory as the RiverDogs came up short of a pair of playoff chases in another jam-packed season at Riley Park.Under the guidance of second-year manager Julio Mosquera, the RiverDogs
The Charleston RiverDogs' 26th season in franchise history showcased one of the deepest rosters of future Major League talent in recent memory as the RiverDogs came up short of a pair of playoff chases in another jam-packed season at Riley Park.
Under the guidance of second-year manager Julio Mosquera, the RiverDogs finished 73-66, marking Charleston's third winning season in the past four years and their sixth in the previous eight. The RiverDogs featured nine of the Yankees' Top-30 prospects according to MLB.com's midseason list and saw several future Yankees stars breakout in the Single-A circuit.. The club fought for a playoff spot in all but three days of the season and finished with the second-best record in their division while 301,320 poured through the turnstiles, marking the third straight campaign that Charleston eclipsed over 300,000 in attendance at Joe Riley Park.
The RiverDogs got off to a fast start in April, taking three-of-four against their in-state rival Columbia Fireflies at Segra Park as part of a 4-3 season-opening road trip through Columbia and Asheville. Charleston was unable to find consistency both at the plate and on the mound, finishing the first month of the season with a 10th-ranked team batting average (.226), 11th-ranked OPS (.637) and a 9th-ranked ERA (3.98) through its first 25 contests en route to a 12-13 record. Exceptional pitching performances, like that of reliever
May saw the Dogs pick up the pace a bit, playing themselves back into the playoff conversation with a 17-11 record. The Holy City rattled off an incredible tear between April 25 and June 14, winning 28 of 48 contests, a stretch that included 43 consecutive days Charleston spent holding at least a share of first place between May 3 and June 14. Charleston sputtered to the finish line, losing four of seven games to the Braves and Drive to end the first half and falling a half-game shy of clinching a playoff spot. Despite a win over Greenville on the final day of the first half, the Lexington Legends finished off an 11-3 run over the final two weeks before the break to overtake Charleston and Augusta for the first-half title.
In the second half, Charleston skidded to a 16-23 start following the break, seeing themselves 7.0 back in the standings heading into August before a complete offensive turnaround. The Dogs won a league-best 20 of their last 30 games down the stretch, including taking 11 of 13 to start their best month of the campaign to pull within 2.0 games of first place Augusta. That's as close as Charleston would get as they finished four games out despite the late push. Several RiverDogs finished the year red hot.
Charleston once again received a wealth of talent from the Yankees who sent nine of their top-30 prospects according to the MLB Pipeline's midseason list. Right-handers
Land of Canaan
The RiverDogs saw seven position players on their Opening Day roster remain in the Lowcountry for the whole season but none endeared themselves to the fanbase more than left fielder Canaan Smith. The lefty bat from Rockwall, Texas was voted by the fans as the "Top Dog" of the season. The 20-year-old produced one of the all-time great pure-hitting seasons in RiverDogs history, batting .307 with 11 homers and 74 RBI in 124 games. He showed an elite control of the strike zone, finishing the season ranked second in the league in on-base percentage (.405) and third in OPS (.938) while leading the circuit in walks (74).
Also adding a career-high 16 stolen bases to his impressive stat line, he became just the sixth player in Charleston's history as a South Atlantic League franchise (circa 1980) to hit over the three-century mark while adding double-digit homers and stolen bases, joining an illustrious list that includes
Originally a fourth-round selection by the Yankees out of Rockwall-Heath High School in 2017, the lefty bat showed a tremendous turnaround in his third year as a pro. With Staten Island in 2018, he hit a career-low .194 with five home runs in 64 games in the New-York Penn League. After failing to crack Charleston's Opening Day roster at the onset of 2019, he would be called up as an injury replacement for
Smith's most impressive stretch of the season started in mid-July, when he went a blistering 25-for-50 over a 15-game stretch from July 18-August 3, a span in which he ranked second in Minor League Baseball with an astounding .609 OBP. He cut his strikeout-rate 10 percentage points down from a career-worst mark at 30 percent last year. At the season's midpoint, he was named the Southern Division starter at left field as one of Charleston's six All-Star selections.
Cool Story, Breaux
While Josh Breaux's time with Charleston was cut short due to injuries, the hulking backstop made an impression whenever he was on the field. Despite playing in just 51 games due to an elbow injury that saw him miss over two months between late-May and early-August, the second-round pick finished the year leading the Dogs in home runs, including ripping lucky number 13 on the final day of the season to pass
The Tomball, Texas native hit five home runs and plated 22 in an 11-game span from April 23-May 17, his hottest stretch at the plate before hitting the injured list on May 23. He wouldn't return until August 10, when he promptly homered and doubled to plate three in a come-from-behind win for the Dogs in Hickory. Breaux thumped his tenth home run of the season on August 22 in just his 41st game of the season, making hi the fastest RiverDog to 10 homers since Tyler Austin in 2012 and the third-fastest in the club's history as a Yankees affiliate (circa 2005).
Power and Speed, Staying Locked In
There may not have been a more feared leadoff hitter in the South Atlantic League in 2019 than Brandon Lockridge. The Yankees' fifth-round pick out of Troy had a breakout campaign in his first full year and impressed with a rare power-speed combination that saw him steal 22 bases, crush 12 homers, and lead the league with 50 total extra-base hits. Making 121 starts all in the leadoff spot and starting 103 games in centerfield, the most for any RiverDog at a single position all season, the 190-pound top-of-the-order hitter was a staple in the Charleston lineup and finished the year hitting .251 with a .729 OPS.
In what was an up and down season, Lockridge had flashes of outright dominance including bouncing out of an early-season skid to finish the first half with 10 homers and 21 doubles, the most two-baggers for a RiverDog before the All-Star break since J.R. Murphy in 2011. Although is newfound power production trailed off in the second half, he still finished as just the fifth player in Charleston's franchise history to hit at least 30 doubles, add double-digit homers, and steal 20-plus bases.
Throwing Gas, the New Yankee Way
There was a tremendous hype surrounding Charleston's Opening Day pitching staff that featured a fire-balling, six-man rotation to catch the eyes of Yankees fans and prospect hounds around the country. Five of the Yankees' Top-30 prospects all resided in Charleston's rotation to start the year and Alexander Vizcaino, the only unranked prospect in the name-heavy staff, would finish the season's end as a Top-30 prospect in the organization. Right-handers Luis Medina and Luis Gil routinely flirted with 100 mph each start and Vizcaino, Roansy Contreras, and
While the RiverDogs staff had tremendous talent taking the mound on a night-to-night basis, the team's relative inexperience showed especially early in the year. The club finished the season with 3.84 staff ERA that was tied-ninth in the SAL circuit after the club had finished as a top-two pitching staff in the league the previous three seasons.
Of the original 13 arms that opened the season with Charleston, only Contreras remained on the active roster the whole year. The 19-year-old finished the season with a 3.33 ERA and became Charleston's first 12-game winner since 2007. The Dominican Republic product threw a team-high 132 1/3 innings while striking out 113, bested only by Luis Medina (115) for the most on the team. He finished the year at his peak, winning five straight starts and six of his last seven. Over his final 11 outings on the season dating back to June 29, he recorded a 1.80 ERA. He went at least five innings in each start over the stretch and allowed more than two runs just once.
While Contreras provided a standout season over the long haul, Gil proved the most dominant among the RiverDogs' lauded rotation during the time he spent in the league. Before a July 25 promotion to Tampa, the 21-year-old recorded a 2.39 ERA that ranked third in the league at the time of his call-up. He struck out 112 batters over 83.0 innings, a K per nine inning mark of 12.3. The Azua, Dominican Republic native paired a dominant fastball with improving confidence in his offspeed stuff to induce a swing-and-miss on nearly 17 percent of his pitches, a league-best rate at the time of his promotion. The wiry hurler was named the Southern Division All-Star starter in the mid-summer classic, although he did not participate in the All-Star festivities.
Called up at the same time as Gil, Vizcaino, 22, also showcased some of the most electric stuff in the SAL circuit to start the year. The fellow Dominican hurler went 5-5, 4.41 ERA while whiffing 101 in 87 2/3 frames this season before his call up while producing a swing-and-miss rate surpassed only by Gil. He was also a mid-season All-Star pick. Vizcaino flashed a fastball that touched as high as 99 mph this year, paired with an outstanding changeup, considered one of the best in the system along with an improved slider.
Although he required a bit more seasoning in the South Atlantic League, Luis Medina finished the year looking just as dominant as his peers. The 20-year-old fire-baller did a complete 180 following a disappointing first 14 starts of the season. From Opening Day through his July 3 outing against the Augusta, he struggled to the tune of an 8.38 ERA in 58 innings of work with a 2.05 WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched), as well as a league-leading 55 walks allowed. When he toed the rubber on July 11, he began a remarkable, season-salvaging run. Through his final six South Atlantic League starts, Medina pitched 35 innings, surrendering just nine runs (eight earned) for a 2.06 ERA. He yielded only 22 hits and 12 walks while fanning 55 opposing batters, tied for the third-most in the league in that span. He was called up to Tampa on August 19 after being named the league's "Pitcher of the Week" for his dominating 10 strikeout performance against Columbia on August 13.
Out of the bullpen,
APRIL- SHAWN SEMPLE CARVES UP THE LEAGUE
Reliever
APRIL- HE LIFTS, BREAUX
Selected in the second round of the 2018 MLB Draft by the Yankees, catcher/DH
Video: RiverDogs' Breaux bashes one
APRIL 22- EL KRAKEN RETURNS TO THE LOWCOUNTRY
RiverDogs fans were in for a special treat in the series opener against the Intimidators, when a rehabbing
Video: El Kraken Returns to the Lowcountry
MAY 12- SMITH GOES CYCLING
During the RiverDogs' first road series against the Hickory Crawdads, outfielder
MAY 14-15, AUGUST 12-13- HEY, WE'RE WALKIN' (OFF) HERE!
The RiverDogs went their first 37 games of the season without earning a walk-off win before the West Virginia Power made the trip to Riley Park. With the game tied at five entering the bottom of the ninth May 14,
Video: Dogs Walk It Off Back-to-Back Nights...TWICE
MAY 14- EDUARDO TORREALBA CHANNELS EL MAGO
Prior to Lockridge scoring on the walk-off wild pitch May 14,
Hey @Cubs, are we doing it right? pic.twitter.com/xizq9GOQOx
— Charleston RiverDogs (@ChasRiverDogs) May 15, 2019
MAY 30- BRANDON LOCKRIDGE GOES YARD IN GRAND FASHION
In the first of a four-game road series against the Lexington Legends, Brandon Lockridge stepped to the plate with the bags full in the top of the second inning. After working into a favorable 2-1 hitter's count, he crushed a
JUNE 4, 7- STARS SHINE BRIGHTEST IN HOLY CITY
Just after the start of the final month of the first half, six RiverDogs were initially selected to represent Charleston at Appalachian Power Park for the 2019 SAL All-Star Game. Canaan Smith,
JUNE 5- HIGHWAY ROBBERY & A PAIR OF BLASTS
On getaway day in Greensboro, the Dogs snagged a close 2-1 finale to take the series win back to Charleston. With the Grasshoppers already up 1-0,
JUNE 10- TOE-TO-TOE WITH DALLAS KEUCHEL
Prior to a late-season callup to High-A Tampa, righty Luis Gil was Charleston's best starter through the first two-thirds of the season. His dominant season was highlighted by a June 10 outing on the road against the Rome Braves. Rome's parent team had just inked southpaw
JULY- YOU CAN'T GET CANAAN OUT
Canaan Smith blazed through South Atlantic League pitching in the month of July and right to the top of many offensive statistical categories. His .393 average and .509 on-base percentage led the league, and his 1.026 OPS was bested only by
AUGUST 8- STOWERS USES CHEAT CODE
Some baseball players dream of one or two chances a season that will forever be in their highlight reel and Josh Stowers got four in one game during a memorable night in Hickory. In what the RiverDogs right fielder would later describe as "like a video game," the former Louisville product started out his night by making two tremendous grabs back-to-back to close the bottom of the 1st inning at L.P. Frans Stadium, leaping at the warning track to take an extra-base hit away from Rangers' first-rounder
AUGUST 10- CALL IT A COMEBACK
The Dogs were down but not out, entering the top of the seventh inning trailing 9-4 to the Hickory Crawdads on the road. In his first game back after a two-month stint on the injured list, Josh Breaux crushed his eighth home run of the season leading off the inning, and Josh Stowers followed with a single to left field. Later in the frame,
AUGUST 13, 14- HOLES IN THEIR BATS
The Columbia Fireflies were thrilled to finally escape Riley Park for the final time this season after a three-game series sweep at the hands of the RiverDogs August 12-14. In game two of the series,
AUGUST 20- CANAAN SMITH HITS HISTORIC BLAST
In his first at-bat of the homestand, Smith continued to make his case for the SAL MVP Award as he took West Virginia starter
Video: Canaan Smith belts his 10th home run of the season
AUGUST 21- IT WAS OVER BEFORE YOU COULD SAY MACIEJEWSKI
With a series win on the line against the West Virginia Power at The Joe, southpaw
Video: RiverDogs' Maciejewski ends start with strikeout
AUGUST 27- DOUBLE TROUBLE
Canaan Smith slugged his 30th double of the season during Charleston's 11-5 rout of the Asheville Tourists on its final road trip of the season, joining Brandon Lockridge as the only two RiverDogs this season to hit 30 two-baggers. The dynamic duo became the first RiverDogs teammates to each hit 30 doubles in one season since