Joe Geck

April 5, 2022 by Chris Whitesell

Joe Geck, a veteran of sports medicine in professional baseball, returns for his second year with the High Point Rockers.

Geck, who resides in Hickory, N.C. year-round, spent 28 years in the Chicago White Sox organization, serving as the head athletic trainer at Charlotte, Birmingham, Winston-Salem, Kannapolis, Hickory and in the Gulf Coast League. He began is professional career with the Kansas City Royals in the Rookie level Gulf Coast League in 1990.

Geck is a graduate of the University of South Florida and holds membership in the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA), the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society (PBATS) and is licensed as an athletic trainer in North Carolina.

Dr. Jordan Case

March 29, 2022 by Chris Whitesell

Jordan Miller Case, MD is the Team Doctor for the High Point Rockers and oversee the health needs of all players and coaches, including physicals, evaluation/treatment of injuries, and rehabilitation. He works closer with the Rockers training staff to ensure a full and speedy recovery for all players so they can perform to the best of their abilities during both the season and off-season. Dr. Case is also an Orthopedic Surgeon with Wake Forest Baptist Health.

Frank Viola

March 29, 2022 by Chris Whitesell

Former American League Cy Young Award winner and World Series MVP Frank Viola will enter his fifth season as the pitching coach for the High Point Rockers. During his 15-year Major League career from 1982-96, the lefthander won 176 games and was named to three All-Star teams while leading the Minnesota Twins to the 1987 World Series Championship.

His work with the Rockers has been nothing short of amazing. Over the last five seasons, the Rockers have led the Atlantic League in ERA twice, posting a 3.74 mark in 2019 and a league-leading 4.34 ERA in 2023. Viola’s staff has led the Atlantic League in the lowest WHIP (2023, 2021) and fewest walks (2023, 2021).

A native of Long Island, Viola was a 16th round pick of the Kansas City Royals in the 1978 MLB Draft out of East Meadow High School but chose to attend St. John’s University. There, Viola teamed with future New York Met John Franco to lead the Red Storm to the 1980 College World Series in Omaha, Neb. The Johnnies opened the CWS with a Viola throwing a complete game four-hitter in a 6-1 win over Arizona and its star player, Terry Francona. But the Red Storm was eliminated following losses to Hawaii and Cal.

History, however, was made the following year, in 1981 during the NCAA Northeast Regional at Yale. In what legendary sportswriter and author Roger Angell called one of the greatest baseball games ever played, Viola beat Yale and its star pitcher, Ron Darling, 1-0 in 12 innings with Darling throwing a no-hitter through the first 11 frames.

During his three seasons at St. John’s, Viola compiled a 26-2 record including a 10-1 mark in 1980 and a 10-0 record in 1981. His 0.87 ERA in 1981 remains the third-best in SJU history. Viola was a first team All-American by Baseball America in 1981 and was a second round pick of the Twins in the 1981 MLB Draft, the No. 37 player selected overall.

Viola started his professional career in Orlando in the AA Southern League before moving to AAA Toledo in 1982 and making his Major League debut that same season. He became a fixture in the Twins rotation over the next seven seasons, posting a 17-10 record in 1987 as the Twins reached the World Series and defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games. Viola defeated Joe Magrane in Game 1, took a loss in Game 4 and earned the Game 7 victory with a 4-2 win over Danny Cox. Viola was named the World Series MVP as he posted a 2-1 record and allowed just eight earned runs over his 19.1 innings pitched while striking out 16.

In 1988, Viola earned the American League Cy Young Award, garnering 27 of the 28 first place votes to easily outdistance Oakland reliever Dennis Eckersley. Viola led the Majors with 24 wins (24-7 record) and a .774 winning percentage while his 2.64 ERA and 193 strikeouts each ranked third in the American League. He started and won the 1988 All-Star Game after building a 15-2 record leading into the break. Between May 22, 1987 and July 27, 1988, Viola won 19 consecutive games in the Twins’ home stadium, the Metrodome.

During his Twins career, Viola was twice named American League Pitcher of the Month and was Minnesota’s Pitcher of the Year in 1984, 1987 and 1988. He posted a 3-1 postseason pitching record in five starts with 35 strikeouts and just eight walks in 31.1 innings.

By the age of 28, Viola owned a World Series championship, a Series MVP award and a Cy Young Award.

Viola was traded to his hometown New York Mets on July 31, 1989 where he won 38 games over the next two seasons including a 20-12 mark with a 2.67 ERA in 1990 when he finished third in the National League Cy Young voting. He was a National League All-Star in both 1990 and 1991 before signing with Boston as free agent prior to the 1992 season. Viola won 24 games over the 1992-93 seasons but made just six starts in 1994 before undergoing Tommy John surgery in May.

He signed with Cincinnati in 1995 and rehabbed his elbow before returning to the Major Leagues in August. He finished that year with an 0-1 record in three starts and then joined the Toronto Blue Jays in 1996, ending his career after six starts and a 1-3 record. He retired in November 1996.

Following his retirement, Viola worked as a coach and broadcaster before settling as pitching coach of the Mets Class A rookie league team in Brooklyn in 2011. He moved to Class A Savannah in 2012-13 and was named the Coach of the Year in 2013. He spent the 2014-2017 seasons with the Mets’ Class AAA affiliate in Las Vegas. Viola instructed the Mets’ Class AA pitchers at Binghamton in 2018 before joining the Rockers in 2019.

His former pupils in the Mets system include Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndegaard and Steven Matz.

He and his wife Kathy have three children, Frankie, Brittany and Kaley. Brittany was a diver at the University of Miami and won the 2008 and 2011 NCAA platform diving championships and competing at the 2012 London Olympics. Kaley played volleyball at Winthrop College and has coached at Winthrop, Davidson College and Ithaca College. Frankie, a righthanded pitcher, was drafted by the Chicago White Sox and also played in the Toronto organization.

Ben Aklinski

March 29, 2022 by Chris Whitesell

8COLLEGE: Phoenix College/Kentucky
HIGH SCHOOL: Greenway HS, Phoenix, Ariz.

See Ben's Stats

CAREER NOTES

Returns to the Rockers for his fourth season and his fifth year in the Atlantic League
Is one of just two players in ALPB history with multiple 100-RBI seasons after driving in 102 in 2023 and 105 with Lexington in 2021
• Was one of just two players in the Atlantic League in 2021 to rank in the top four in home runs, RBI, runs scored and extra base hits
• Holds the Rockers career record with eight grand slams
Enters the 2025 season with 100 career homers and 90 stolen bases during his ALPB career. Will look to become just the third player in league history with 100 homers and 100 stolen bases in a career.

2024

Hit .247 in 2024 with a team-high 29 homers and 92 RBI
Ranks among the ALPB all-time leaders with 100 career home runs
Two-time member of the 20-20 club with 24 homers and 31 stolen bases in 2023 and 29 HR, 29 RBI in 2024
Is one of only two players in league history with a pair of 100 RBI seasons
Among the ALPB elite with four consecutive seasons with 100 or more hits
Has 72 homers over the last three seasons, the second-most among ALPB players during that span
Has 268 RBI over the last three years, topped only by Zander Wiel’s 268
Scored 94 runs and stole 29 bases
Named to the ALPB All-Defensive team in 2024
Drove in a career-high eight runs vs. Lexington on 4/27/24

2023
• Named to the Atlantic League Post-Season All-Star team after hitting .286 with 24 home runs and 102 RBI
• Led the Atlantic League with 114 runs scored, the third-highest total in league history
• Second in the ALPB with 102 RBI
• Set a club record with seven at-bats in a game at Spire City on 7/29/23
• Had a pair of five-hit games vs. Spire City on 7/29/23 and on 5/5/23
• Tied club record with 13 total bases vs. Spire City on 5/5/23 (2 2B, 2 HR, 1B)
• Ranks first in club history, drawing 144 walks in his two seasons
• Set Rockers record with three grand slams (7/9 vs. GAS; 7/29 vs. SPC; 8/1 vs. GAS)
• Led the Rockers in games played (123), at-bats (451), Runs (114), hits (129), walks (71), OPS (.914), sac flies (8) and HBP (17)
• Hit .381 in the postseason (8-for-21) with a homer and seven RBI and two runs scored

2022

• Spent the entire season with the Rockers, hitting .268 with 19 homers and 74 RBI
• Named to the ALPB Ballpark Digest Mid-Season All-Star team
• Ranked fourth in the ALPB in runs, sixth in doubles and sixth in extra base hits (55).
• Led the team in games played (121), at-bats (448), plate appearances (538), runs (93), doubles (33), walks (73), stolen bases (20)
• Led the team with 32 multi-hit games and four walk-off hits
• Tied for the team lead with two grand slams and had one of the Rockers’ two inside-the-park home runs
• Was 5-for-34 (.147) in eight postseason games with a home run, double and three RBI
• Hit an inside-the-park homer vs. Lexington 5/18/22
• Had a pair of walk-off hits vs. Staten Island in a single series including a walk-off single for 3-2 win on 5/20/22 and a 2-run HR on 5/22/22 in a 4-3 win
• Hit a walk-off grand slam 7/24/22 to beat Gastonia 7-6 at Truist Point
• Hit a walk-off sac fly to beat Lexington 5-4 on 8/24/22

2021

Helped the Lexington Legends win the ALPB title in their first season in the league.
Hit .290 with 28 home runs and 105 RBI
Finished fourth in the ALPB in homers, second in RBI, third in total bases and second in runs scored.
Hit 10 homers in 25 August contests and knocked in 38 runs in 30 September games
Hit a three-run homer in the final game of Lexington’s Championship Series win over Long Island
DH and played RF in six postseason games against Charleston (Division series) and Long Island (Championship series)

2019

Promoted to A+ Clearwater (Florida State) and posted a .196 batting average in 51 games while fighting through injuries
Spent time on the injured list and was assigned to multiple rehab assignments.

2018

Taken in the 32nd round of the 2018 MLB June Amateur Draft.
Spent the majority of the season at A-Williamsport (New York-Penn) where he hit .255 with seven homers and 25 RBI.
Member of the New York-Penn League All-Star team.

2017

Named Second-Team All-America and led Phoenix College to a Southwest District championship…Honored as NJCAA Division II Defensive Player of the Year…Named ACCAC Player of the Year…Rawlings Gold Glove winner (OF)…Ranked among nation’s top players in doubles (2nd), total bases (2nd), runs (7th), triples (13th), home runs (13th) and RBI (25th)…Appeared in 64 games, hitting .364 (87-239) with a .448 on-base percentage and .703 slugging percentage…Scored 70 runs while hitting 27 doubles, six triples, 14 home runs and driving in 61….Walked 32 times against just 29 strikeouts with 168 total bases and four steals…NJCAA Division II NJCAA World Series all-tournament team…In 2016, named Second-Team All-ACCAC…Played for Kevin Kimball.

Second-Team JUCO All-American (2017)

NJCAA Division II Defensive PLayer of the Year (2017)
Arizona Community College Athletic Conference Player of the Year (2017)
Rawlings JUCO Gold Glove (2017)
First-Team All-ACCAC (2017)

2016

Second-Team All-ACCAC (2016)

2015

Earned three letters at Greenway High School in Phoenix…Played for Matthew Denny…Won the state championship in 2014…Greenway was named Medium School National Champion by MaxPreps in 2014…Team tied state record with a 29-game win streak in 2013…Was named Second-Team All-State in 2014.

PERSONAL

Benjamin Tyler Aklinski
Pronounced “Uh-klin-ski”
Son of Laura Ideus…Has an older brother, Joe, and a twin brother, Matt
Also played golf in high school

Cooper Casad

March 27, 2022 by Chris Whitesell

COLLEGE: University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA
HIGH SCHOOL: Summerfield Waldorf, Santa Rosa, CA

See Cooper's Stats

CAREER NOTES

Didn’t play high school baseball because his school didn’t field a team.
Had not started a game as a professional until joining the Rockers’ in 2021.
Had his most productive and successful season as a pro with the Rockers in 2021.

2024

Made 6 appearances last year, all starts with the Rockers
2024 was third stint with High Point
2-1 with a 3.71 ERA and worked 26.1 innings while walking only 3 and striking out 15
7/5 vs. Lancaster was his worst outing 2.1 IP, 9 ER, 10 H
Best start was 7/11 vs. Lexington, allowing just one run on a pair of hits and working eight innings, the longest outing of the season by a Rockers starting pitcher
Missed the 2023 season while recovering from arm surgery

2022
• Pitched in only two games before suffering an injury that required surgery
• Started the second game of the season at home against the Kentucky Wild Health Genomes (4/22/22)
• Had a no-decision despite going six innings and allowing five hits and one run with zero walks and six strikeouts
• Threw 83 pitches, 60 of them strikes
• Second start was at home vs. Lancaster on 4/28
• Picked up the win with 5.0 IP, 4 hits, 3 runs, 2 earned, 2 walks and 2 strikeouts
• Threw 89 pitches, 53 for strikes
2021

Started the season in the bullpen for the Rockers but quickly became a fixture in the starting rotation
Finished the year with the team’s top ERA among starting pitchers at 4.73
Made 19 starts, second-only to Craig Stem’s 24
Posted a 7-4 record and was second to Tommy Lawrence in innings pitched with 123.2
Struckout 91 batters, the second-most on the club
Posted two wins against Southern Maryland (6/19 & 7/25) and one win apiece against Long Island (7/8), Gastonia (7/14), Charleston (7/31), Lexington and Lancaster • Named the Atlantic League Pitcher of the Month in July after going 4-0 in six starts with a 2.89 ERA
Struck out 31 in 37.1 innings in July with just 10 walks
Finished the year seventh in the Atlantic League in ERA, seventh in innings pitched (123.2), fifth in opponent’s batting average (.269), fourth in WHIP (1.32) and sixth in winning percentage (.636).

2020

Released 5/28/20 with hundreds of other minor league players due to Covid-19.

2019

Pitched at four different levels in the Giants organization, combining to go 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 39 innings with just eight walks and 13 ER.
Made 15 appearances at A- Salem-Keizer (Northwest) where he was 1-1 with a 3.86 in 15 appearances, all in relief.
Made one relief appearance at A Augusta (South Atlantic), two appearances at A+ San Jose (California) and one scoreless outing at AA Richmond (Eastern).

2018 (Pacific/San Francisco Giants)

Posted a 3-6 record with a 3.93 mark as a senior at Pacific, making 18 appearances and 10 starts.
Was second on the team with 73.1 innings and third on the club with 46 strikeouts.
Threw a complete game in a loss to BYU (5/17/18).
Earned a save against Utah Valley (2/23/18) with four hitless innings of work and five strikeouts.
Named to the West Coast Conference All-Academic Team.
Undrafted, the San Francisco Giants signed him as a free agent and assigned him to the Arizona League.
Went 2-1 with a 3.21 ERA and moved to A- Salem-Keizer (Northwest) where he was 0-1 with a 2.84 in three appearances.

2017 (Pacific)

As a junior at Pacific, made 19 appearances including seven starts, going 2-5 with a 5.49 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 59 innings.
Threw a complete game in a win against St. Mary’s (4/22/17).

2016 (College of Marin)

Posted a 9-4 record with a 3.24 ERA over 91.2 innings.
Made 18 appearances (10 starts) and recorded a team-high 79 strikeouts en route to first team all-conference recognition.

2015 (College of Marin)

As a junior college freshman, posted a 3.26 ERA over 49.2 innings at College of Marin in Kentfield, Calif.
Went 3-0 with one save in 24 appearances in earning honorable mention all-conference honors.

2014 (Healdsburg)

Did not play baseball at Summerfield Waldorf, a small private school, because it didn’t field a team.
Played for a number of travel ball teams including the Healdsburg Prune Packers, a summer collegiate league team.

PERSONAL

Cooper Casad

York Revolution

March 26, 2022 by Chris Whitesell

The York Revolution is an American professional baseball team based in York, Pennsylvania. It is a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent “partner league” of Major League Baseball.