2033 North Carolina Aviators News & Notes

[Chappy]

North Carolina Post-Spring Training Update
Cristobal Castillo begins season on DL... again...

Spring Training has never been kind to Cristobal Castillo.  In 2028, he broke his thumb and missed the start of the regular season.  In 2029, he strained his hammy and and missed the start of the season.  In 2030, he suffered a concussion and missed the start of the regular season.  In 2031, he survived Spring training but sprained his elbow during the 2nd week of the season and missed 6 weeks.  In 2032, he strained his oblique and missed the start of the season.

So, this Spring, he separated his shoulder and will miss the first month of the season.  Last year's late start, however, didn't bother to slow down Castillo too much; he went on to win the batting crown.

New Faces

Last season, Eric Schultz and Sal Belcher finished 1st and 2nd in Rookie of the Year voting.  Here's a look a the three rookies on the NC opening day roster.

Relief pitcher Jose Estrada, NC's 4th round pick in 2025, is the only fresh face on the Aviators pitching staff.  As a starter last year in Raleigh, Estrada was 2-4 with a 4.60 ERA in 15 starts.  As a September call-up, he saw 6.1 innings of action in 4 games and posted a 2.84 ERA.  Estrada has had 3 cups of coffee with the Aviators in his career, but it looks like this will be his breakout year now that he's been moved into the bullpen.  As a big leaguer, he has a 3.21 ERA in 25 career appearances including 1 start.

2026 3rd round pick Bob Hopkins made the roster as the backup catcher, forcing veteran Johnny Travis down to the minors.  Travis was a reliable backup catcher, posting a career .302 average, but he lacked the defensive skills and power Hopkins brings.  Travis hit just 6 HR in 232 career games, while Hopkins hit .277-22-84 last season in Raleigh (AAA) after hitting .260-23-70 the year before in Greensboro (AA).  The 25-year-old will be making his big league debut this year.  He replaces Tim Wilder on the roster.  Wilder will begin the season on the staff in Raleigh (AAA).

Doug Butler's emergence surprised even GM Chappy, as he was a last minute addition to the spring training roster.  Late last season, defensive whiz and speedster Onel Elemia was named starting SS for the Aviators, but he got hurt just 17 starts into his career and missed the close of the season and the playoffs.  Elemia entered the spring as the expected starter, but Butler was able to win the job, sending Elemia to Raleigh to start at SS there.  Butler, who signed with the organization as an undrafted free agent back in 2030, has never played above the AA level.  He hit just .236 in rookie ball and .208 in A ball in 2030, but a light came on in 2031 and he improved his A ball average nearly 70 points.  Last year, he a Union League (AA) All-Star and hit .305-9-63 in 90 starts.  The same scouts who dismissed Butler a few years ago - he went undrafted in 2028 AND 2029 - now can't stop raving about him.  He's a 4.5 star prospect and one to keep an eye on for the Rookie of the Year award.

Reinforcements are Ready and Waiting

With the infusion of young talent over the past couple of seasons including Schultz, Belcher, Shane Schute, Yu-zeng Sung and others, you'd think the North Carolina minor league system would be bare.  But, it's not.  Four of the team's top 6 prospects are starting the year in Triple-A Raleigh, including the aforementioned Onel Elemia, outfielder Francis Ridley and pitchers Jesus Ortega and Jose Avila.  Management has shown they will not keep aging players around for nostalgia's sake, so if veterans struggle, these guys are ready and willing to step in and see what they can contribute.

Ron Powell

The controversial loudmouth has been granted his wish and bypassed the rookie league.  Powell begins his first pro campaign as the staff ace of the OBX Privateers.  The 4th round pick is known for getting mouthy when his team is struggling, so he'll be an interesting player to keep an eye on, especially since OBX was just 69-71 last year, good for 5th place in the East.

[Chappy]

Positional Starters
Batting order still under construction...

(Stats listed are AFBL 162-game averages)

CA - Mashashi Ageda - 24 years old - .291-17-79
1B - Eric Schultz - 27 years old - .275-20-91
2B - Slappy Orozco - 27 years old - .275-2-51 (48 SB)
3B - Ahilocana Gopalakrishnan - 29 years old - .313-8-74 (40 SB)
SS - Doug Butler - 25 years old - no big league stats
LF - Sal Belcher - 23 years old - .262-10-80 (33 SB)
CF - Jesus Martinez - 27 years old - .253-19-76 (starting for Cristobal Castillo who is on the DL for 3-4 weeks)
RF - Rod Mosley - 31 years old - .261-25-91
DH - Shane Schute - 22 years old - .333-16-68

Pitching Staff

(Stats listed are last season's AFBL stats)

SP1 - Ruben Soto - 33 years old - 18-11, 3.62
SP2 - Ron Carmichael - 28 years old - 11-10, 3.90
SP3 - Jorge Luna - 30 years old - 12-9, 3.13
SP4 - Bertil Aarden - 24 years old - 12-10, 3.55
SP5 - Don Wilson - 37 years old - 13-8, 3.16

LR1 - Bob Fisher - 27 years old - 3-3-3, 2.84, 40 games
LR2 - Eric Conley - 27 years old - 1-1-2, 2.98, 28 games
MR1 - Yu-zeng Sung - 24 years old - 2-3-3, 3.09, 33 games
MR2 - Jose Estrada - 23 years old - 0-0-0, 2.84, 4 games
SU1 - Chris Beard - 31 years old - 5-3-31, 2.89, 66 games
SU2 - Edgardo Rosas - 29 years old - 1-2-1, 2.53 34 games

CL - Tim Brown - 30 years old - 5-6-7, 2.04, 72 games

[Chappy]

North Carolina Off to Slow Start
Injuries hold back Aviators

The North Carolina Aviators rebounded from a 0-4 start to post a 7-8 record two weeks into the season.

As they take the field in their next game, attempting to sweep New Jersey on the road, the starting lineup will be without a couple of key players.

Starting CF Crist?bal Castillo is still on the shelf after his preseason injury, and Sal Belcher has joined him.  Belcher was leading the Aviators with 4 HR and 13 RBI when he went down with a strained forearm.  For precautionary reasons, the young outfielder has been put on the DL until the end of the next sim.

Reserve infielder Ismael Mora also went down with an injury on April 8th.

If the Aviators can stay healthy for the next ten days, all 3 DL'd players will return to the field at the same time. 

Jesus Martinez and Jerry King will be starting for Castillo and Belcher over the next 10 days.  Martinez is off to a .259-2-3 start and King is hitting .375-3-8. 

Rookie Doug Butler, who has been struggling at SS this year (.135-1-4) has been benched in place of Onel Elemia.  Olemia began the season in Raleigh (AAA) but was brought up to replace Mora on the bench.

[Chappy]

Aviators Lineup to get Boost
Belcher, Castillo return to lineup.

Last year's batting champ, Cristobal Castillo, will make his season debut tomorrow for the Aviators.  The 25-year-old center fielder has been sidelined with a separated shoulder he suffered during spring training.  Castillo hit .362 last season, and will look to ease his way into the lineup and get the struggling Aviators bats rolling. 

Also returning to the lineup is Sal Belcher, who was hitting .346-4-13 when he went down with an injury 13 days ago.

[Chappy]

Aviators Fly into First Place
Good pitching and good hitting lead to 8-2 steak.

When the bats and the arms come alive simultaneously, you're going to win some games.

Over their past ten games, the North Carolina Aviators hit .308 as a team and had a staff ERA of 2.14. 

Cristobal Castillo made his season debut and hit .459 in 37 at bats.  Also adding to the offensive onslaught were Gopalakrishnan (.463) and Mashashi Ageda (.419).  Rookie Doug Butler, who has struggled so far this season, came through with some big hits including a game-winning 2B in extra innings.

Bertil Aarden was 2-0 in his pair of starts, posting a 2.25 ERA, while Chris Beard did not give up a run in 5 appearances.  He has not allowed a run yet this season. 

[Chappy]

Greensboro Releases Bobby Adams
27-year-old pitcher had outgrown AA

Bobby Adams, formerly of the Kentucky organization, has been released again.  Adams started the season 0-4 with a 7.09 ERA, which just didn't cut it for a 27-year-old in AA.  Last season, Adams was 9-11 with a 4.17 ERA in 27 starts for OBX (A) and won his only start with Greensboro, allowing 3 ER in 7 innings of work.

Robbie Parker, who is 1-1-2 with a 2.25 ERA in 10 relief appearances will take Adams' spot in the rotation, and Dean Edwards has been promoted from OBX to Greensboro.  Edwards is 2-2-4 with a 6.75 ERA in 13 appearances for OBX this season, but that team is a total cesspool right now so the inflated ERA is not alarming.  Edwards is a 4-star prospect and was a 4th round pick in 2029.

Lou Moore and Po-fu Ts'ong both move from Delray Beach (R) to OBX in an effort to give that struggling team a boost, while Pat Christensen has been demoted from OBX to Delray Beach.

Moore, 21, was 1-0 with a 3.18 ERA in 6 starts for Delray, while Ts'ong was 3-0-1 with a 3.25 ERA in 15 relief appearances. 

OBX is off to an 11-21 start (.344) and is full of miserable players.  They are the only team in the North Carolina system with a losing record, and coincidentally, have egomaniac Ron Powell on the staff.  Powell is 2-2 in his first 7 pro starts with a 4.67 ERA, which actually leads the team.  OBX is last in their division in Runs allowed, ERA, and Defensive efficiency.  That's got to get turned around because these guys are too young to be so miserable all the time.

Finally, 19-year-old Sergio Garcia gets the call to move from the international complex to the RL.  He will begin his pro career in the bullpen, while Christensen will join the Delray Beach rotation as the #2 starter.  Christensen is in the midst of an 8-game suspension and is angry, but perhaps playing for Delray Beach, who is off to a 24-8 start, will help him get his head on straight.

[Chappy]

Aviators Cling to First Place
Injury to Butler gives Raleigh thin infield.

At the conclusion of May, the North Carolina Aviators are 27-25, just barely over .500 but good enough for first place in a struggling South division.  The Aviators hold a 2 game lead on Virginia and a 3 game lead on Georgia.  West Virginia sits just 4 games back.

Shane Shute currently leads the team with a .354 average, although Cristobal Castillo (.358) could take the lead if he ever gets enough at bats to qualify.

Rookie shortstop Doug Butler has struggled thus far, hitting just .188 with 3 HR and 10 RBI.  He now sits on the DL with a strained achilles.  Ismael Mora will start in Butler's place, but he's actually fared worse at the plate this year (.179-0-3 in 36 PA).  26-year-old Jose Aguilera has been called up in his place.  He was batting .342 in AAA Raleigh.  Butler should be able to return to the club in 10 days.

Aguilera's promotion leaves AAA Raleigh with just 3 healthy infielders, as Onel Elemia and Antonio Pineda, who would have been called up before Aguilera, are both on the DL.  Fortunately the shortage is only temporary, as Pineda, Elemia and Aguilera should all return to Raleigh in 10 days.

[Chappy]

Aviators Extend Lead to Seven Games
Offense clicking on all cylinders, Pitching loses Wilson for 2-3 months

The Aviators have gone 7-1 in their last 8 games to extend their Patriot League division lead to 7 games.  The Aviators are riding a 3-game winning streak while Georgia, Virginia and Maryland have each lost 3 straight and West Virginia has lost 2 in a row.

DH Shane Schute leads the team in hits and average during the streak, going 15-for-36 (.417) with a HR and 9 runs driven in.  Kichibechi Aoki, normally a reserve, started those 8 games at 2B in place of Slappy Orozco, and led the team with 12 RBI in those 8 games.  Orozco will return to the lineup and Aoki will return to the bench tomorrow.  Rod Mosely and Mashashi Ageda each hit 3 HR during the past 8 games.

Unfortunately, Don Wilson (2-2, 4.37 in 12 starts this year) messed up his rotator cuff and will miss between 8 and 12 weeks.  He was not having a particularly good season thus far, so the hope is that the injury will not hurt the team.  Bob Fisher (2-0, 1.62 ERA in 13 appearances out of the bullpen) will take Wilson's spot in the rotation.

[Chappy]

Aviator Reps Shine in All-Star Game
Five North Carolina players see action in midsummer classic

3B Ahilocana Gopalakrishnan, DH Shane Schute and LF Tim Belcher went a combined 6 for 8 in the All Star game as the Patriot League downed the Frontier League 7-2.

Goppy was 2-for-2 with a run scored, Schute was 2-for-2 with a run scored and 2 RBI, and Sal Belcher was 2-for-4 with an RBI.  On the mound, Bertil Aarden and Ron Carmichael each pitched scoreless innings.

Outfielder Cristobal Castillo was also named an All-Star, but missed the game due to injury.

[Chappy]

Rod Mosely Loses Starting Job to Martinez
Jesus Martinez to start in RF after solid job in CF.

When starting CF Cristobal Castillo went down with an injury a month ago, 4th outfielder Jesus Martinez took his spot in the lineup.  Martinez shined, raising his season average to .311 and his season HR and RBI totals to 9 and 36, respectively.  The 27-year-old, who lost his starting DH job to Shane Schute late last season, will stay in the lineup despite Castillo's return to CF.

Martinez will replace struggling RF Rod Mosley, a former #1 overall pick.  Mosley is batting just .218-10-49 in 99 games this year, well below his career .257 average.  Martinez, who has spent most of his time in the big leagues as a DH, has only appeared in 25 games in his natural position (RF) in his career despite having appeared in over 500 games.  In his 172 innings in RF, he has not committed a single error. 

Whether he can hold off Mosley and start in RF for the remainder of the season is yet to be seen.  Coach Chappy keeps competition open at all positions, so you've got to produce if you want to play.

[Chappy]

Hobbling Aviators Hold 7 Game Lead
3 return from DL tomorrow but 3 remain out...

A season-ending injury to pitcher Bertil Aarden September 7th will leave the Aviators without their ERA leader this postseason.  Aarden joins reliever John Strong on the list of players out for the year.  Critobal Castillo will return to action in a week, Sal Belcher in 2, and Burger King in 3.  On the bright side, Slappy Orozco, Doug Butler and Onel Elemia all return to action tomorrow as the Aviators host Pennsylvania.  Also returning to action is Don Wilson, who will try hard to fill Aarden's shoes in the rotation.

In other news, Kevin Howard was recently promoted to the Aviators from Raleigh.  Howard absolutely crushed the ball in AAA this year, posting a .273-64-157 line in only 129 games.  The 64 HR are an Explorer league record, destroying the previous mark of 56 set by former Raleigh slugger Ezra Henneberry.

[mstreeter06]

Hobbling Aviators Hold 7 Game Lead
3 return from DL tomorrow but 3 remain out...

A season-ending injury to pitcher Bertil Aarden September 7th will leave the Aviators without their ERA leader this postseason.  Aarden joins reliever John Strong on the list of players out for the year.  Critobal Castillo will return to action in a week, Sal Belcher in 2, and Burger King in 3.  On the bright side, Slappy Orozco, Doug Butler and Onel Elemia all return to action tomorrow as the Aviators host Pennsylvania.  Also returning to action is Don Wilson, who will try hard to fill Aarden's shoes in the rotation.

In other news, Kevin Howard was recently promoted to the Aviators from Raleigh.  Howard absolutely crushed the ball in AAA this year, posting a .273-64-157 line in only 129 games.  The 64 HR are an Explorer league record, destroying the previous mark of 56 set by former Raleigh slugger Ezra Henneberry.

WHOA that Howard stat line! 64 homeruns in 129 games?!?! 

[Chappy]

Yeah, he has 2 more in the bigs for a season total of 66, but his big league batting average is just .143 (that's why he's been in AAA, lol).

[Chappy]

Aviators Playoff Bound Again
North Carolina finishes atop the PL South with 94-68 record

The Aviators are all set for the postseason, and will face the Ohio Knights in the wildcard round. 

The Ohio Knights finished 91-71, and while the Aviators won the regular season series with Ohio 6-4, they know this series will be tough.  North Carolina led the PL in runs scored this season, but the postseason is where good pitching often trumps good hitting, and the #1 pitching staff in the PL belongs to Ohio.  On the bright side, North Carolina's pitching staff was ranked #2, while Ohio was 7th in run production.  But still, when it's winner-take-all, you have to bring your A game.

The Aviators have thrived this season with an unorthodox lineup.  While most teams have a top 3rd focused on getting on base, a middle 3rd focused on power, and a back end where you hide your ugly bats, the Aviators have produced this season by spreading out the best bats throughout the lineup and focused on contact and speed more than power.  No Aviator drove in 100 runs this year, but 6 different players had 60+.  North Carolina is the only team in the league with a cleanup hitter who hit .286-3-53 and stole 49 bases.

As we enter the first round of the playoffs, there are more surprises in store for the Aviators.

Most notably, Bob Fisher did not make the postseason roster.  Fisher has been a nice redemption story.  The first overall pick in 2024, Fisher struggled, and scouts quickly downgraded his potential.  Not deterred, Fisher progressed through the minor leagues and won a spot in the Aviators rotation at age 23.  However, he struggled and posted a 6-11, 4.29 ERA and returned to the minors for a few years.  Last season, he returned to the bigs in the North Carolina bullpen and found success, going 3-1-3 with a 2.84 ERA, the lowest ERA he had posted since High School.  This year, now 27, he began the year in the bullpen but entered the rotation due to injuries to other pitchers.  He finished the year with a 9-1-1 record and a 3.46 ERA in 28 games including 15 starts.

Fisher only began the year in the Aviators bullpen because of injuries to other pitchers during spring training.  He was third in line behind Eric Conley and Jeff Stephens, but both of them were hurt so he wound up on the 25 man roster.  Since North Carolina had 2 or 3 pitchers on the DL all year long, Fisher got to stay with the team all season long.

Gabe Wilkerson will take his spot on the roster. 

Behind the plate, two-time All-Star Mashashi Ageda has officially lost his starting job to Bob Hopkins.  Hopkins began picking up more playing time during the expanded roster period, and outperformed Ageda both at the plate (.744 OPS to .704) and defensively.  Both players are 25, so hopefully it will be an amicable transition.  Otherwise, someone will have to be dealt.

GM Chappy shared his thoughts on the situation.  "Every day here we compete for the right to represent the Aviators.  Anyone can lose their job as a starter at any time, and any bench player can become a starter.  You have to perform, or else you'll be in Raleigh.  Mash and Bob know that.  And Bob knows now that he's the starter, Mash is going to try to win that job back. It's just the way we run things.  You can't get comfortable."

Speaking of which, Jesus Martinez had wrestled the starting RF job away from Rod Mosley earlier this year.  But after an injury to Cristobal Castillo forced Mosley back into the lineup, he hit .323-11-25 in September and .353-2-4 in October and is now starting in RF again, leaving Martinez (.320-17-59) as the 4th outfielder and stuck on the bench.

Projected Playoff Lineup

1 - 3B - Goppy - .347-8-68
2 - DH - Shane Schute - .326-12-91
3 - 1B - Eric Schultz - .271-18-87
4 - 2B - Slappy Orozco - .286-3-53
5 - LF - Sal Belcher - .308-17-88
6 - RF - Rod Mosley - .241-25-84
7 - CF - Cristobal Castillo - .340-1-32
8 - SS - Dave Butler - .207-4-16
9 - CA - Bob Hopkins - .261-4-18

On the Mound

Game 1 - Jorge Luna - 12-6, 3.60
Game 2 - Ruben Soto - 15-9, 4.06
Game 3 - Ron Carmichael - 14-15, 3.99

[Chappy]

Gabe Wilkerson on Playoff Roster
Former slugger progressing as pitcher.

This was going to be part of the last news story, but I felt it needed it's own space.

Outfielder Gabe Wilkerson was a 2025 collegiate MVP and the 5th overall pick of the 2026 draft.  He skipped the low minors and hit .397-12-100 for AAA Raleigh in his first pro season.  3 years later he won the PL batting title and the LF Platinum Stick Award with a .348-18-90 campaign.  Then... he forgot how to hit.  He fell to .252-5-47 and scouts quickly turned on him.  Gabe Wilkerson was washed up at age 24.  Or was he?

He accepted an offer to try pitching for the A-ball OBX Privateers.  As the team's closer, he compiled a 2-5 record with 39 saves and a 2.75 ERA.  He was invited to return to the Aviators during the postseason and made 1 appearance, allowing 1 ER in 2.2 innings of work.

This season, he returned to the minor leagues, this year in AA Greensboro.  He was once again a closer, going 5-5 with 25 saves and a 2.50 ERA.  He was invited back to the Aviators for the upcoming postseason.

Next year he is scheduled to spend the season in AAA Raleigh.  If all goes well, by age 28, he'll be in the North Carolina bullpen to stay.  Scouts have him as an 8/8/8 potential RP, with a Fastball (8) and Knuckle Curve (9) as his only 2 pitches.