Infield Archives | High Point Rockers Baseball

Ryan Grotjohn

September 14, 2022 by Tanner Smith

STATUS
• Signed with Rockers in 2023 off-season

CAREER NOTES
• Played at Cal State Bakersfield before being drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks
• Played at AA Northwest Arkansas (Royals) in 2022

2022
• Spent 24 games with the Kansas City Monarchs in the American Association
• Hit .298 with five homers and 25 RBI
• Also drew 24 walks while striking out only 18 times
• Also suited up in 38 games for AA-Northwest Arkansas (KC Royals)
• Signed by Kansas City Royals to a minor league contract February 24

2021
• Played 91 games with the Kansas City Monarchs and hit .329
• Both of those marks were the second most in his career in each respective category
• Racked up 109 hits, a career-best
• Just one AB shy of 400 on the year
• Had 12 stolen bases, a career-high (doubled previous high of 6)

2019
• Moved between A+ Visalia and AA-Jackson (Arizona)
• 107 total games played, swung .231 on the campaign

2018
• Navigated through three levels of the minors A-Kane County, A+ Visalia, and AA-Jackson
• Played 90 games and hit .287
• Of his 96 hits, 22 of them were doubles, and 36 were XBH
• 334 AB was a career-high

2017
• Taken in the 10th Round of the draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks
• Split time between RK-Missoula and A- Hillsboro, only played in 44 games, hit .256 on the season
• Had the best year of his college career, hitting .390 and slugging .512

2013
• Named to the All-City Boys Soccer team by the Arizona Republic as a midfielder for Brophy Prep

Shed Long, Jr.

September 14, 2022 by Tanner Smith

STATUS
• Joined the Rockers for spring training, 2023
CAREER NOTES
• Has a career .260 batting average across all levels
• Has played parts of three seasons at the MLB level, hitting .216 with 12 homers and 41 RBI
2022 (Baltimore Orioles)
• Played with four teams in the Baltimore Orioles system
• Combined to hit .192 in 31 games
• Signed by Baltimore as a free agent and invited to spring training before starting the year at Norfolk
• Played at Delmarva, Aberdeen and the FCL on rehab assignments
• Spent the 2022-23 winter playing for Estrellas Orientales where he played 13 games
2021 (Seattle Mariners)
• Started the season on the injured list due to a right shin stress fracture
• Was activated on June 7 following a rehab assignment with Tacoma where he hit .323 in 7 games
• Was in the starting line-up nearly every day in June/July and put together a five-game hitting streak including a pair of 2-hit games
• Hit a walk-off grand slam to cap a 4-game sweep of Tampa Bay on 6/20/21
• Played 34 games at the Major League level for the Seattle Mariners, collecting 22 hits and hitting four homers along with 17 RBI
• Reinjured the shin and was placed on the 60-day injured list for a second time
• Elected free agency following the season
2020 (Seattle Mariners)
• Spent the entire season at the Major League level with Seattle, hitting three homers and driving in nine in 34 games
• Was in the starting line-up nearly every game from 7/24/20 until 8/30
2019 (Seattle Mariners)
• Started the year at Class AAA Tacoma where he hit .274 with nine homers and 36 RBI in 56 games
• Made multiple trips between Seattle and Tacoma during the season
• Logged 42 games with the Mariners, hitting .263 with five homers, 12 doubles and 15 RBI
• Made his MLB debut 5/11/19 at Boston and collected his first hit on 5/21/19 at Texas
• Was traded from the Reds to the Yankees for RHP Sonny Gray and LHP Reiver Sanmartin
• Was immediately traded from the Yankees to Seattle for OF Josh Stowers on the same day
2018 (Cincinnati Reds)
• Spent the season at AA (Southern) Pensacola in the Cincinnati system
• Hit .261 with 12 homers and 56 RBI in 126 games while adding 19 stolen bases in 25 attempts and scoring 75 runs
• Was a Southern League Mid-Season All-Star with the Blue Wahoos
• Played in the Arizona Fall League where he was named a Rising Star with the Scottsdale Scorpions
2017 (Cincinnati Reds)
• Split time between Cincinnati’s A+ Daytona club and AA Pensacola
• Combined to hit .281 with 16 homers and 50 RBI while stealing nine bases and scoring 50 runs
• Named an FSL Mid-Season All-Star, earned FSL Player of the Month for May, 2017 and earned FSL Player of the Week on 5/28/17
2016 (Cincinnati Reds)
• Started the year at Class A (Midwest) Dayton where he posted a .281 average with 11 homers and 45 RBI
• While with Daytona, earned Florida State League Player of the Week honors
• Named an MiLBcom Organization All-Star in the Cincinnati organization
2015 (Cincinnati Reds)
• Converted from catcher to 2B with the Dayton Dragons and hit .283 with six homers and 16 RBI in 42 games
2014 (Cincinnati Reds)
• Hit .172 with the Billing Mustangs (Pioneer) in 29 games in his Age 18 season
2013 (Cincinnati Reds)
• Selected in the 12th round of the MLB Draft by the Cincinnati Reds as a 17-year old catcher
• Debuted with the Arizona League Reds, batting .256 with one homer and eight RBI in 24 games
• Played 38 games at Daytona with a .322 average, four homers and 30 RBI
• Played at Jacksonville High where he earned first team All-Calhoun County honors after going 5-2 as a pitcher with a 1.88 ERA and hitting .474 with a .610 on-base percentage… Led the team with 46 hits, 41 RBI, 14 doubles, 3 triples and 2 home runs.
• Played for Coach David Deerman
2012 (Jacksonville High)
• Hit .418 with 23 RBI and a .529 on-base percentage while earning his second consecutive all-county honor
2011 (Jacksonville High)
• Named MVP of the Alabama American Legion 15-and-Under State Baseball Tournament as he hit .909 with six extra base hits
• Also played basketball in high school
2010 (Saks High)
• Played at Saks High School as a sophomore where he rushed for 169 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Ashville in the season opener
PERSONAL
• Shedric Bernard Long, Jr.
• Son of Lisa and Shedric Long, Sr.
• Mother, Dr. Lisa Long, is the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Allen University in Columbia, SC

Zander Wiel

March 29, 2022 by Chris Whitesell

COLLEGE: Vanderbilt
HIGH SCHOOL: Blackman HS, Murfreesboro, TN

See Zander's Stats

STATUS
• Signed by the Rockers as a free agent on 2/16/2022.

CAREER NOTES
• Set High Point season records in home runs (32), slugging percentage (.576), multi-HR games (6), and RBI (98)
• Played 1B on Vanderbilt’s College World Series Championship team in 2014
• Ranks fourth in Rockers history with 32 career home runs, all achieved in 2022

2022
• Led the Rockers with 32 homers, 98 RBI and 221 total bases while hitting .260 in 115 games.
• Set club season records in home runs, slugging percentage, multi-HR games (6), RBI
• Saw action at multiple positions including RF (37 games), 1B (15), 3B (19), LF (28) and DH (19).
• Finished second in the ALPB in home runs (32), T-3rd in RBI (98), 3rd in slugging (.576), 9th in OPS (.920), T-6th in total bases (221) and 7th in extra base hits (54).
• Set the club record by homering in four consecutive games from 6/29/22 through 7/2/22
• Had season-high six RBI at Charleston 6/17/22 including a grand slam
• Added an inside-the-park homer vs. Lancaster on 4/27/22

2021

Spent the season between St. Paul (AAA) and Minnesota’s Florida Complex League team … Was limited to 11 games and 33 at-bats while rehabbing from injury … Played two games in early May at St. Paul and did not return until starting rehab in mid-August.

2020

Season canceled due to Covid-19.

2019

Played 126 games at Minnesota’s AAA club in Rochester, NY where he hit .254 with a career-best 24 homers and 78 RBI … Added 40 doubles and five triples … Had an 11-game hitting streak in August, 2019 that included three homers and 11 RBI …

2018

Split the season between Minnesota’s AA Chattanooga club and AAA Rochester … Hit .311 with seven homers and 58 RBI in 101 games at Chattanooga . . . Played 15 contests at Rochester.

2017

Played the full season at A+ Fort Myers in the Florida State League, hitting .250 with 13 HR and 67 RBI.

2016

Played 128 games at Class A Cedar Rapids (Midwest) with a .260 batting average, 19 homers and career-high 86 RBI.

2015

Drafted in the 12th round of the 2015 MLB June Amateur Draft out of Vanderbilt . . . Started his professional career at Rookie League Elizabethton (Appalachian) where he played 13 games and logged 36 at-bats . . . Posted a .316 average at Vanderbilt in 72 games, leading the team with 15 home runs and 68 RBI … His .571 slugging percentage was second only to teammate Dansby Swanson (Braves) … had 13 stolen bases in 16 attempts … Vandy lost to Virginia in the College World Series championship game.

2014

Hit .260 with five home runs and was third on the team with 44 RBI … Teammate of P Walker Buehler (Dodgers), Dansby Swanson (Braves) … Commodores went 51-21 overall and 17-13 in the SEC . . . Helped Vanderbilt to the College World Series Championship with a Game 3 win over Virginia …

2013

Named to the All-SEC Freshman team … Became an offensive threat for the Commodores late in the season and finished with a .305 average, five home runs and 27 RBI … Teammate of SS Dansby Swanson (Braves), OF Mike Yastrzemski (Giants) and 2B Tony Kemp (A’s) … Commodores went 54-12 and won the SEC regular season championship while reaching the NCAA Super Regional.

2012

Redshirted in his first season at Vanderbilt.

2011

First team all-district, all-region, all-Mid-State and all-state pick at Blackman High as a senior where he was a first baseman and catcher… Was joined in the Class AA all-state team by Mookie Betts of Nashville OvertonHit .426 with five homers, eight doubles and 26 RBI for the Blaze to earn first team Murfreesboro (Tenn.)Daily News-Journal All-Area honors . . . Helped the Murfreesboro Diamondbacks qualify for the Connie Mack World Series.

2010

As a high school junior, hit .406 with eight home runs and 47 RBI.

PERSONAL

Alexander McBrayer Wiel … Majored in communication studies at Vanderbilt … Parents are Connie and Randy Wiel . . . Father played and coached basketball at North Carolina and is former head basketball coach at UNC Asheville and Middle Tennessee State … Randy Wiel competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics for the Netherlands Antilles before moving to the U.S. and playing basketball for Dean Smith at North Carolina … Became an assistant to Smith and eventually landed head coaching jobs at UNC Asheville and Middle Tennessee State.

Diego Goris

March 29, 2022 by Chris Whitesell

See Diego's Stats

STATUS

Will be playing in an unaffiliated league in the U.S. for the first time in his career … Is a career .279 hitter with 1,134 career professional hits in 1,135 games … Owns 95 career homers and 576 career RBI.

CAREER NOTES

Will be playing in the U.S. for the first time since spending the 2018 season in El Paso …

2021

Spent time with Gigantes in the Dominican Winter League … Played in15 games, collecting six hits, three doubles and a home run

2020

Played six games with Aguilas in the Dominican Winter League.

2019

Played with Oaxaca in the Mexican League, Aguilas in the Dominican Winter League and for the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean Series … Finbished the season with a .238 batting average in 103 games with 11 homers and 54 RBI.

2018

Was primarily a corner infielder with AAA El Paso, playing 54 games at third base and 29 at first … Posted a .265 batting average on the year with seven homers and 53 RBI in 90 games …

2017

Spent the entire season at AAA El Paso where he hit .285 with 11 home runs and 56 RBI … Hit .308 in each of three separate months (May, June and September) … Played every infield position

2016

Opened the 2015 season in San Antonio and showed amazing versatility, playing every position except CF and RF … Spent the first two weeks in San Antonio before being called up to El Paso on 4/21/16 … Returned to San Antonio 6/4/16 and back to El Paso on 6/25/16 where he remained for the rest of the season … Finished the year with a .251 average and nine home runs and 44 RBI in 106 total contests … Was a .260 hitter in 84 games at AAA El Paso and hit .217 at San Antonio.

2015

Started the season at AA San Antonio before being called up to AAA El Paso on 8/4/15 … Returned to San Antonio on 8/11/15 … Hit .257 on the year with six HR and 50 RBI in 105 total games … Hit .350 in five AAA contests at El Paso

2014

Split time between San Diego’s A+ (California) team in Lake Elsinore and AA (Texas) San Antonio . . . Combined to hit .302 with 17 homers and 71 RBI in 126 games … Drew just 16 walks in 543 plate appearances … Was the No. 18 hitter in the California League in batting average

2013

Spent a full season with San Diego’s Class A Fort Wayne (Midwest) club where he hit .266 in 96 games with six homers and 52 RBI.

2012

Played 40 games with Idaho Falls in the Pioneer League in his first year in the Kansas City Royals organization . . . Hit .286 and drove in 32 runs go to with eight doubles and 10 homers . . . Played 18 games in the Arizona League and hit .425 (34-for-80) with six doubles, three homers, three triples and 18 RBI …

2011

Spent a fourth and final year with the Pirates in the Dominican Summer League . . . Posted his best season, hitting .350 with five homers and 46 RBI in 68 games … Added a career-best 15 stolen bases and a .511 slugging percentage.

2010

A third consecutive year with Pittsburgh’s Dominican Summer League club yielded a .310 average along with five homers and 29 RBI in 49 games.

2009

Spent a second year with the Pirates Dominican Summer League team, improving to .277 average with one homer and 31 RBI in 58 games.

2008

Started his professional career in the Pirates organization with the first of four seasons the Dominican Summer League … Hit .245 as a 17-year old rookie with 11 RBI in 44 contests.

PERSONAL

Diego Agustin Goris

Michael Martinez

March 27, 2022 by Chris Whitesell

COLLEGE: None
HIGH SCHOOL: San Lorenzo, Santo Domingo, DR

See Michael's Stats

CAREER NOTES
• Began his career in 2005 in the Washington Nationals organization as an amateur free agent.
• Has played 1,794 career games at the professional level with 1,508 hits, 609 RBI and 165 stolen bases.
• Is a career .258 hitter in his 15 professional seasons.
• Has 295 career games played at the Major League level
• Has hit .296 in 126 games with the Rockers over the 2020-21 seasons

2022
• Hit .304 with 13 doubles, five homers and 35 RBI in his second season with the Rockers
• Slammed a three-run homer in a 13-5 home win over Lexington on 6/25/22
• Hit a walk-off grand slam to down Lancaster 5-1 on 9/7/22
• Had an excellent September, hitting .458 (22-for-48) with a pair of homers and 12 RBI in 12 games
• Had four-hit games vs. Lexington (5/19/22) and at Kentucky (9/11/22) with a pair of doubles vs. the Genomes
• Had four-RBI games vs. Lexington (6/25/22) and Lancaster (6/7/22)
• Went 5-for-12 (.238) in the postseason

2021

• Acquired along with Huascar Brazoban from the Lancaster Barnstormers (Atlantic) in a trade on 3/4/21 • Joined the Rockers on 8/6/21 following COVID-19 visa issues
• Played in 51 games and hit .286 with four home runs and 30 RBI
• His .286 batting average was the highest in club history for a switch-hitter

• Had a 9-game hitting streak (8/12/21-8/21/21)
• Homered in back-to-back games against Lexington (8/18 & 8/19/21)
• Collected season-high four hits vs. Long Island (8/8/21)
• Drove in three runs at Gastonia (9/17/21)
2020
• Spent the 2019-20 season with Estrellas de Oriente in San Pedro de Macoris (Dominican Winter League), hitting .238 in 19 games.
2019
• Signed with the Lancaster Barnstormers on 3/11/19 . . . Played in 97 games and hit .252 with 9 home runs and 42 RBI … Posted an OPS of .663.
2018
• Assigned to the AAA Columbus Clippers (Indians) on 4/6/18 … Elected free agency (11/2/18).
• Suffered torn left Achilles tendon during training exercises in late January, undergoing surgery in Cleveland on 1/31/18.
2017
• Split season between Cleveland and Tampa Bay organizations, spending the first two and a half months of the season at the Major League level before ending the season in AAA Columbus … Appeared in six games at third base for Cleveland with three games at second and two games in center field (1G at SS) … Also made his Major League pitching debut with a scoreless inning on 4/13/17 vs. the Chicago White Sox … DFA on 5/14/17 and signed by Tampa Bay four days later … With Colum- bus, appeared at every position except first base, pitcher and catcher.
2016
• Spent much of the season in a utility role with Cleveland along with stints in AAA Columbus and with the Boston Red Sox in July … Promoted to Cleveland on 5/14/16 when Michael Brantley returned to the injured list and Martinez spent the next six weeks on the Major League roster … Acquired by the Red Sox for cash on 7/8/16 and spent a month on the MLB roster before being DFA on 8/2/16 and claimed two days later by Cleveland … Spent the rest of the season on the MLB roster and was on all three Postseason rosters, appearing in seven of the 15 games.
2015
• Spent most of the season in AAA Columbus, battng .289 with 24 doubles, five triples, five home runs, 42 RBI and 53 runs scored in 102 games . . . At the time of his 9/4/15 promotion to Cleveland, ranked 11th in the International League in battng average … Appeared in 66 games at second base, 19 games in CF, 13 games at SS, four games at 3B and three games in RF … Made seven starts with Cleveland (2 CF, 5 LF).
2014
• Spent the season in the Pittsburgh organization, splittng time between the MLB club and the AAA Indianapolis Indians (International) … Had two stints with the MLB Pirates (6/13 and 7/6-8/17/14).
2013
• Spent majority of the season with AAA Lehigh Valley but also had four separate stints with Philadelphia at the big league level.
2012
• Started season on 15-day injury list with fractured right foot suffered in a spring training game … Hit .271 in 32 games at AAA Lehigh Valley and .174 in 45 games with MLB Phillies.
2011
• Made his Major League debut with the Philadelphia Phillies on 4/3/11 and collected a hit and an RBI vs. Houston … Made 48 starts at five different positions during his first season in the Big Leagues.
2010
• Was an Eastern League (Mid-Season) All-Star with the AA Harrisburg Senators.
• Selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2010 Rule Five Draft … Made MLB debut as a starter in CF on 4/3/11 vs. Houston and collected his first hit and RBI off Enerio Del Rosario … Recorded career-high four hits on 7/10/11 vs. Atlanta to become the first Phillies rookie with a four-hit game since Michael Bourn in 2007 … Hit first big league homer off New York Mets’ Mike Pelfrey on 7/17/11 at Citi Field … Collected 15 RBI in July of 2011, the third-most among National League rookies that month behind Freddie freeman (18) and Jesus Guzman (18).
2009
• Hit .293 in 49 games at A+ Potomac (Carolina) and .223 at AA Harrisburg (Eastern).
2008
• Played 104 games at A+ Potomac (Carolina) and hit .266 with 25 doubles, 58 RBI and 63 runs scored and a career-high 20 sacrifice hits.
2007
• Named the Dominican Winter League Rookie of the Year with Estrellas de Oriente
2006
• Named a New York-Penn League Mid-Season All-Star with the Vermont Lake Monsters … Finished that season ranked fourth in the league in batting average.
• Signed as an amateur free agent by the Washington Nationals.

PERSONAL

• Michael Gabriel Martinez Tiburcio

• Is a 2001 graduate of San Lorenzo High School in Santo Domingo … Attended San Lorenzo de Los Minas … Favorite player as a youth was Rey Ordoñez of the NY Mets.

High Point Rockers

March 26, 2022 by Chris Whitesell