2015-5 April brings trophies and a milestone too

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2015-5 April brings trophies and a milestone too

Post by Fat Nige » Thu Apr 03, 2014 6:23 am

At the end of 2014 The Black Sox allowed 40-yr-old catcher Paul Barfoot to walk away and handed the starters role behind the plate to 24-yr-old rookie Jake Norton. Jake had been Chicago’s first round pick (14th overall) in 2009 and had been disappointing in his rookie ball days but had shown marked improvement as he advanced through the system. Hitting around .300 at most levels he was also developing into a reasonable defensive catcher as well, throwing out around 30% of base stealers. Last year in Triple-A Carolina his triple slash line was .334/.381/.438 and he throw out 31.7% of all runners so the Black Sox gave him his head and handed the role to him for 2015.

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Jake Norton, the JL Rookie of the month for April

They didn’t have to wait long for Jake to repay the faith they had shown in him. He came out of the blocks swinging hard and by the end of April led the team in homers (six, one away from his pro career high of seven set in 2013 with Carolina) and was second in batting average, hitting .362/.388/.675. The league rewarded him with the JL player of the week trophy for the final week in April and then doubled his trophy haul when he was voted Rookie of the month for April in the JL. Jake Norton looks set to be a fixture behind the plate for many a year to come for the Black Sox.

A player at the other end of his career also caused a stir in April as he passed a notable milestone. Jonathan Sorensen made his major league debut for the Carolina Kraken in 2006 and came over to Chicago during 2010 in a four player trade that took Al Hall & Jimmy Brennan to the Kraken. 2013 was the only year since then that he has failed to record at least 37 saves. Last year he went to the All-Star game and won the MBBA JL Gunga Oogalagunga Fireman of the Year trophy, his second one as he also won the award in 2009 with the Kraken.

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Jonathan Sorensen, 23rd member of the 300 saves club

This April, on the 23rd, he recorded his 300th MBBA save in Marquette. With the visiting Sox leading 4-3 he entered the game in the bottom of ninth, as he had done hundreds of times before. The first batter grounded out on the very first ball, the second worked the count to 2-1 before he too grounded out to the second baseman. Up stepped Han Witter, the Suns last hope, he patiently stood there and ran the count full. Sorensen stared in, reared back and unleashed his best slider. Witter stood motionless his bat never leaving his shoulder as the umpire brought up his fist. Sorensen’s ninth K of the season sealed his 300th career save, the 23rd closer in the MBBA to reach that milestone. Seven of those ahead of him are still active and three, Gunga Oogolagunga, Damon Lombardi & Benji Madisson, are in the Hall of Fame. With Sorensen showing no sign of slowing down would you bet against him joining them?
Nigel Laverick
(former GM of El Paso Chilis #WeWereShitty) ,
Now GM Riyadh Red Crescents #WeBeNotSoNewNow #WeAreJustAsShitty


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