Cannon Baller Chronicle: Week Three 

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. – The Kannapolis Cannon Ballers have completed week three of the 2021 campaign, finishing a six-game series with the Columbia Fireflies at Atrium Health Ballpark. The Ballers tallied their first win at home on Friday night, going 1-5 last week in the series against the Fireflies. Here are some notable performances from the homestand against Columbia:

(all stats are reflective of games from 5/18 to 5/23)

RHP Jared Kelley:

0-0, 0.00 ERA, 3.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K

After a rocky three starts to begin the season, the No.1 prospect in the Chicago White Sox system bounced back with an impressive outing Saturday night before being forced to exit due to a hand injury. Kelley got out of jams in each of his three innings, including bases loaded in the top of the second, stranding a total of seven runners on base while accumulating four strikeouts along the way.

RHP Angel Acevedo:

1-0, 0.00 ERA, 3.2 IP, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K

The newly acquired Acevedo dealt in his 3.2 innings of work on Friday night, notching the first home victory on the mound for Kannapolis. The former Padres farmhand shut down the Fireflies offense, allowing just one hit and striking out six en route to victory.

SS Jose Rodriguez:

.364 AVG, 8 H, 14 TB, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Rodriguez had a week to remember at the plate at Atrium Health Ballpark. “Popeye” went 4-5 with a home run on Saturday night, taking the reins as the main source of offense for the Cannon Ballers. The No.15 prospect in the White Sox system leads the Ballers in most offensive categories and is certainly a candidate to see his name move up in the prospect rankings.

LF Benyamin Bailey:

.333 AVG, 8 H, 8 TB, 1 RBI

After struggling in the first two weeks of the season, Bailey turned it around against the Fireflies by going 8-for-24 at the plate, while also notching his first three multi-hit games of the year. The 6-foot-4 outfielder holds active streaks of five games with hits and two games with multiple hits.

LOOKING AHEAD:

05/25-05/30

Carolina Mudcats (2nd Low-A East Central Division, 10-8)

The Mudcats, Low-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, return home to host Kannapolis after making a trip to Delmarva. Carolina went 2-4 against the Shorebirds, getting wins on Thursday and Friday before dropping the final two games of the stretch. The Mudcats are new to the Low-A level of baseball, previously being the High-A affiliate for the Brewers in the now-defunct Carolina League from 2017-2020.

Carolina holds four active top 30 prospects in the Brewers organization in SS Freddy Zamora (No.8), SS Zavier Warren (No.11), OF Micah Bello (No.28), and RHP Abner Uribe (No. 30). LHP Antoine Kelly, who is listed on the Mudcats roster, is also ranked in the top 30 at No.6, but Kelly is not with the team due to injury.

Zamora, a second-round selection in 2020, has not appeared in a game since May 13, but has started the season batting .190 with two doubles and four RBIs. Warren appeared twice in the series against Delmarva, going 1-6 with two walks and two strikeouts. Bello is currently listed on the 7-day IL and has not appeared since May 13. Uribe made two appearances in the series with the Shorebirds, starting once and coming out of the bullpen once. The 6’2” righty tallied four innings, allowing two earned runs and two hits.

The notable source of offense for the Mudcats in the series with the Shorebirds was OF Joe Gray Jr., who added RBIs for Carolina in five of the six matchups with Delmarva. The 2018 second-round pick is the team leader in RBIs, tied for the lead in home runs, and 4-4 on stolen base attempts this year.

On the mound, RHP Justin Bullock has started the season strong. The 2017 16th-round pick has gone 1-1 with a 1.80 ERA in his three starts, notching 22 strikeouts in 15 innings of work, good enough for second on the team. Out of the bullpen, RHP Miguel Guerrero has yet to allow an earned run in his 7.1 innings. The 20-year-old from the Dominican Republic has hurled 10 strikeouts, giving up just four hits and four walks.

The Kannapolis Cannon Ballers will return home June 8th-13th to host these same Carolina Mudcats. Fans can purchase tickets for the next home series at kcballers.com or at the F&M Bank Box Office located at Atrium Health Ballpark.

While the Ballers are on the road, fans can keep up with the action on the team’s social media outlets, with live in-game updates being provided on Twitter at @Kcannonballers.