Sea Dogs Roster Set
Published on March 31, 2007 under Eastern League (EL1)
Portland Sea Dogs News Release
Portland, Maine- The Boston Red Sox have announced the 2007 Opening Day roster for the Double-A affiliate Portland Sea Dogs. Highlighting the 2007 roster are Jacoby Ellsbury, Clay Buchholz, and Bryce Cox, three of Boston's top ten prospects according to Baseball America. The Sea Dogs open the season on Thursday, April 5th at Hadlock Field at 6:00 PM against the Connecticut Defenders (Giants).
For the 2007 season, Eastern League rosters will remain at 24 for the entire season. Portland will begin the season with 27 players, three will start the season on the disabled list; catcher Mike Leonard and pitchers Randy Beam and Jose Vaquedano. The 2007 roster consists of 16 players who spent time in Portland in 2006, a year that saw Portland capture its first Eastern League Championship. The team features 19 players with Double-A experience.
Jacoby Ellsbury returns to Portland after appearing in 50 games with the Sea Dogs in 2006. Ellsbury is ranked by Baseball America as the number two prospect in the Red Sox organization behind Daisuke Matsuzaka. Baseball America also rates Ellsbury as the "Best Hitter for Average," "Fastest Baserunner," "Best Athlete," and "Best Defensive Outfielder" in the Red Sox organization. In 2006, he hit .303 between Single-A Wilmington and Double-A Portland and led the Red Sox organization with 41 stolen bases.
Clay Buchholz, who is scheduled to be the Sea Dogs' Opening Day starter, is the third ranked prospect in the Red Sox organization according to Baseball America. Last season he was named the Red Sox Minor League Pitcher of the Year posting an 11-4 record with a 2.42 ERA between Single-A Greenville and Single-A Wilmington. He led all Red Sox farmhands with 140 strikeouts.
Bryce Cox is ranked by Baseball America as the number eight prospect in the organization. Baseball America also rates Cox as having the "Best Slider" in the organization. Cox was drafted by the Red Sox in the third round of the June 2006 draft. In his first season of professional ball, he posted a 2-1 record with a 0.90 ERA between Single-A Lowell and Single-A Wilmington.
Joining Ellsbury in the outfield will be Jeff Corsaletti and Cory Keylor. Corsaletti led the Carolina League in walks (97) in 2006 and had a team high .400 on base percentage with Single-A Wilmington. Keylor was recently acquired in a trade with the Orioles organization. Last season he was at Double-A Bowie where he was the Orioles Minor League Player of the Year hitting .294 with ten home runs and 68 RBI's. Bryan Pritz who appeared in 14 games for the Sea Dogs last season will be the fourth outfielder.
The infield will be compromised of returning Sea Dogs David Bacani and Zach Borowiak, and newcomers Jed Lowrie, Jeff Natale, and Andrew Pinckney. Lowrie was the 45th pick overall in the June 2005 draft. He is rated by Baseball America as the number 16 prospect in the organization. Natale was honored as the Red Sox Minor League Offensive Player of the Year in 2006 after hitting .304 with 17 home runs and 87 RBI's between Single-A Greenville and Single-A Wilmington. Pinckney was a Carolina League All-Star in 2006.
Dusty Brown returns for his second season behind the plate for the Sea Dogs. He'll be joined by John Otness. Otness was the hardest player to strike out in the Carolina League in 2006, striking out once every 11.15 plate appearances.
Joining Buchholz and Cox on the pitching staff are a number of returning players including Andrew Dobies, Tommy Hottovy, Barry Hertzler, Kyle Jackson, Chris Smith, and Charlie Zink. Jackson, a New Hampshire native, is the lone player who is a member of the Red Sox 40-man roster. Charlie Zink is set to return for a fifth season in Portland, the only player to spend time with the Sea Dogs in every year the team has been affiliated with the Boston Red Sox. He joins Bobby Rodgers (1998-2002) as the only players in team history to spend parts of five seasons with the team. Mike James joins the team after leading the Carolina League in saves (25) in 2006. Matt Goodson, Scott Shoemaker, and Beau Vaughan complete the pitching staff.
The 2007 roster is a team filled with home grown talent, 24 of the 27 players listed on the roster were originally signed by the Boston Red Sox. Only David Bacani, Eric Crozier, and Cory Keylor were acquired from other organizations. Bacani was selected by the Red Sox from the New York Mets in the 2005 Rule 5 draft. Crozier singed as minor league free agent with the Sox in December of 2006. Keylor was acquired in March in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles that sent catcher Alberto Castillo to the Orioles organization.
Arnie Beyeler replaces Baseball America Minor League Manager of the Year Todd Claus as the manager of the Portland Sea Dogs. This will be Beyeler's seventh season as a manager and first at the Double-A level. Russ Morman returns for his fourth season as hitting coach. Mike Cather joins the team as the pitching coach, after spending last season at Single-A Wilmington. Brad Pearson replaces Masai Takahashi as the Sea Dogs trainer.
Tickets for Opening Day and all Sea Dogs home games are currently on sale. Tickets can be purchased over the phone at 207-879-9500 or online at www.seadogs.com.
Eastern League Stories from March 31, 2007
- Curve Announces Opening Day Roster - Altoona Curve
- Sea Dogs Roster Set - Portland Sea Dogs
- R-Phils Roster Announced - Reading Fightin Phils
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
