Mark Maloney on Kentucky sports

Baseball

                             South Atlantic League

Lexington Legends vs. Kannapolis Intimidators

What: Four-game series

When: Monday through Thursday (7:05 each night)

Where: Whitaker Bank Ballpark

Tickets: Call (859) 422-7867

Major League affiliates: Houston Astros (Legends), Chicago White Sox

Alaniz

Cruz

Bushue

Quevedo

Probable pitchers (Legends listed first): Monday, RH Ruben Alaniz (5-9, 4.80) vs. RH Dexter Carter (3-5, 6.51); Tuesday, LH Luis Cruz (3-2, 4.27) vs. RH Phil Negus (2-0, 2.52); Wednesday, RH Carlos Quevedo (6-4, 4.05) vs. RH Matt Heidenreich (9-6, 4.25); Thursday, RH Tanner Bushue (6-2, 3.49) vs. LH Spencer Arroyo (7-7, 3.70).

Trayce Thompson

Intimidator to watch: All-star CF Trayce Thompson (6-foot-3, 195 pounds, from Ladera Ranch, Calif.) leads Kannapolis in homers (17), runs (72) and walks (48) — as well as strikeouts (126) through Saturday’s games. Batting .232, he also has 62 RBI, 25 doubles, a pair of triples and five stolen bases. Selected by the White Sox in the second round of the 2009 draft, out of Santa Margarita High School (Calif.), and signed for $625,000, Thompson is the son of former No. 2 overall NBA draft pick Mychal Thompson. Trayce played 32 games in his pro-debut year – 25 with Bristol of the Appalachian League and seven with the Great Falls Voyagers of the Pioneer League, combining for a .198 average, 10 RBI and 10 runs. With Kannapolis last year, Thompson batted .229 with eight homers, 31 RBI and 28 runs over 58 games (a pitch shattered his right thumb in late May, knocking him out for three months). Coming into this season, Baseball America rated him the No. 9 prospect in the White Sox system. This season, the right-handed batter and thrower has been at his best when face lefties and playing at home. He is batting .315 vs. left-handers, .206 against righties; .254 at home, .209 on the road.

Delino DeShields Jr.

Legend to watch: 2B Delino DeShields Jr. (5-9, 203, from Ocala, Fla.) has raised his average from .192 on June 24 to .235 through Saturday. He took an 11-game hitting streak into Sunday’s game and had hits in 14 of his last 15 games. For July, DeShields is 31-for-93 (.333) with two doubles, 14 RBI, 13 runs, nine walks and 10 stolen bases. Overall, to go with his .235 average, DeShields has six homers, 41 RBI, 50 runs and 25 stolen bases. No. 2 in Baseball America’s pre-season rankings of Houston prospects, he was selected by Houston in the first round (eighth overall) of the 2010 draft and signed for an Astros draft-record $2.125 million out of Woodward Academy (Fla.). His father, Delino Sr., also was a first-round pick (12th overall in 1987) and stole 463 bases over 13 seasons in the big leagues. Delino Jr. debuted last season with two games in the Gulf Coast League and 16 with the Greeneville Astros of the Appalachian League, combining to hit .289 with eight RBI, 11 runs, six doubles, a triple and five stolen bases in six attempts. Baseball America also rates him as Houston’s fastest runner, best athlete and best pure hitter in the 2010 class. He also was recruited for football by Georgia and Ole Miss.

Radio: WLXG AM-1300

Coming up

South Atlantic League baseball

Kannapolis Intimidators at Lexington Legends

What: Four-game series

When: Monday through Thursday (7:05 Monday, Tuesday and Thursday nights; 10:05 Wednesday morning)

Where: Applebee’s Park

Tickets: Call    (859) 422-7867   

Major League affiliates: Houston Astros (Legends); Chicago White Sox

Brandt Walker

Jose Cisnero

Robby Donovan

Tanner Bushue

Probable pitchers (Legends listed first): Monday, RH Brandt Walker (1-1, 8.27) vs. RH Cameron Bayne (1-3, 4.15) Tuesday, RH Jose Cisnero (1-0, 4.82) vs. RH Matt Hopps (0-1, 5.12); Wednesday, RH Tanner Bushue (1-1, 2.81) vs. RH Justin Collop (0-2, 6.75); Thursday, RH Robby Donovan (1-3, 3.91) vs. LH Joe Serafin (3-2, 2.64).

Trayce Thompson

Intimidator to watch: CF Trayce Thompson (6-foot-3, 195 pounds, from Ladera Ranch, Calif.) is hitting .278 with three homers, seven RBI and eight runs over 14 games with the Intimidators. A second-round draft pick of the White Sox last year, Thompson said no to UCLA and signed out of Santa Margarita High School for $625,000. He played seven games with Great Falls of the Pioneer League and 25 with Bristol of the Appalachian League last season, hitting a combined .198 with 10 RBI. Baseball America rates Thompson as the sixth-best prospect in the White Sox system. He is the son of Mychal Thompson, the No. 1 pick in the 1978 NBA draft.

Jake Goebbert

Legend to watch: LF Jake Goebbert (6-0, 200, from Hampshire, Ill.) leads the Legends with 12 doubles and ranks third or better in several other offensive categories, including: 29 hits, 16 RBI, 19 runs, 46 total bases, .465 slugging percentage and .804 OPS. The left-hander (batting and throwing) has yet to commit an error and has hits in each of his last three games and five of six contests. Drafted by the Astros in the 13th round (401st overall) of last year’s draft, out of Northwestern University, Goebbert broke a 31-year-old school record for the Wildcats when he belted a Big Ten-leading 22 doubles in 2008, his sophomore season. He also led the team homers (10), RBI (48), walks (28), slugging (.665) and on-base percentage (.458) that season, batting .353 over 49 games. As a junior, Goebbert hit .280 with four homers and 23 RBI over 30 games, while earning Academic All-Big Ten honors. Upon being signed by the Astros, Goebbert played 59 games with the Tri-City ValleyCats of the New York-Penn League. With Tri-City, he hit .238 with 18 RBI.

Radio: WLXG AM-1300

Promotions, etc.: Monday is “Kids Eat Free Night” at Applebee’s Park. … Tuesday is Quarter Hot Dog Night and Kraft Singles Night. … Wednesday is Education Day, Ladies Day and Mascot Olympics Day. … The Kannapolis series concludes with Thirsty Thursday. … The eight-game homestand continues with four games against the Greensboro Grasshoppers, Friday through next Monday (May 10).