All-Decade Team (2010-19): Pitchers

PITCHERS: MICHAEL KOPECH (SP) - ERIK JOHNSON (SP) - DEUNTE HEATH (RP)

Over the course of the last decade, the Charlotte Knights have welcomed a number of outstanding pitchers both in the starting rotation and out of the bullpen. A handful of baseball's top prospects and a slew of recognizable veterans have worked their way through Charlotte and have helped the Knights to a combined 686 wins over the decade.

STARTING PITCHER: MICHAEL KOPECH: READ FULL ARTICLE

STARTING PITCHER: ERIK JOHNSON: READ FULL ARTICLE

RELIEF PITCHER: DEUNTE HEATH: READ FULL ARTICLE

HONORABLE MENTIONS
Carlos Torres made his way to the Knights for the 2008 season and appeared in eight games with the team (0-0, 4.58). A year later, he went 10-4 with a 2.39 ERA in 23 games (20 starts) for the Knights in 2009. The California native also had two complete games and a shutout that season. He was back with the team at the start of the decade and he posted a 9-9 record with a 3.42 ERA in 27 games (25 starts) in 2010 – his only season that counts as part of the All-Decade Team. Overall, his 3.07 Knights career ERA is third best all-time in franchise history. He also ranks eighth in franchise history in strikeouts with 249. He was an IL All-Star in 2009 and 2010.

Lucas Harrell won 21 games for the Knights over parts of three seasons. In his debut season with the Knights in 2009, Harrell went 4-1 with a 3.29 ERA in 11 starts. One year later, Harrell was back with the team and posted a 10-10 record with a 4.58 ERA in 26 starts in 2010. He made his major league debut with the White Sox on July 30, 2010 and earned a win after six innings of one-run ball against the Oakland A’s. In his last season with the Knights, Harrell went 7-3 with a 3.27 ERA in 13 games (12 starts) in 2011.

RHP Dylan Axelrod was one of the most consistent pitchers of the last decade with the Knights. Axelrod posted a 19-13 record with a 3.19 ERA in 49 games (47 games started) with the Knights over parts of three seasons. His 3.19 ERA is tied with Deunte Heath for fourth all-time in franchise history and his 243 strikeouts are 11th. Axelrod posted a 6-1 record with a 2.27 ERA in 2012, a 7-5 mark with a 2.88 ERA in 2013, and a 6-7 mark with a 4.50 ERA in 2014.

LHP Charlie Leesman went 12-10 with a 2.47 ERA for the Knights in 26 starts in 2012. The Ohio native finished second in the IL in ERA and was tied for third in wins with three other pitchers. His 12 wins helped lead the Knights to their first playoff appearance since 2006. He was named as an International League All-Star in 2012 as well. Leesman returned to Charlotte for parts of 2013 and 2014. He went 4-3 with a 3.47 ERA in 2013 (16 games) and 2-6 with a 4.10 ERA in 2014 (14 games).

RHP Andre Rienzo tossed a no-hitter with the Charlotte Knights on July 25, 2013. A native of San Paolo, BZ, Rienzo went 8-6 with a 4.06 ERA in 13 games (all starts) in 2013. He also represented the White Sox organization that year at the 2013 MLB Futures Game. Rienzo went 1-4 with a 4.05 ERA in 10 games (nine starts) in 2014.

Before he was Matt Zaleski the pitching coach of the Knights, he was Matt Zaleski the competitor on the mound for the Knights. Zaleski, an Illinois native, made his Charlotte debut in 2009 and posted a 2.25 ERA in three games as a starting pitcher. The Illinois native returned in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and again in 2014. His finest season came in 2012 when he went 7-7 with a 3.70 ERA in 25 games (22 starts). Zaleski played a key part in Charlotte’s run to the playoffs in 2012 as he tossed 8.1 solid innings on September 9th to propel the Knights into the postseason for the first time in six years. For his career, he appears on a number of Knights All-Time records, including games started (1st), innings pitched (2nd), strikeouts (fourth), and tied for sixth in wins (6).

SEASONS TO REMEMBER
RHP Ryan Braun saved 18 games for the Knights in 2010 and overall went 1-2 with a 2.20 ERA in 52 appearances. He struck-out 61 batters over 57.1 innings pitched.

RHP Charlie Shirek had a solid season with the Knights in 2012 and posted a record of 11-5 with a 3.65 ERA in 28 games (26 starts).

In his only season with the Knights, RHP Jason Berken went 12-12 with a 3.80 ERA in 27 games (all starts) in 2013.

RHP Scotty Carroll posted a 7-4 record with a 3.47 ERA with the Knights in 2015 -- a year after he went 3-1 with a 1.57 ERA in four starts with the team in 2014. Carroll won 14 games with the Knights over parts of four seasons (2012, 2014-16).

RHP Brad Penny won 121 games over a 14-year major league career. A two-time National League All-Star, Penny spent his final professional season with the Knights in 2015 and made 24 starts for the team, winning seven games and compiling 135.1 innings pitched.

In 2017, Reynaldo López posted a 6-7 record with a 3.79 ERA in 22 games started with the Knights. Over the course of his 121.0 innings pitched, he compiled 131 strikeouts.

RHP Donny Roach had one of the finest seasons in Charlotte Knights franchise history. In 2018, Roach posted a 9-2 record with a 2.65 ERA in 16 games (15 starts) with the team. On Monday, July 2, 2018, Roach, was named as the International League’s Player of the Month for June. Also on July 2, Roach was named as the Chicago White Sox Minor League Pitcher of the Month for June. He went 5-0 with a 0.98 ERA in six games (five starts) during June. He was also selected as an International League All-Star last season, but did not participate (left for Japan). On July 5, 2018, he was released from his contract to pursue an opportunity to play in Japan. At the time of his release, he led the IL in wins, ranked second in IP, and ranked third in ERA.

NO-HITTERS
RHP Lucas Giolito hurled a seven-inning no-hitter on Thursday, May 25, 2017. For his outstanding efforts that day, he was named as the International League’s Pitcher of the Week for the period of May 22-28. Taking the ball for the Knights in game one of a doubleheader on Thursday, May 25th, Giolito threw 87 pitches (50 for strikes) and allowed just three walks over seven hitless innings. He struck-out three batters and tossed the fourth no-hitter in Charlotte Knights franchise history -- the first in BB&T Ballpark history. The seven-inning no-hitter by Giolito was the first in Charlotte Knights franchise history since July 25, 2013 when RHP Andre Rienzo threw a seven-inning no-hitter in game one of a doubleheader against the Indianapolis Indians from Knights Stadium in Fort Mill. Before that, Carlos Torres threw a five-inning perfect game on June 18, 2009 in Pawtucket, RI and Tetsu Yofu tossed a nine-inning no-hitter on August 1, 2004 for the Knights against the Durham Bulls at Knights Stadium. For the season, Giolito went 6-10 with a 4.48 ERA in 24 games (all starts). He tossed a total of 128.2 innings pitched and struck-out 134 batters – fourth-best in the IL in 2017. He also finished second in the IL in shutouts (2).