Three Midwestern infielders, two of them from the Chicago area, have helped the White Sox’s Class A Kannapolis (N.C.) team to a 58-38 record in the South Atlantic League.
John Lackaff, a 22-year-old third baseman from Downers Grove North, hit his sixth home run and had two RBIs Saturday in a 4-2 victory over Hickory. He’s batting .256 and has 42 RBIs for the Intimidators.
Michael Spidale, a 19-year-old second baseman from Nazareth Academy, has a .252 average and the dubious distinction of being hit by pitched balls 11 times.
First baseman Casey Rogowski, 20, a former Michigan state high school heavyweight wrestling champion from Livonia, ranks fifth in the league in on-base percentage (.397) and ninth in hitting (.293).
– Kris Honel, the Sox’s 2001 first-round draft pick from Providence Catholic High, was promoted from the Arizona Rookie League to Bristol in the Advanced Rookie Appalachian League. He allowed one run in three innings and took the loss in his first outing.
“The first day I got here [Bristol], I got a virus in my lung, and it put me in the emergency room for three or four hours,” Honel said.
Honel was satisfied with his first start in Bristol. “I wasn’t expecting to go out there and strike out the world,” he said. “Every level you move up, it gets tougher and tougher.”
Cubs updates: Some of the highly regarded players in the Cubs’ minor-league system have been posting rather ordinary numbers at Triple A Iowa.
First baseman Hee Seop Choi has been injured, but he hit just .229 with eight homers and 27 RBIs in 48 games. First baseman Julio Zuleta was at .240 with three homers and 14 RBIs after 19 games.
Schaumburg Flyers: Matt Nokes, who played 11 seasons in the majors, has been named starting designated hitter for the Central team in the Northern League All-Star Game July 31 in Winnipeg. Nokes, 37, hit .357 and had six homers and 35 RBIs in his first 50 games for the Flyers.
Kane County Cougars: An Elfstrom Stadium crowd of 10,317 fans saw 23-year-old lefty Chris Key from Reno improve his record to 5-0 in a 9-1 Midwest League win Thursday over Dayton.
