Blue Rocks Announce 2010 Projected Team Roster
Published on April 2, 2010 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release
Wilmington, DE - The Wilmington Blue Rocks are proud to announce the unveiling of their projected 2010 roster. The team is highlighted by the presence of the top prospect in the Royals' farm system according to Baseball America, left-handed pitcher Mike Montgomery. It also features the return of eight players who spent time on the Riverfront in '09 and were a part of the Blue Crew's second-half Carolina League North title. Three other players have spent time in the Carolina League, but with different organizations. This group will be led by returning manager Brian Rupp, as well as both of his coaches from 2009.
The pitching staff is anchored by the 20-year-old Montgomery, who was a sandwich pick between the first and second rounds of the 2008 draft. The southpaw split time between Low-A Burlington and Advanced-A Wilmington in 2009. In 12 starts with the Bees, Montgomery enjoyed an ERA of just 2.17 while going 2-3. He struck out 52 and walked only 24. On July 22 he was promoted to Wilmington where he went 4-1 with a 2.25 earned run average, and was named CL Pitcher of the Week in the season's second-to-final week.
Montgomery is one of five hurlers who spent time on the Riverfront in 2009 and are returning to Wilmington in 2010. The other four are: Eric Basurto, Barry Bowden, Alex Caldera and Patrick Keating.
Basurto battled injuries during most of his time in Wilmington, but still managed to record two saves and post a scant 0.84 ERA in eight appearances out of the Blue Rocks bullpen. The 23-year-old right-hander also appeared in games with the Burlington Bees and the Idaho Falls Chukars. Basurto began his season in the Marlins organization but was traded to the Royals for Ross Gload in May.
Bowden was a late call-up to the Rocks, not reaching Wilmington until August 23. In five relief appearances as a Blue Crewer the 25-year-old right-hander went 2-0 with a 4.50 earned run average. Most of Bowden's campaign was spent as a Burlington Bee where he went 3-2 with a 2.28 ERA in 38 games out of the bullpen. Opponents batted only .168 against him and he was named a mid-season MWL All-Star.
Caldera was the Rocks' Opening Day starter in 2009, but had a difficult season. The 24-year-old El Centro, CA native went just 6-10 and posted a 4.77 earned run average. Three of his 10 losses were 1-0 decisions, and six of the setbacks came when his offense was shut out, but the right-hander did allow more hits than he had innings pitched. Caldera fanned 105 batters though, which was good for fifth in the Kansas City minor league system, and he tied for the Carolina League lead with 27 starts.
Keating was another late addition to the Wilmington roster in 2009. The 22-year-old was drafted in June out of the University of Florida and made his professional debut with the Idaho Falls Chukars, going 5-1 with a 1.78 ERA in 22 relief outings. He was promoted to Wilmington in August and earned a win and a save in his only two appearances as a Blue Rock.
The rest of the pitching staff is filled out by newcomers: Noel Arguelles, Manauris Baez, Buddy Baumann, Jairo Cuevas, Chris Dwyer, Ivor Hodgson, Tim Melville, Riquy Pena and James Thompson.
Cuevas did not pitch in 2009 due to injury, and before that he had spent his career in the Atlanta organization, pitching in the Carolina League with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans in 2007.
Arguelles also did not pitch professionally in 2009, he was too busy auditioning with Major League teams after defecting from his native Cuba in late 2008. The 20-year-old left-hander pitched for the La Habana Vaqueros in the Cuban National Series prior to coming to the United States. He signed a five-year, $7 million contract with the Kansas City Royals in January of 2010.
Dwyer and Melville are also big bonus guys in the Kansas City system. Melville turned down a baseball scholarship at North Carolina to sign a $1.25 million contract on August 15, 2008. Last season, the 20-year-old right-hander went 7-7 with a 3.79 ERA in 21 starts with the Burlington Bees. Dwyer graduated from St. Mary's High School and then attended Salisbury Prep School for a year which saw him drafted by the New York Yankees in the 36th round in 2008. But he did not sign, instead enrolling at Clemson, where he became the first draft-eligible freshman to be selected since the draft was put in place in 1965. Kansas City then signed him to the highest signing bonus ($1.45 million) of any fourth-round pick in draft history on August 12, 2009. He appeared in four games down the stretch with Idaho Falls.
Baumann was a seventh-round draft choice in 2009, and appeared in only four games professionally last season for the Burlington Royals of the Appalachian League. The 22-year-old left-hander, who attended Missouri State University, played under former Wilmington hitting coach Nelson Liriano with the B-Royals.
Hodgson came to the Royals in the 17th round of the 2007 draft out of Mount St. Mary's University in Maryland. The 23-year-old southpaw still holds the school record for career earned run average. In 2009 he split time between Idaho Falls and Burlington. With the Bees he went 3-1 with a 3.98 ERA in nine appearances, seven of which were starts.
Thompson was a 38th-round draft choice in 2008. The 22-year-old right-hander is set to enter his third pro season with a career-ERA of just 3.10 in 66 relief appearances. He spent 2009 with the Burlington Bees.
Baez began his career as a position player in the Yankees system, but then converted to pitcher when Kansas City signed him as a minor league free agent in 2008. Last season the 24-year-old right-hander went 8-6 with a 3.41 ERA for the Burlington Bees. The Dominican Republic native split time between the pen and the rotation, appearing in 30 games and making 20 starts.
Pena has always been a professional pitcher, but he too began his career in another organization. The 24-year-old right-hander was signed by the Rockies as a non-drafted free agent in 2002, and after getting released in 2008, signed with Kansas City. In 2009 the Dominican Republic native went 2-2 with a 4.35 ERA in 25 relief appearances with the Burlington Bees.
Two of the three 2010 outfielders have Advanced-A experience, as Jamar Walton and Adrian Ortiz return to the Riverfront. The duo is joined by newcomer Patrick Norris.
Walton spent all of '09 in Wilmington. The 24-year-old Emporia VA native began his career in the Marlins system, but after being released signed with Kansas City midway through the 2007 season. Last year he batted .255 with four dingers and 39 RBIs in 93 games. He split his time between the corner outfield positions and designated hitter.
Ortiz began the year in Wilmington but after failing to find a rhythm at the plate (he hit only .238 in 76 games) was sent to Low-A Burlington in July. In Burlington, Ortiz drove in 19 runs, just three shy of his Wilmington total in 80 fewer at-bats.
Norris spent all of 2009 with the Bees. The 24-year-old Pensacola, FL native batted .244 with 22 RBIs in 116 games. His greatest asset, however, is speed. In three career professional seasons Norris has never swiped fewer than 30 bases, with his career-high coming last year, with 45.
The infield features only one player who spent time on the Riverfront in 2009, and that is first baseman Eric Hosmer. Hosmer was the Royals first-round draft choice (third overall) in 2008. The 20-year-old began 2009 with the Bees but was promoted to Wilmington on July 21. He struggled early in his Advanced-A tenure, but after undergoing lasik eye surgery in August, he provided the Rocks with some power in the postseason. His two-run homer in the 12th inning of Game Three of the CLNDCS provided Wilmington with a walk-off win.
Other infielders include newcomers Jason Taylor, J.D. Alfaro, Ryan Wood, Juan Rivera, Fernando Garcia, Jamie Romak and Eddie Prasch.
Romak and Prasch were teammates in the Pirates organization with the Lynchburg Hillcats in 2009. It was the Hillcats who beat the Rocks in five games to advance to the Mills Cup Championship series. In 41 career games against the Blue Rocks, Romak hit .340 (51-for-150) with seven home runs and 22 RBIs. Prasch was not nearly as successful against the Blue Crew, and bottomed out in 2009, when he hit only .130 against his current employers.
The duo also brings versatility to the table. While only three players are listed as outfielders, Romak was a true corner outfielder during most of his time with the Pirates and Prasch served a utility role that included some corner outfield play.
Taylor, who mans third base, split time in 2009 between Idaho Falls and the Burlington Bees. The Royals' 2006 second-round pick was a Louisville Slugger High School All-American. In four pro seasons, he has 21 career home runs with 112 runs batted in.
Alfaro, Wood and Rivera are all natural shortstops. Alfaro was acquired in the ninth round of the 2008 draft out of Grayson County College in TX. He comes from a strong baseball pedigree, as his brother Jason played 11 professional seasons, including 2004 with the Houston Astros. Wood was an 11th-round draft choice in 2009 out of East Carolina. He spent his debut professional season with the Burlington Royals and the Burlington Bees, batting a combined .237 with a pair of homers and 18 RBIs. Rivera began his career in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. He was acquired in a trade for former Blue Rock and A.L. Rookie of the Year Angel Berroa in June of 2008. In 2009 he batted .229 in 35 games for the Burlington Bees.
Garcia is listed as the Rocks only natural second baseman. The 21-year-old Puerto Rican was a 28th-round selection by the Royals in 2007. In three seasons as a professional, Garcia has batted .241 with two homers and 41 RBIs. He spent all of 2009 with the Burlington Bees.
Behind the plate, Salvador Perez and Ben Theriot will split time at catcher. Perez is ranked as the Royals top defensive catcher prospect for the second straight campaign by Baseball America. The 19-year-old Venezuelan began his professional career as a 17-year-old and signed his first contract when he was only 16-years of age. Theriot was selected in the ninth round of the 2009 draft out of Texas State. The 22-year-old made his professional debut and spent the season with the Idaho Falls Chukars, starting strong, hitting .346 in his first full month before cooling down in August, and batting just .229. He was clutch though, as he managed 13 hits in 29 chances with runners in scoring position.
This collection will be captained by second-year Wilmington manager Brian Rupp. The 2010 campaign will be Rupp's seventh season in the Royals organization and 10th as a minor league manager. His career managerial record sits at 445-418 (.516). Rupp's resume also boasts five playoff appearances, two trips to a league final and one championship. That title came in 2008 as skipper of the Low-A Burlington Bees.
His coaching staff will feature a pair of familiar faces. Pitching coach Steve Leubber will return for his fourth season with the Rocks. Over his first three years coaching Wilmington pitchers, a Blue Rocks hurler has made the Carolina League All-Star team seven times. Under his tutelage the Wilmington staff led the CL with a 3.10 ERA in 2009, and posted 16 shutouts on the season.
In 2010, Justin Gemoll, will begin his third season as a hitting instructor in minor league baseball, and his second with the Blue Rocks. In 2009, Gemoll led the Blue Rocks to a team-batting average of .256, and oversaw prospect Mike Moustakas' swing. The Wilmington third baseman became the first Blue Crewer in a decade to register 16 home runs in a single season. As a team, the Rocks hit 66 home runs despite dealing with the pitcher-friendly confines of Frawley Stadium.
Dave Iannicca will return as athletic trainer, serving his third season in that role for the Rocks, while George Timke takes over as strength and conditioning coach.
Because the Royals have not completed their 25-man major league roster, this projected roster is subject to change, possibly more than once, before the campaign begins. Also Carolina League rules state only 25 players can be active on a roster. Currently Wilmington has 27 players listed.
The Blue Rocks will open play on the road in 2010 on April 8 in Myrtle Beach, SC against the Pelicans (Atlanta Braves). The home opener comes on April 16 with the first of a record 15 fireworks shows at Frawley Stadium this season as the Blue Crew hosts the Potomac Nationals (Washington Nationals). Every Friday in 2010 will have post-game fireworks at Frawley.
Blue Rocks individual game tickets, ticket plans, and group outings are all currently on sale. You can purchase tickets over the phone at 302-888-BLUE; online at bluerocks.com; or in person at the Frawley Stadium ticket window, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Carolina League Stories from April 2, 2010
- Pelicans Introduce New MyrtleBeachPelicans.com - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Winston-Salem Dash Announces Opening Day Roster - Winston-Salem Dash
- Blue Rocks Announce 2010 Projected Team Roster - Wilmington Blue Rocks
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