Analyzing the Missions' Starting Lineup
Published on April 4, 2019 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
San Antonio Missions News Release
OKLAHOMA CITY - Welcome to the baseball season.
The San Antonio Missions open a new era tonight against legendary left-hander Clayton Kershaw and the Oklahoma City Dodgers.
It's the first game for the Missions in Triple-A in the Pacific Coast League after spending most of the past 130 years in the Texas League.
Kershaw is on rehabilitation assignment for the Dodgers, who hope to get 60 pitches and four innings out of the former three-time Cy Young Award winner.
Here is a peek at the starting lineup for the Missions:
Corey Ray - Leading off and playing center field, Ray was named as the Milwaukee Brewers' minor league player of the year in 2018 after leading the Double-A Southern League in home runs (27) and stolen bases (37) for Biloxi. Rated as the Brewers' No. 2 prospect. Age: 24. Hometown: Chicago.
Mauricio Dubon - Batting second and playing shortstop, Dubon is bouncing back from an ACL knee injury that kept him out of most of last season at Triple-A Colorado Springs. The career .300 hitter in the minors had hit safely in 23 games when he was hurt. Age: 24. Hometown: San Pedro de Sula, Honduras.
Keston Hiura - Hitting third and playing second base, Hiura enters his third professional season with a .319 career average. Played last year at Advanced-A Carolina and Double-A Biloxi. The former collegiate star at UC Irvine is rated as the Brewers' No. 1 prospect. Age: 22. Hometown: Valencia, California.
Tyrone Taylor - Opening at cleanup and playing right field, Taylor is coming off a 20-home run, 80-RBI season at Triple-A. The former high school running back was enjoying a solid spring, with 9 hits in 29 at bats in the majors, when he was optioned the Missions. Age: 25. Hometown: Torrance, California.
Troy Stokes Jr. - Batting fifth and playing left field, Stokes is another speed-power threat. He has reached double figures in stolen bases in five of six minor league seasons. Stokes had 19 steals and 19 homers last year at Biloxi. Career batting average of .253. Age: 23. Hometown: Baltimore.
Lucas Erceg - Hitting sixth and playing third base, Erceg joins Hiura, Ray, Dubon and pitcher Zack Brown as among the most highly-rated prospects in the Brewers' system. The former collegiate standout at Cal helped lead Biloxi to the 2018 Southern League title series. Age: 23. Hometown: San Jose, California.
Tyler Saladino - Batting seventh and playing first base, Saladino has the most major league experience (298 games) of anyone in the starting lineup. Spent most of his career with the White Sox. A .233 hitter in his MLB career, he can hit for power. Age: 29. Hometown: San Diego.
Jacob Nottingham - Hitting eighth and catching, Nottingham debuted in the big leagues last year, playing in nine games for the Brewers. He's versatile and likely will play some at first this season. Has played in Astros, A's and Brewers organizations. Age: 24. Hometown: Redlands, California.
Adrian Houser - Batting ninth and pitching, Adrian Houser worked seven games of relief for the Brewers last season. The native Oklahoman entered pro baseball in 2011 as a second-round draft pick of the Astros. Traded to the Brewers in 2015. Age: 26. Hometown: Locust Grove, Okla.
MISSIONS NOTES
The Missions and Dodgers are scheduled to play five games in five days to open the PCL season. Bubba Derby is the Missions' starting pitcher for Game 2 on Friday.
Manager Rick Sweet said Brewers relief pitcher Jeremy Jeffress also is scheduled to make an appearance on the mound in Game 2 as part of his rehabilitation. Sweet said Jeffress would work three games in the Missions' first homestand, as well.
Sweet said he doesn't know when Brewers starter Jimmy Nelson will pitch. Nelson is expected to make at least a couple of rehabilitation outings before he returns to the major leagues. He has been out since 2017 following shoulder surgery.
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