Burlington Sock Puppets

GENERAL INFORMATION

Address.........................................1450 Graham Street, ........................................................Burlington, NC 27217 Phone .....................................................(336) 222-0223 Website ........................................................ https://www.mlb.com .................................... /appalachian-league/burlington TW/IG: ................................................@GoSockPuppets Facebook: ...........................Burlington Sock Puppets League Championships............................... 1987, 1993 Stadium............................Burlington Athletic Stadium Stadium Built............................................................. 1960 Stadium Capacity .................................................. 3,000 Stadium Dimensions (LF-CF-RF)...........335-400-335

FRONT OFFICE STAFF

Operated By ...............Burlington Baseball Club, Inc. President ......................................................... Ryan Keur General Manager .......................... Anderson Rathbun Assistant General Manager............. Thomas Vickers Head Groundskeeper ...............................Casey Gural

GAME INFORMATION

PA Announcer .........................Luc Stadler Broadcast Announcer.................................................... Colby Cook Broadcast Network.............................................. Online No. of Games Broadcast ......... ................ TBD Official Scorer..............................................................Max Crider Standard Game Times ...................... M-Sat – 7:00pm .....................................................................Sun – 6:00pm Newspaper...................................................................N/A

NOTABLE ALUMNI

Sonny Siebert........................................................... 1960 Doc Edwards ............................................................ 1960 Mark Lewis.................................................................1988 Brian Giles..................................................................1989 Jesse Levis.................................................................1989 Robert Person ...........................................................1989 David Bell .................................................................. 1990 Jeff Brohm................................................................. 1990 Jim Thome................................................................. 1990 Albie Lopez.................................................................1991 Manny Ramirez ..........................................................1991 Damian Jackson .......................................................1992 Einar Diaz ............................................................ 1992-93 Steve Kline .................................................................1993 Richie Sexson............................................................1993 Bartolo Colon ............................................................1994 Russell Branyan ........................................................1994 C.C. Sabathia.............................................................1998 Willy Tavares............................................................ 2000 Salvador Perez........................................................ 2009 Kelvin Herrera ......................................................... 2009 Wil Myers.................................................................. 2009 Terrance Gore ...........................................................2012

ABOUT

Baseball has long been a sport with an obsession in hosiery. From the Red Stockings to the White Sox, teams have used these colorful uniform accessories to differentiate themselves on the field and brand themselves off of it. Couple that with Burlington, North Carolina’s century-long tradition of hosiery manufacturing and you have a perfect match.

Known as the “Hosiery Capital of the South,” Burlington decided to embrace its history and tradition when it announced its “sockingly unique” identity for its entry into the newly-reorganized Appalachian League. Fans can certainly say they have a team that is uniquely theirs when they cheer on the Sock Puppets this summer.

With over 80 hosiery mills in Burlington by the early 1900s, the textile industry has always been an important part of the local economy. That was never more true than during the Great Depression when a switch from cotton to a new synthetic fiber called rayon helped the city become one of the largest manufacturers of textiles in the world, which saved it from many of the economic difficulties of the time.

The Sock Puppets will not only carry on that tradition but a strong history of success on the field as well. Most recently an affiliate of the Kansas City Royals organization since 2007, the organization has seen a host of great players don the Burlington uniform over the years, including Hall of Famer Jim Thome, former MLB stars Manny Ramirez, C.C. Sabathia and Bartolo Colon, current Major Leaguers Salvador Perez and Wil Myers and current Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell.

With the club looking to put a strong foot forward in the first year of this new version of the

Appalachian League, it will turn to longtime Major Leaguer Jack McDowell to lead the way. The 1993 American League Cy Young award winner has also found success as a coach at the youth, amateur, and professional levels, most recently as the first head coach at Queens University in Charlotte, N.C. He will be joined in the dugout by pitching coach Anthony Essian, hitting coach Rich Glass, and player development coach Chris Botsoe.

COACHING STAFF

JACK MCDOWELL

MANAGER

Jack McDowell brings over a decade of coaching experience at multiple levels to the Burlington Sock Puppets. Most recently, McDowell served as the first-ever head coach at Queens University in Charlotte, North Carolina, from 2018-2019. After coaching his first season at the club level in 2018, McDowell kicked off the program’s introduction to NCAA Division II in 2019 by knocking off two nationally-ranked opponents in #23 University of Mount Olive and #14 Catawba College. From 20002009 he coached youth baseball and led San Dieguito Academy from 2006-2013, reaching 27 wins in 2013 and capping off the season as California Interscholastic Federation runners-up. Since then he has managed the Ogden Raptors Advanced Rookie Team in Los Angeles and the Dodgers AZL Rookie Team, both of which finished as second-half champions under McDowell’s guidance. In addition to his coaching experience, McDowell also brings a wealth of playing experience to the Sock Puppets. At Stanford University, he was named co-Freshman of the Year in 1985 and led the Cardinal to the College World Series Championship in 1987. After being drafted by the Chicago White Sox with the fifth overall pick in the 1987 amateur draft, McDowell played only six games in the minor leagues before making his Major League debut on September 15, 1987. He pitched seven shutout innings against the Minnesota Twins in his debut to earn the win and finished the season with a 3-0 record and a 1.93 ERA in four starts. Throughout his 12-year big league career, McDowell made 277 appearances and started 275 games on the mound, compiling a 127-87 record, and totaling 1,311 strikeouts for four different clubs. McDowell’s success translated into being a three-time All-Star (1991-1993) and winning the American League Cy Young Award in 1993. ANTHONY ESSIEN

PITCHING COACH

With over decades of coaching experience under his belt, Anthony Essian is set to serve as the pitching coach for the Burlington Sock Puppets this summer. He is currently in his sixth season as an assistant coach at Reedley College where he has helped lead the Tigers to three appearances in the California state playoffs. He previously worked as an assistant coach at Clovis High School for 17 years where he was part of three state championships and coached over 50 players that would later play at the collegiate level. Essian’s coaching career began in 1992 as the pitching coach at Bishop Montgomery High School in Torrance, Calif. He was a three-year letterman at Narbonne High School in Harbor City, Calif., before moving on to Mendocino Junior College in 1990 where he was a pitcher for the Eagles.

RICH GLASS

HITTING COACH

Rich Glass will make his Appalachian League coaching debut this summer as the hitting coach for Burlington. Currently the volunteer coach at State College of Florida in his hometown of Bradenton, Fla., Glass has over 15 years of coaching experience at the high school, club, and collegiate levels. Prior to joining the Manatees, he spent five seasons at the helm at Palmetto High School where he won 67 games following stints as an assistant coach at Bayshore High School and Manatee High School. A 2005 graduate of the University of South Florida, he played at Potomac State College in 2002. Glass is also certified in many data analytic programs and kinetic movement training, including OnBase University, K-Baseball, and Rapsodo. CHRIS BOTSOE

PLAYER DEVELOPMENT

Chris Botsoe comes to the Appalachian League fresh off his playing career and will take on the duties of player development coach for the Burlington Sock Puppets. In three seasons as an outfielder at Eastern Kentucky, Botsoe played in 107 games, hitting .256 with 53 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. He is familiar with the summer collegiate circuit as well, having played two seasons in the Northwoods League with the Green Bay Bullfrogs and Kenosha Kingfish. As a senior in 2020, Botsoe earned the Ohio Valley Conference Medal of Honor, which is given annually to the student-athletes that achieve the highest grade point average in a conference-sponsored sport. He was also twice named to the OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll. Botsoe is a USA Baseball alum as well, having played on the gold-medal winning 2011 14U National Team which went undefeated at the COPABE Pan American Championships in Venezuela.