2032 North Carolina Aviators News & Notes

[Chappy]

The North Carolina Aviators have not made the postseason since 2019, so when they were within a couple of games of a wildcard spot with a month to go last year, fans rallied behind the team.

Unfortunately, the Aviators stumbled down the stretch and sputtered to a 79-83 finish, good for 2nd place, but below the 82-80 record they posted in 2030.

But with a team that is still packed with youth, 2032 just might be the year the club competes for a division title and returns to the postseason.

Rookie Sal Belcher, the 9th overall pick in the 2027 draft, looks to inject some fire into the Aviators lineup after leading the team in hits this spring.  He managed just a .218 mark in his September call-up last year, but his Spring Training line - .356-3-15 in 45 AB - is more in line with what he did in AAA Raleigh last year (.351-22-115 in 123 games).

Ahilocana Gopalakrishnan, now a 28-year-old veteran, will continue to pace the team.  He hit .336 last season, matching his career high of 211 hits, and had a career best WAR rating of 6.6.

Rookie outfielder Dylan Holmes will make his debut, starting in place of injured CF Cristobal Castillo.  Holmes, the 2029 ACOL NC Outstanding Hitter Award winner was drafted in the 2nd round of the '29 draft by the Aviators.  He was so good out of college that he began his pro career in AA Greensboro.  After two full seasons there, where he hit .270-15-66 and .296-15-74, he will make the jump all the way to the majors before heading to AAA Raleigh in a few weeks when Castillo is healthy.  Holmes has racked up a lot of hardware in his brief career (2 years in College and 2 years in AA).  In addition to his Outstanding Hitter Award, he was a 2 time Collegiate All-Star, was runner up for the OHA in 2028, won a Union League title with Greensboro, has 6 player of the week awards, and 2 player of the month awards.  Scouts do not love the kid, but he can play.

Veteran Ruben Soto will return as the staff Ace.  Now 32, he is coming off the best season of his career, in which he posted an 18-8 record with a 2.95 ERA.  He set career bests in both ERA and WHIP, and after getting slammed in his first Spring start, he responded with 4 straight shutout appearances in which he allowed 11 hits and fanned 14 in 16 innings.

Bertil Aarden is the young gun, coming off a 15-8, 3.00 campaign as a 22-year-old.  He's posted a 30-18 record in his brief career with the Aviators, after struggling through the minor leagues. 

With a good mixture of youth and experience, the time could be right for the Aviators to take flight.

[Chappy]

Gabe Wilkerson Eyes Fresh Start in the OBX

At one point, Gabe Wilkerson looked like he was going to be in the North Carolina lineup for a long, long time. 

The pride of Mission Viejo, California, Wilkerson led the Stockton College team all the way to victory at the College Cup as a freshman, taking home the 2025 ACOL NC Outstanding Hitter Award with a .345-21-83 line.  He followed that up with a successful sophomore season, blasting 21 more HR while posting a .335 average before entering the AFBL draft.

North Carolina snatched him up with the 5th overall pick, and the young outfielder skipped R-league, A-ball and AA-ball and made his pro debut for the AAA Raleigh Explorers.  He hit .397-12-100, earning a September call-up to the big league club at age 20.  In 12 games with the Aviators, he struggled for the first time in his career, going 4-for-22 for a .182 average.

But he had a hot spring a few months later, and made the Aviators as an extra outfielder.  Wilkerson hit .298-3-21 as a reserve, including 14 doubles in 272 AB.  The following year, he increased his playing time and hit .335 with 11 HR and 44 RBI.  By the start of his 3rd full season in the bigs, at age 23, Gabe had earned the starting LF job.

In his first full season he won the batting title with a .348 mark, and added 18 HR and 90 RBI for good measure.  There would be no slowing down the California kid...

...until the very next season.  Wilkerson struggled to a .252 mark, and saw his power numbers fall as well.  He hit just 5 HR in 573 AB, and his SLG fell from .512 to .318.  By the time the Spring of 2032 came around, scouting numbers on Wilkerson were not pretty.  He didn't even make the Spring Training squad.  Wilkerson was washed up, at age 25.

But then, one of the coaches in Raleigh had remembered Wilkerson goofing around on the mound during his brief stay back in 2027.  Wilkerson loved to pitch, so much so that he threw 2/3 of an inning for the Aviators in 2030 during a blowout.  He retired both batters he faced.

After a meeting with coaches, Gabe Ubered to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, not for vacation, but to learn to pitch.  Scouts clocked him in the low 90's, and while he's wrong, they like his potential.  He looks like he can have good Stuff, Movement & Control, and while he'll need to polish his skills up and work on things like defense, holding runners and stamina, there's no reason Wilkerson can't return to the bigs in the bullpen. 

"I feel like a misfit right now, being the only pitcher in A-ball with a big league batting title and all..." Wilkerson told reporters.  "But I want to keep playing, and if this it what it takes to stay in baseball, then I'm going to give it my all."

[Chappy]

Aviators Release Veteran Pitchers Lepine, Dudley

The North Carolina Aviators have parted ways with RPs Gaston Lepine and Brad Dudley.

Lepine had struggled out of the gate, posting an 0-1 record and a 7.36 ERA in 6 outings.  He was already on a short leash after struggling for much of 2031, a season in which he went just 1-5 and had a WHIP of 1.65.

Dudley had appeared in 12 games for the AAA Raleigh Explorers this season, and was 0-0 with a 4.50 ERA.  Executives told us that Dudley, 34, was dropped to make room for some younger players.

Tim Wilder, a member of the NC rotation back in 2028, will take Lepine's spot in the North Carolina bullpen.  The 30-year-old righty has a 30-49 career record to go along with a 5.16 ERA.

One residual affect of the cuts; top pitching prospect Jesus Ortega moves from A OBX to AA Greensboro.  Ortega was 2-1, 2.80 this year in OBX after going 15-5, 3.60 there a season ago.

Another; Australian southpaw Norman Cornell joins the Delray Beach Grasshoppers and enters the rotation there.  The 17-year-old had been in the team's international complex.

[Chappy]

Housekeeping Continues; Aviators Cut Carieda & Randolph

Just ten days after a bullpen overhaul injected life into the Aviators pitching staff, general manager Chappy has decided to cut loose 40% of the Aviators' infielders.

Starting SS Jose Carieda and his backup, veteran Cliff Randolph, have been released from the organization. 

Carieda, 30, was the team's 2nd round pick (21st overall) in 2022, after a stellar career at Glendale College.  He was with the big league club by the age of 23, but never really adjusted to big league pitching.  He has a .233 career average and just 40 home runs in 658 career games with the Aviators.  In contrast, he had 41 home runs between his freshman and sophomore seasons at Glendale College.  Carieda is a versatile player, capable of playing 1B, 2B, 3B, SS and LF.  He will likely find a home with another club in the coming weeks.

Randolph was also originally a 2nd round pick, 33rd overall, by the Colorado Bears in 2020.  He bounced around a bit, being dealt to Ontario before coming to North Carolina in the Curds Campos trade.  At the time, he was a top 100 prospect in the AFBL, and he put up good power numbers at all levels of the minors.  He made his big league debut at age 23, and had his best season in North Carolina in 2027, when he hit .233 with 12 homers and 32 RBI in 270 ABs.  His career line of .214-24-88 in 901 ABs is not likely to land him a job elsewhere, so Randolph's career is over unless somebody needs to add some minor league depth.

And while these moves are bad news for Carieda and Randolph, for Ismael Mora and Antonio Pineda, it means a chance to play in the major leagues. 

Mora, a scouting discovery from Venezuela, spent the 2030 season as the starting SS for the Aviators.  He hit .252 with 11 HR and 59 RBI that year, but spent the 2031 season in AAA Raleigh, where he was an All-Star.  At 25, he will most likely take over for Carieda as the starting SS.

Pineda, also discovered by scouts, hails from Costa Rica.  He's 27 years old, and despite a storied minor league career, has not found much success in the major leagues yet.  He has a .225 average in 457 career big league at bats.  He can play a number of positions in the infield and outfield well, and will primarily be used as a pinch runner and defensive replacement. 

[Chappy]

Rookies Powering North Carolina's Lineup

When it comes time to vote on the Patriot League's top rookie, two North Carolina players will likely receive a lot of attention.  Sal Belcher and Eric Schultz have cemented themselves into the #3 and #4 spots respectively, just a month into their big league careers.  Here's a look at the current Aviators lineup:

1 - 3B - Ahilocana Gopalakrishnan - 28 years old - .333-3-9, 9 SB, 9th AFBL season
2 - 2B - Slappy Orozco - 26 years old - .328-0-11, 9 SB, 9th AFBL season
3 - LF - Sal Belcher - 23 years old - .290-3-17, 5 SB, *rookie* (started 32 games last September)
4 - 1B - Eric Schultz - 26 years old - .286-4-15 *rookie* (made big league debut opening day)
5 - CA - Mashashi Ageda - 23 years old - .290-5-12, 4th AFBL season
6 - DH - Jesus Martinez - 26 years old - .225-4-16, 4th AFBL season
7 - RF - Rod Mosely - 30 years old - .229-4-13 - 9th AFBL season
8 - CF - Cristobal Castillo - 24 years old - .328-0-4, 8th AFBL season
9 - SS - Ismael Mora - 25 years old - .318-2-16 (AAA Raleigh), 4th AFBL season

It's funny how rookie Eric Schultz is the same age as Slappy Orozco, who is playing in his 9th AFBL season!

[Chappy]

Aviators Continue to Trim Fat; Release Joe Walker

The message has been sent loud and clear to struggling members of the North Carolina Aviators: Perform or get out!

Veteran reliever Joe Walker was the team's latest castaway.  Walker, 35, had an ERA of 6.75 and a WHIP of 2.25 this season, and the NC general manager has not been sending 35-year-old players down to Raleigh this season...  he's been sending them to the free agent pool.

Walker came to NC as a free agent after being cut from Illinois back in 2029.  He posted a 3.14 ERA for the Aviators in 2030, but it ballooned to 5.23 last season, leaving Walker on a short leash.

In his place, 23-year-old Yu-zeng Sung has been promoted from AAA Raleigh, where he as 1-1 with a 4.78 ERA in 26.1 innings of work.  If you follow the chain of promotions all the way down to the bottom, 17-year-old Ivan Julio moves from the international complex to Rookie League Delray Beach.

[Chappy]

Shultz Named Rookie of the Month for June; Mosely Goes on Tear

Eric Schultz was named the best rookie in the Patriot League for the month of June.  This marks the second straight month he won the award.  After hitting .298-4-12 in May, he hit .316-4-18 in June.  On the season, the rookie first baseman is hitting .294-11-40. 

Meanwhile, Rod Mosely has recovered from a rough start to the season at the plate.  On June 25th, Mosely was batting just .234-9-30 and had fallen as low as 7th in the order.  But he would begin a 4-game HR streak the following day, going 2-for-4 (1), 3-for-4 (2), 1-for-4 (1) and 1-for-5 (1) before finishing the month with a 2-for-3 performance yesterday.  He's now hitting .249-14-45, with 5 HR and 15 RBI in his last 5 games.

[Chappy]

Wilkerson Update

We told you about Gabe Wilkerson, the former batting crown winner who forgot how to hit, and his fresh start at (A) OBX.

Well, after becoming the team's closer, he's really gotten into a groove, and currently leads the Confederation League in saves with 22.

He is currently 1-2 with those 22 saves in 36 appearances, and he leads the OBX Privateers with a 0.98 WHIP.  Hist 2.48 ERA ranks 3rd on the team.

While a promotion to AA is not far off, the coaching staff is hoping to see him bring his control up a little bit first.

[Chappy]

Top Prospect to Make Aviators Debut Tomorrow

The North Carolina Aviators are currently sitting in 3rd place in the PL South, 57-52 and 4 games behind 1st place Georgia.

The team is top 5 in most categories; 5th in Runs Scored, 1st in Batting Average, 2nd in OBP, 3rd in SB, 3rd in Runs Allowed, 2nd in Starters' ERA, 3rd in Defensive Efficiency...  but just 9th in HR.

Jesus Martinez, who was expected to provide a lot of pop for the team this year, is hitting just .224-11-45 in 109 starts between the outfield and DH.

Enter Shane Schute, the #2 overall pick in the 2029 draft.  The 21-year-old Canadian has progressed through the NC minor league system quickly, displaying power at every stop.  14 Home Runs in 74 starts in rookie ball.  23 HR in 102 starts in A ball.  18 HR in 107 starts in AA.

He's skipping AAA and jumping into the DH role, pushing Martinez into the primary backup outfielder role.

To take some pressure off of the young slugger, he'll start in the 9 hole in the lineup.  To make room for Schute, Jerry Burger King has been demoted to AAA Raleigh.  King was batting just .152 with 2 HR and 8 RBI in 39 plate appearances this year.

There are now three rookies in the Aviators starting lineup:

1 2B Slappy Orozco - .329-2-37
2 3B Goppy Gopalakrishnan - .318-5-50
3 CF Cristobal Castillo - .355-2-39
4 CA Mashashi Ageda - .327-11-51
5 1B Eric Schultz - .295-13-53
6 LF Sal Belcher - .252-6-51
7 RF Rod Mosley - .245-18-56
8 SS Antonio Pineda - .286-3-20
9 DH Shane Schute - .000-0-0

In other news, AA OF Jose Perez has been released.  The scouting discovery out of Cuba had reached his ceiling and was cut to give more playing time to players with more upside. 

[Chappy]

Prospect Schute Crushes it in Debut

Shane Schute proved to be ready for the big leagues, at least through his first ten games.  The young slugger hit .342 2 doubles and 2 HR in his first 39 AFBL plate appearances.  Unfortunately, the team was only able to post a 5-5 mark in Schute's first action.

With roster expansion just under 2 weeks away, the Aviators need to put together a winning streak.  They finish August with 2 games at Washington (67-52), 3 @ New York (55-64), 3 at home against Maryland (48-71) and a couple of must-win games hosting Virginia (65-54), who leads the Aviators for the wild card spot by 3 games. 

[Chappy]

Aviators Surge into Tie for Second Place

While Shane Schute continues to give a boost to the offense, fellow rookie Sal Belcher and veteran Rod Mosley have also been hot at the plate.  The result is an 8-2 mark over the past 10 games and a 70-59 record, tied with Virginia and just 1 game behind first-place Georgia.  The Aviators were 2 games behind Virginia two days ago, but took the first two games of their current 3-game series 11-5 and 14-2.  Game 3 will determine who is in the wild card spot with just over a month to go in the season.

Schute is 22-for-46 (.478) with 3 HR and 9 RBI in his last 13 games, while Belcher is .452-2-11 in his last 8 and Mosley is .333-4-11 in his last 7 games. 


September Roster Expansion/Adjustments

Notable names added to the Aviators roster today include:

23-year-old Pitcher Jose Estrada, the Most Valuable Pitcher award winner for the EL East last season. Estrada suffered a torn elbow ligament just after being promoted to NC last year, but was 0-2 with a 3.18 ERA in 8 appearances with the big league club before the injury.  He returned to action mid-season with AAA Raleigh and will now be in middle relief for the Aviators.

22-year-old Shortstop Onel Elemia, who will enter the starting lineup and bat 9th, giving the Aviators 4 rookies in the starting lineup.  Elemia was batting .296-4-53 in Raleigh with 34 SB.  He is an elite defender, with 2 Best Defender awards in his brief minor league career. 

31-year-old Kevin Howard, 1st overall pick in 2021.  Howard did not make the 25-man roster this Spring and spent the season in AAA Raleigh, where he crushed 49 HR and drove in 121 runs in 126 games so far.  He should be a big bat off the bench for a team that has struggled to hit HR this season.

[Chappy]

Winchester Released; Other Minor League News...

When big league rosters expanded to 40, it set off a domino effect throughout the North Carolina organization, and while most of the movement was upward, there were a few exceptions.  Most notably, the Raleigh Explorers cut veteran pitcher Walt Winchester.  The 34-year-old Canadian had never pitched in the majors for North Carolina, but he did accumulate a 10-13 record and a 4.86 ERA in 202 big league appearances with Maryland.  After joining the Aviators in 2031, he was assigned to Raleigh were he was 3-1-2 with a 4.04 ERA last season and 6-1 with a 4.28 ERA this season.  Winchester was cut to give some younger pitchers a shot in Raleigh.

Top pitching prospect Jesus Ortega has earned a promotion to Raleigh.  He was 11-7 with a 3.85 ERA in 23 starts for Greensboro of the AA Union League.  He started the year in OBX of the Confederation League, where he was 2-1 with a 2.80 ERA in 6 starts.

The #10 prospect in the NC organization, Adam Wakeling, earned a promotion from single-A to AAA.  The 21-year-old catching prospect was hitting just .246 in OBX, but scouts urged management to move him to AAA. 

In addition to many other minor moves, 6 players were promoted from the International Complex to the Aviators' Rookie League squad in Delray Beach. 

[Chappy]

Aviators Fly into First Place
but lose Slappy Orozco for 3 weeks

After defeating Virginia 6-2 on September 1st to complete a 3-game sweep of the Diamond Club and move into 2nd place in the PL South, the Aviators went on to sweep Kentucky and West Virginia while splitting a 2-game series with Oregon and taking game 1 of a 3 game set at Ontario to propel them into sole possession of first place.  Now 78-60, North Carolina has a 2 game lead on Georgia and a 5 game lead on Virginia.  The team is 16-2 since August 22nd, and 27-10 since August 1st.

Center Fielder Cristobal Castillo has made headlines with his current 25-game hitting streak.  He currently leads the AFBL with a .364 batting average.

When you play hard and scrappy like Slappy Orozco does, it's only a matter of time before you get hurt.  The Aviators second baseman found himself on the shelf with a herniated disc after a collision on the basepaths on September 2nd.  He should be better in 2 weeks. 

[Chappy]

Greensboro Green Sox Earn Bye in Union League Playoffs
Await winner of Ocean City and Philadelphia

The Greensboro Green Sox finished atop the Union League's EAST division with a 93-47 mark, 11 games ahead of 2nd place Philadelphia and 12 games ahead of Ocean City.  Those two clubs will square off this week to see who gets to take on Greensboro in the 2nd round.

The Green Sox barely resemble the team that won most of those 93 games.  The roster shuffling that came with the expansion to 40 at the big league level has taken many of Greensboro's best players up the ladder to AAA Raleigh.  And while those slots have been filled by stars from A OBX, one does not know what to expect from the new look Green Sox.  One encouraging sign; the team is 6-1 since the roster moves.

Micah Carr remains; he was 13-3 with a 3.85 ERA during the regular season.  Of the 10 pitchers on the active AA roster, 5 of them have been with the Sox all season.  The 5 that have come up from A have only allowed a total of 5 runs in a combined 29 innings since being called up.

7 of the 15 fielders on the roster have been with the Green Sox all season, but only a pair of them as regular starters.  SS Jesus Lopez looks to lead the team at the plate.  He has hit .277-11-68 so far this season.

Good luck to the Green Sox this postseason!

[Chappy]

Raleigh Battles Atlanta in Postseason Showdown

The Raleigh Explorers made the Explorer League playoffs by finishing 3rd in the EAST division.

The Explorers (83-57) are battling the Atlanta Peaches (85-55) for a chance to face Toronto in the next round.

Raleigh took game 1 of the best-of-five series 13-7.  Johan Tromp, who was 13-5 for AA Greensboro before earning a promotion to Raleigh when big league rosters expanded, earned the win.  It was just his 2nd AAA start this year and the 7th of his career.

The Explorers offense is powered by 1B Steve Wilson, who hit .378 with 18 HR in just 256 plate appearances in AAA this year.

Good luck to the Explorers!