Load the Cannons, Light the Fuse, Let's Go Ballers! Welcome to the April Edition of your 2026 Kannapolis Cannon Ballers Digital Program.
for the moments he’ll never forget.
Age 14 Atrium Health Levine Children’s Patient
OFFICIAL HEALTH CARE PARTNER OF THE KANNAPOLIS CANNON BALLERS
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FROM THE MANAGER’S DESK: A PRESEASON CHECK-IN WITH CANNON BALLERS MANAGER JAYSON NIX BY DAN HELOTIE THE VOICE OF THE CANNON BALLERS
Q: Starting off, your career gave you seven years in the big leagues, and you have spent a good amount of time in professional baseball. What are some of the takeaways that you can take from your long career in the game of baseball to take into your first managerial role here in Kannapolis? Nix: I played a long time, and I was a high pick out of high school. I was a prospect and had some struggles in the minor leagues before I got to the big leagues and was able to play there in the big leagues for several years. I played for a lot of different organizations, I saw a lot of different ways of doing it and have been through a lot in this game, and I know what it takes to be a professional and what it takes to grind in the minor leagues and grow as a young player and ultimately get to the big leagues and stay there to play for a little while. From all my experiences, this year with this team, I am really just excited to help them understand how to be a professional and what that looks like and to start their journey. Q: Coming up through your playing career, who might have been some of the biggest influences for you in your playing career that helped you get to where you are now and then who are some of those people that may have steered you going the coaching route after your playing career? Nix: There are so many people, just so many different teammates and coaches I had along the way. Some of the coaches that really come to mind, Mike Gallego was one of the first infield instructors I had coming out of high school right out of the draft and was with him for several years in the minor leagues and then in the big leagues. He had a big impact on me. Rob Thompson was a coach I had in the big leagues who also had a big impact on me. Those two guys, as far as coaches, have had big impacts on me and they are guys who I think about a lot and were really valuable for me as a player. Now I think about them on the coaching side of it and how they were, so they are a resource for me still. There are so many players; one of my first full years in the big leagues was with the White Sox and being around guys like Paul Konerko, Jermaine Dye, Jim Thome, AJ Pierzynski, Scott Podsednik. Those guys were pro’s pros and I really learned a lot from playing with those guys and learning how they went about things. Those guys had a big impact on me as well.
Q: You talked a little bit about the White Sox and how you are familiar with the org already having played there for a couple of years, but stepping into this role specifically, what really sticks out to you with the White Sox and what is the excitement of stepping into this role knowing what kind of talent is in the farm system and the development that is sure to come with a whole bunch of these guys coming up? Nix: Yeah, having played here years ago but also, I have familiarity with a lot of people within the organization so that helps. There’s a lot of really quality people in the organization and it’s really obvious just being here this spring that things are headed in a good direction. They have been able to draft and acquire some players that I will have this year that are very talented players, and it’s going to be really exciting to have them this year and do my part to help start their careers and get them going. Q: Talk about how exciting it is to get some of these high draft picks like Billy Carlson and Jaden Fauske and what is going to be key for them in their early stages in their career. What are some key areas of development that you hope you are able to provide? Nix: Yeah, it is great to have the high picks and guys that are the prospects. But, once you get in the door in professional baseball, everybody starts from zero and everybody has a chance. We have a lot of very talented guys that are going to be on this team. The things that are priorities for me for these guys is just really to understand first and foremost, what it means to be a teammate and what it means to be on a team. There are a few things under that that are really important that I think lead to really developing into a professional and a winning player. Other important keys are learning how to prepare, learning how to have a daily routine and how to prepare on a daily basis. It is a long hard season and learning who you are and how to prepare on a daily basis is really important. Understanding how to play the game, how to play the game the right way and how to play hard, how to be responsible with your time and then how to play for your teammates and do your job on a daily basis. Really at the end of it all, it is understanding how to handle adversity because there is a lot of adversity in this game and your ability to handle adversity is crucial. A lot of these guys, it is going to be their first full season playing, there will be some guys that have been there before, but for a lot of these guys it is their first full season and learning how to navigate the ups and downs of a season is a learning process and something that you have to learn quick. Those are the priorities for me to just help these guys learn how to prepare, how to be a teammate and how to handle adversity.
P I T C H E R S
37 32
EIKHOFF, RILEY COOPER, TREY BARRIOS, MARCO BANKS, MAX
R-R R-R R-R R-R R-R R-R R-R L-L L-L R-R R-R R-R R-R R-R L-L R-R
6’2” 6’3” 6’4” 6’9” 6’3” 6’2” 6’6” 6’0” 6’5” 6’4” 6’2” 6’2” 6’4” 6’3” 6’0” 5’10”
225 175 200 245 205 220 240 170 230 190 200 190 225 195 210 185
22 20 23 19 24 23 22 20 20 20 23 19 20 23 22 22 23 23 21 24 22 20 23 22 22 24 22 20 23 24
HOUSTON, TX MARACAIBO, VEN CEDAR RAPIDS, IA WOODLANDS, TX SAN FRANCISCO, CA ACARIGUA, VEN RANDLEMAN, NC ATLANTA, GA LOS ANGELES, CA CLARKSVILLE, TN
4 7
33 45 29 14 15 26
PATTERSON, ANTHONY PAULEY, TRUMAN PARKER, CAEDMON NOVE, JACKSON GONZALEZ, JEREMY GEORGE, PIERCE
18 11
FAUSKE, JADEN ARCHER, NATHAN ALCALA, MARCELO MOGOLLON, JAVIER TEJEDA, D’ANGELO HERNANDEZ, ARXY FREEMAN, KALEB EBLIN, BRYCE CARLSON, BILLY TAUSSIG, JAMES NUNEZ, ABRAHAM FLORES, STIVEN GALVAN, RYLAN SMITH, BOSTON WRIGHT, GARRETT WYNK, BLAINE WRIGHT, DANIEL WEYRICH, NICK SCHIEFER, RYAN PAYNE, LANDEN
BILOXI, MS MESA, AZ
22 35
COLUMBUS, OH SIOUX CITY, IA
10 12
KETTERING, OH COLLEGE STATION, TX
C A T C H E R S
6 24 23 9 16 2 43
R-R R-R
6’0” 5’11”
215 180
CUMANA, VEN
CORPUS CHRISTI, TX
L-R 5’10” 195
DAYTON, OH
INFIELDERS
R-R L-R S-R R-R R-R R-R
6’1” 5’11” 6’0” 6’2” 6’0” 5’8”
185 185 205 170 160 160
CORONA, CA GREENWOOD, IN GAINESVILLE, GA BANI, DR SANTIAGO, DR SAN FELIPE, VEN
5 1
OUTFIELDERS
20 8 21 27 25
R-R L-L L-R L-R L-R
6’0” 6’0” 6’3” 6’2” 6’6”
185 175 200 175 230
EL TIGRE, VEN ELYRIA, OH WILLOWBROOK, IL SANTO DOMINGO, DR HOUSTON, TX
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