2034 North Carolina Aviators News & Notes

[Chappy]

Three North Carolina Farm Clubs Reach Postseason
Valuable playoff experience can't be discounted for the Aviators' A, AA and AAA clubs

Only the Delray Beach Grasshoppers squad of the Liberty League (R) will be sitting home this fall.

The OBX Privateers, who finished 2nd in the Confederation League's (A) East Division with an 83-57 record, are squaring off against the Erie Brigs (81-59) for a chance to play first-place Ottawa in the next round.  OBX and Erie are currently tied at 1-1 in the 5-game series.

The Greensboro Green Sox win the East Division of the Union League (AA), and await the winners of the Philadelphia-Charlestown series.  Greensboro earned the bye with a 77-63 regular season record.

And finally, the Raleigh Explorers won the East Division of the Explorers League (AAA) with a 96-44 record, and also earned a bye.  They will face the winner of the Hampton Roads-Cleveland matchup in round two.

[Chappy]

Aviators Cut Ties with Aguilera
Odd timing for a club that typically makes cuts during two windows each year.

The North Carolina Aviators are known to trim down the roster at the start of the draft (to make room for the new draft class) and again in the Spring (to make room for international complex importees), but the team went off-script and cut Jose Aguilera this afternoon.

Aguilera hit .314-10-49 in an injury-shortened campaign with AAA Raleigh and was called up to the big league team went veteran Goppy Gopalkrishnan went down with a season ending injury.  However, Aguilera hit just .200-0-2 in 18 starts with the parent club before today's dismissal. 

A 5th round pick back in 2022 at the age of 16, Aguilera took 4 years to make it out of Delray Beach (R) for good, and despite some really good minor league seasons in AA Greensboro (.301-18-87 in 2030, .309-22-91 in 2031), scouts didn't feel he could come close to those numbers in the bigs.

Aguilera was replaced on the roster by Antonio Pineda, who hit .308 in 22 games with NC last September.  Pineda has more experience, having appeared in over 250 big league games, posting a .240-9-83 line.  Still, with 4 open spots on the Aviators roster, it's curious to see Aguilera cut right now.

[Chappy]

Ortega Lookin' Good Early
Team's top pitching prospect not intimidated in big league debut

The 10th overall pick in the 2028 draft has been moved slowly through the North Carolina organization, but he's looking sharp now that he's reached the highest level.

Jesus "Hey Zeus" Ortega - pegged as the AFBL's #3 prospect prior to the season - was 15-3 with an ERA of 3.54 with the Raleigh Explorers this season prior to being called up.  In his first 3 big league starts, he's gone 2-1 with a 1.96 ERA.

He's not a super young guy; Ortega is 24, mainly because the team was careful not to rush him along.  Ortega was 4-11 with a 6.85 ERA in 25 starts for Rookie League Delray Beach back in 2029.  He then spent the next 2 seasons in single-A pitching for OBX, going 11-9 and then 15-5 before being promoted to AA Greensboro where he would go 11-7 in 23 starts.  After two full seasons in AAA, he's ready to have a shot, and has entered the Aviators rotation as the 6th starter this month.

Overall, Ortega is 96-53 with a 4.19 ERA in his career.  The high ERA is what slowed his progression, but he's always seemed to find a way to win.

[Chappy]

Aviators Clinch Playoff Berth
Team plans to rest starter during final series vs Ohio

The North Carolina Aviators are going to the postseason for the third consecutive year!

What could be a playoff preview - the season's final series at PL North leader Ohio - will instead be a showcase of the Aviators' backup players.  That it, with the exception of 1B/DH Shane Schute, who wishes to keep his consecutive games streak going.  Schute appeared in all 162 games last year during his rookie campaign and has appeared in all 159 games so far this season.  He will DH in the final series to keep that streak alive.

Ruben Soto (14-7, 3.31), Jesus Ortega (3-1, 2.40), and Yu-zeng Sung (1-5, 3.57) will be the starting pitchers in the series.

The Aviators (90-69) will finish with 90+ wins for the third year in a row, but will fall short of last season's 94 wins.  This year was plagued with more injuries than last year, so it is not surprising to see the win total dip by a win or two.

Minor League Playoff Update

The Raleigh Explorers currently trail the Colorado Springs Avalanche 3 games to 1 in the final round of the Explorer League (AAA) playoffs.
The Greensboro Green Sox currently trail the Reserve Bandits 3 games to 2 in the final round of the Union League (AA) playoffs.
The OBX Privateers were eliminated by the Erie Brigs 3 games to 1 in the Confederation League (A) playoffs.

[Chappy]

Green Sox are Union League Champs!
Greensboro wins AA championship series in 7 games.

Catching prospect Moromao Ine was named series MVP as the Greensboro Green Sox defeated the Reserve Bandits in 7 games, capping off the series with a 6-3 win in the finale.

Ine, who hit .289-13-67 during the regular season, posted a .333-5-9 line in 12 postseason starts behind the plate.

This marks the 2nd championship for the Aviators' Double-A affiliate, with the first title coming in 2030.  The Green Sox have made the postseason 8 seasons in a row with 6 division titles during the streak.

[Chappy]

Aviators finish 92-70; Will face Ohio in Opening Round of Playoffs
North Carolina will face Knights in Wild Card round for 3rd straight season.

The 'First in Flight/Birthplace of Aviation' rivalry will continue to grow, as the Aviators once again will begin the playoffs with a series against the Ohio Knights.  Ohio won the first meeting in 7 games in 2032, while the Aviators triumphed in 5 games last season.

This year, the edge goes to the Knights, who were champions of the PL North with a 96-66 record.  The two clubs just faced each other in the final regular season series, with North Carolina winning two of the three games.  However, those games featured lots of reserve players and are probably not a good indicator for the forthcoming best-of-seven series.

Ohio ranked 1st in the PL in Runs Allowed, Starters ERA, and Bullpen ERA.  North Carolina ranked 3rd in the PL in each of those categories.  The Ohio squad was 4th in Runs Scored, while NC finished 5th. 

Ohio enters the series with 100% health, while North Carolina is without only one player... however, that one player is last year's PL MVP, Ahilocana Gopalakrishnan. 

It will be a tall order, but the Aviators are in good shape and looking forward to try for the upset.

[Chappy]

North Carolina Hands Out Organizational Awards
The Aviators recognize the top hitter at each position plus the top 5 starters and relievers...

Catcher - Dan Curry - Delray Beach Grasshoppers (R) - .322-25-114 in 121 games (120 starts)
First Base - Kevin Howard - Raleigh Explorers (AAA) - .287-42-117 in 111 games (105 starts)
Second Base - Slappy Orozco - North Carolina Aviators (AFBL) - .291-2-57 in 129 games (128 starts)
Third Base - Ahilocana Gopalakrishnan - North Carolina Aviators (AFBL) - .346-3-45 in 114 games (all starts)
Shortstop - Eddie Wheeler - Delray Beach Grasshoppers (R) - .306-10-65 in 111 games (all starts)
Left Field - Jim O'Brien - OBX Privateers (A) - .318-37-127 in 140 games (all starts)
Center Field - Cristobal Castillo - North Carolina Aviators (AFBL) - .323-3-66 in 155 games (150 starts)
Right Field - Jerry 'Burger' King - North Carolina Aviators (AFBL)/Raleigh Explorers (AAA) - combined .264-40-84 in 116 games (63 with NC, 53 with RAL)
 (105 starts)
DH - Shane Schute - North Carolina Aviators (AFBL) - .286-19-91 in 162 games (all starts)

Goppy won the PL batting title and Schute led the PL in doubles with 44.

Starting Pitchers:

Toshiyuki Sato - 11-7, 2.36 for Greensboro Green Sox (AA)
Bertil Aarden - 13-11, 3.41 for North Carolina Aviators (AFBL)
Jesus Ortega - 18-4, 3.30 (combined) for North Carolina Aviators (AFBL) and Raleigh Explorers (AAA)
Jorge Luna - 14-8, 3.67 for North Carolina Aviators (AFBL)
Ron Carmichael - 12-11, 3.86 for North Carolina Aviators (AFBL)

Relief Pitchers:

Tynan Gilbert - 1-4-2, 3.22 in 47 appearances for Greensboro Green Sox (AA)
Don Ray - 5-3-11, 2.98 in 56 appearances for Greensboro Green Sox (AA)
Tim Brown - 1-5-42, 2.47 in 65 appearances for North Carolina Aviators (AFBL)
Yu-zeng Sung - 2-5-2, 3.55 in 24 appearances for North Carolina Aviators (AFBL)
Chris Beard - 6-3-4, 2.43 in 67 appearances for North Carolina Aviators (AFBL)

[Chappy]

Aviators Fall to Ohio
...but at least avoid being swept.

The Aviators knew they'd be underdogs, but they'd hoped to have given Ohio a tougher fight than they did.  The Knights jumped out to a 3 games to 0 lead with 9-1, 2-0 and 6-1 wins in the first three games of the series.  North Carolina managed to scrape up an 8-7 win in game 4 before falling 8-0 in game 5.  Overall, the Knights outscored the Aviators 32-10 in the series. 

The Aviators now turn their attention to the draft, and will look to add depth to their system for the coming years.

[Chappy]

Medrano Drafted by Aviators
Aviators take Dominican teen with 14th overall selection in AFBL draft.

He's only 16, but the North Carolina Aviators think they've found a gem.  Jose Medrano of Mao will report to Delray Beach, where coaches will try to develop the young Shortstop's tools.

"He looks lost out there right now, but he's got enough range and arm strength to hold his own defensively in a few years", one of the NC scouts told us.  "He's so young that there's no point in rushing him.  He'll pick it up.  He could be in Delray for 3 seasons, just learning the game.  But if his bat comes around like we think it will, it will be worth the wait."

Other scouts point to the holes in Medrano's game.  "Jose's got first round talent but I've seen broken appliances that work harder than he does.  He doesn't take the game seriously enough.  Maybe that will change, but right now, he looks like more of a second rounder to me."

It's the second year in a row that the Aviators selected a Shortstop in the first round.  Eddie Wheeler, last years first round pick for NC, will start this season in A or possibly AA.  Despite being drafted just 12 moths apart, Wheeler (at 21) is 5 years older than Medrano.

[Chappy]

Aviators Grab Closer with 2nd Round Pick
KC high school star had 31 saves in 60 appearances.

Some guys don't figure out they are destined to be relievers until they can no longer win a job in the rotation.  But not Chris Cleghorn.  The 18-year-old Kansas City High closer has always wanted to be a shut-down closer.

Cleghorn shined on the varsity team as a sophomore in 2032, going 1-2 with 12 saves and a 1.09 ERA in 20 games.  After a rough junior year, in which he had 11 saves but a lofty 5.03 ERA, Cleghorn recaptured the magic as a senior, going 3-1 with 8 saves and a 2.16 ERA.  His career line; 7-5-32, 2.66.

Scouts rave about his stuff.  He throws only 2 pitches, but he throws them very well.  He fanned 27 batters in 16 2/3 innings as a senior. 

Cleghorn will report to Delray Beach (R).

[Chappy]

Aviators take Outfielder in Third Round
Charlie Dickinson from Sacramento High newest member of Aviator Nation

North Carolina scouts took notice of Charlie's monster senior year (17 HR in 50 games, 1.119 OPS), but he's really been a good hitter for the entirety of his high school career (.351-35-127 in 139 games).  The youngster twice had 20-game hit streaks in his HS career, and he also walked nearly as often as he struck out (99/110).  He is a bit of a mess in the field (7 errors in RF?), but he can work on that in Delray Beach (R), where he'll battle for playing time with David Ruiz, our 3rd round pick from the 2031 draft, and Brad Cooke, our 5th round pick last season.  Ruiz did not play during the 2032 season, but hit 17 HR for Delray Beach in each of the past two seasons.  Cooke appeared in only 11 games last season, batting .225 with 4 HR and 12 RBI.

[Chappy]

Aviators Add Two More in 2034 Draft
Nakashima & Ruiz will join Delray Beach this Spring.

In the 4th round, the Aviators selected Japanese import Kazuiko Nakashima.  The 16-year-old 1st base prospect comes in at 6'2, 200 lbs.  While sometimes clumsy in the field, Nakashima projects to be a good all-around hitter with above average contact, power, eye, and avoid k's ratings and good gap power.  He probably won't see a lot of action until he's a little older.

In the 5th round, NC took catching prospect Ernesto Ruiz.  Ruiz is a native of NYC but has been playing his high school ball in KC.  He was the captain of his Kansas City High team, and hit .366-13-53 as a senior to give him a career line of .342-31-131 in 135 games.  Like Nakashima, Ruiz will probably spend most of the upcoming season on the bench and will see a bigger role in 2036.

[Chappy]

Rivera and Dixon Newest Aviators
North Carolina adds a pitcher and an infielder in late rounds of draft.

With the 114th overall selection in the 2034 draft, the NC Aviators selected pitcher Eric Rivera.  The Wisconsin native came out of nowhere during his senior season at Milwaukee High.  After posting a 6.22 ERA as a sophomore and a 7.86 ERA as a junior, Rivera went 5-1 with a 3.58 ERA his senior year, finishing 3rd in Outstanding Pitcher Award voting.  NC scouts looked long and hard at Rivera, trying to figure out if his senior year was a fluke or a sign of things to come.  His work ethic, commitment to his studies, and his ability to lead his teammates put him over the edge and allowed the Aviators to chance a 6th round pick on him. 

In the 7th round, the Aviators took young infielder Jimmy Dixon out of New Orleans High.  Like Rivera, Dixon has strong intangibles and peaked his senior season.  A career .298 hitter, Dixon hit .321-6-48 as a senior and led his New Orleans High squad to a national championship.  He scored 11 times and drove in 11 runs in 13 playoff games.  Dixon projects to be a quick contact hitter with not much pop.

Both players will be assigned to Delray Beach.

[Chappy]

Aviatros Wrap Up Draft with van Aaken
The team also activates a handful of players from the international complex to fill Delray Beach's roster.

Curacaoan 16-year-old Darren van Aaken became the last player selected by North Carolina in the 2034 draft.  The young infielder plays 2nd, 3rd and SS, but will need time to adjust to the game here in the states.  Darren is a bright kid who has an average bat and will hopefully develop into a decent middle infielder.

Catcher Tetsuo Hayahsi, 1B Jesus Valencia, SS Kei Sato, and outfielders Sjelle de Clerq, Pavlya Zyuganov, and Suezo Kobayahsi were all activated from the international complex and assigned to rookie league affiliate Delray Beach.