Wheeler ‘making strides’ in first season with Dash

Andre Wheeler has emerged as key component coming out of the Dash bullpen.

Andre Wheeler’s baseball metamorphosis has had its twists and turns along the way.

Originally, the Winston-Salem Dash lefty relief pitcher was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an outfielder from Austin, Tex. He didn’t sign. Instead, he went to Texas Tech University and was an everyday player as a freshman. Still, the thought that he’d end up pitching was always in the back of his mind.

The make-up of the Texas Tech team played a role in the eventual position switch. The Red Raiders recruited a lot of junior college players, who were older and more seasoned than the team’s underclassmen. Even so, they still needed pitching depth. Wheeler pitched four games as a freshman. The following year, primarily because of team needs, he became a full-time reliever.

“When I first switched it was tough,” said the 23-year-old Wheeler. “In high school, I pitched a little, but really didn’t know what I was doing. There’s a lot more to it than just going out there and throwing the ball. You have to have a plan and you must learn how to pitch. Right now, I’m not where I want to be, but I am making strides.”

Over the course of this season, Wheeler (4-2, 3.40 ERA in 47.2 innings pitched) has produced in a variety of roles. Wheeler has started four games and he’s worked middle relief duty. On several occasions, he’s turned in superlative stints as a closer. Being willing and prepared to handle all assignments that have come his way hasn’t been an issue.

“I’ve learned that no matter what the situation is, you’ve got to attack those hitters,” said Wheeler, who signed with the Chicago White Sox as a 15^th round draft pick in 2013. “It doesn’t matter if you’re starting or coming out of the (bull) pen. In both cases, it all comes down to coming in and throwing strikes right away.”

Wheeler has 49 strikeouts and 23 walks this season.

While Wheeler acknowledges that he’s far from being a polished product, he’s shown signs of emerging as a dominant presence on the bump. Fans got the opportunity to see Wheeler on top his game in Winston-Salem’s come-from-behind 2-1 home victory over Myrtle Beach on June 29.

Entering the game in the bottom of the eighth with the score tied 1-1, Wheeler delivered two shut-out innings. In the process, he allowed zero hits and had three strikeouts to earn his third victory of the season. His mix of pitches kept Pelicans’ batters guessing. Wheeler’s lively fast ball, sneaky slider and vastly-improved change-up, was more than the visiting team could handle.

“I was able to throw all three pitches for strikes and I attacked the hitters,” he explained. “When I’m hitting both sides of the plate with my fast ball, that’s when I’m at my best. And it really helps when I can locate my slider late in the count. The change-up is coming along. I didn’t throw it too much last year. Without the change-up, I don’t think I would’ve had as much as success as I’ve had this season.”

Consistency and repetition are keys in grooming pitchers. There are numerous elements which are involved in developing proper throwing mechanics. That’s the physical aspect of the game that presents its share of challenges. But there’s also the mental aspect that can’t be overlooked. For Wheeler, maintaining the right frame of mind is just as important as mastering technique.

“At the pro level, the mental part of the game is the biggest challenge to overcome,” he said. “When you have a bad outing, you can easily get down on yourself and not have confidence. But you also know that you’ll be back out there two or three days later. You have to be ready to bounce back and perform right away.”

Stayed tuned for the Friday edition

Up until his sophomore year of college baseball at Texas Tech, 
Andre Wheeler was an everyday outfielder. Now he's in the pros and he's
on the mound. The transition is not yet complete. But in the meantime,
the results have been better than expected in Wheeler's first season
with the Winston-Salem Dash. In the Friday edition of SportzXpress, 
Wheeler discusses how he's going about the business of perfecting his craft.

Barnum starting to find his groove at the plate

Dash slugger Keon Barnum has driven in 19 runs during a 25-game stretch in July.

It wasn’t that long ago when Keon Barnum of the Winston-Salem Dash stood out as a prized college baseball prospect. Initially, he made a verbal commitment to play for “The U” (in Miami in Fla.).

But once the pro scouts began to take notice, Barnum’s thinking shifted dramatically.

After turning in a couple of impressive pro workouts, the Chicago White Sox made Barnum its first-round draft pick (48^th overall) after his high school graduation in 2012.

Barnum, whose home is Tampa, Fla., never had any uncertainty about his decision to play for pay. On the one hand, it was very gratifying to be heavily recruited by one of the nation’s college baseball powerhouses. But on the other hand, there was an even greater sense of satisfaction to get the opportunity to fulfill a life-long dream.

“Playing professional baseball is something I really wanted to do,” he said. “I could’ve gone to school. But the decision to play pro ball was up to me. So, I decided to go for it, get after it, and start early. I love what I’m doing. It’s a big change from high school. It can be a grind, but it’s actually fun to play every day and get better.”

Barnum, a 22-year old first baseman, has all the requisites to become the feared power hitter of the future that the White Sox have projected him to be. At 6-feet-5, 225 pounds, he possesses the strength, quick hands and powerful swing to hit for distance on a consistent basis.

Expectations are always sky-high for first-round draft picks and Barnum is no exception. Although he’s been inconsistent at times, Barnum has been sizzling at the plate in recent weeks. Over his last 25 games (dating back to July 3), he's hitting .255 with 19 RBIs.

Barnum was a coveted college prospect coming out of  
high school in Tampa, Fla.

“I realize that people think highly of me,” he said. “But on the other hand, you don’t want to have that pressure on you where you’re thinking so much about what other people’s expectations are.

“You just have to go out every day and play your game to the best of your ability. I just block it all out (in my mind). It’s all about staying on the path to get to where I want to be. I don’t let it go my head. I just go about my business and stay as humble as possible.”

An early-season injury (oblique muscle) kept Barnum from finding his groove as a hitter. He was sidelined for a little over a month and returned in mid-June. The forced hiatus slowed his progress. Thanks to the hot streak, Barnum has had a nice bump in his overall stats. Entering tonight's home game against the Wilmington Blue Rocks, Barnum has a .242 batting average with 5 home runs and 42 RBIs.

“My timing and rhythm are coming around,” said Barnum, who throws left and bats left. “I lost something in those areas because of all the time I missed being injured. Now I'm getting back into it.”

After being drafted out of high school, Barnum made the most of his limited time with Bristol in the Appalachian League for rookies. In 13 games, he belted 3 home runs and had 8 RBIs, while posting a .279 batting average.

In 56 games with Kannapolis (Low-A) the following season, he hit .254 with 5 homers and 25 runs batted in. When he arrived in Winston-Salem two years ago, it didn’t take long for him to learn that it takes more than raw talent to do well in the (High-A) Carolina League.

Pitchers are more adept at attacking hitters’ weaknesses. As a result, Barnum didn’t get a steady diet of fast balls when he stepped into the batter’s box. Instead, he saw more breaking pitches than ever.

“Once you get to High-A [baseball], pitchers are better at learning hitters,” he said. “They have a better understanding of how to pitch to different hitters than the pitchers in rookie ball. It’s a challenge, but it’s not something that you can’t handle.”

Just as pitchers learn about hitters, the learning process also works the other way around. With more experience, hitters get a better grasp of what pitch to expect based on pitcher tendencies and variables such as the ball-and-strike count. It’s an ongoing process to improve consistency at the plate.

“The learning process is coming along,” Barnum said. “I see a lot pitches that are down and away – mostly off-speed breaking balls. But I’m getting better at recognizing what’s coming. I play close attention to the pitcher’s release point, so I can get a good view of whether or not the ball is coming out high or low.”

It was a year ago when Barnum first learned what it takes to make it through a 140-game baseball season. For young players who aren’t that far removed from high school, completing a marathon season can prove to be a daunting task. Barnum held up well and played in 132 games, while hitting .253 with 8 home runs and 60 runs batted in.

“Last year was my first time playing that many games and it was tough,” said Barnum. “My body was really worn down. This year, I try to eat better and just take care of my body and get as much rest as I can.”

On deck for Tuesday ...

Keon Barnum (20) is coming on strong for the Winston-Salem Dash. The young

slugger talks about this season in an extended interview that will run in the

Tuesday edition of the SportzXpress. Stay tuned.

Price primed to fortify rep as fierce hitter

Gabe Price holds all the school records for tackles at East Forsyth.

Gabe Price put the finishing touches on a stellar high school career when he was selected to play in the annual East-West All-Star Football Game played in Greensboro a week ago. During his time at East Forsyth, the 6-feet-1, 218 pounds linebacker claimed sole ownership of all the school records in tackles. In all, Price had 358 career hits.

During his junior and senior seasons, he recorded triple-digits in tackles. The single-game mark of 23 stops also belongs to Price.

Price will play at Wingate University.

“I was thrilled when I got the news that I was picked for the All-Star Game,” he said. “It gave me the chance to showcase to college coaches what I'm capable of. This game features some of the best players in the state. So, to me, it's like playing in a college level contest.”

The All-Star game wasn't the end of the line for Price, who has signed to play at Wingate University, a school that started recruiting him as a junior. Price isn't making any predictions about what amount of playing he might get as a first-year freshman.

“I admit being a little nervous about making the transition to college,” he said. “My whole focus with college football is to stay humble and prove myself as someone who's always working hard to get better at his position.”

Price's high school career had a most memorable start. As a freshman in 2012, East Forsyth (13-1) finished the regular season undefeated at 11-0 and advanced to the third round of the Class 4-A state playoffs. It proved to be a season in which the Eagles made numerous TV appearances on the Friday Night High School Football Highlights show which aired on WXII, Channel 11 in Winston-Salem.

By the end of his career at East, there was no disputing Price's status as arguably the premier defensive player in northwest North Carolina. The post-season accolades poured in, which included being the Piedmont Triad Conference Defensive Player of the Year, along with all-conference honors and being named to the Winston-Salem Journal's All-Northwest team.

Price will always treasure the Eagles exciting playoff runs and conference championships. But what he'll treasure most, he explained, is the strong bond he established with his teammates, especially those who graduated with him in the Class of 2015.

“Most of the football players in the senior class have been with each other since we were little kids,” he said. “We grew up together and either played on the same team or against each other when we played Pop Warner football. It's a very special relationship with those guys. And that's because all of us are friends for life.”

Don't hold back

Words from MJ

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