SAL1 Jersey Shore BlueClaws

BlueClaws Announce Opening Day Roster

Published on March 31, 2008 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Jersey Shore BlueClaws News Release


LAKEWOOD, N.J. - The Philadelphia Phillies have announced the Opening Day roster for their Class A affiliate, the Lakewood BlueClaws.

Of the 25 players that will be on the Opening Day roster, 18 played in Williamsport in 2007 under current BlueClaws hitting coach Greg Legg.

The roster also features seven players named in the top 30 Phillies prospects by Baseball America: outfielder Dominic Brown (No. 6), shortstop Freddy Galvis (No. 13), infielder Travis Mattair (No. 18), pitcher Julian Sampson (No. 19), outfielder D'Arby Myers (No. 21), and pitcher Drew Naylor (No. 29). Infielder Tyler Mach (No. 25) is also on the roster, but will open the season on the disabled list.

Only two of the 25 players on the roster spent time with the BlueClaws in 2007: infielder Herman Demmink and catcher Joel Naughton. Pitcher Jarrod Freeman also played in Lakewood in 2007, but he will join Mach on the DL to start the 2008 campaign.

The BlueClaws will open the season with 12 pitchers on the roster, nine righthanders and three lefties. Former UCLA hurler Tyson Brummet, Chance Chapman, Chris Kissock, Yen-Feng Lin, Miguel Matos, Naylor, Joseph Roccio, Sampson and Jared Simon are all righthanders, while Jacob Diekman, Moises Melendez and Walter Tejada come home from the left side.

The roster features only three outfielders. At 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds, Michael Taylor joins Brown and Myers as the only listed outfielders on the roster.

Eight infielders will report to Lakewood for Opening Day. Along with Galvis, Mattair and Demmink, Karl Bolt, Michael Durant, Derrick Mitchell, Matt Rizzotti and Dennis Winn will all open the season with the BlueClaws.

Catcher Jesus Sanchez is one of six players making the jump straight from the Gulf Coast League. Diekman, Sampson, Matos, Bolt and Mattair also spent 2007 in the GCL.

Steve Roadcap will manage the BlueClaws for the second straight season. He will be joined by Legg and pitching coach Dave Lundquist. Lundquist spent 2007 in the South Atlantic League, with the Hickory Crawdads, Class A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The BlueClaws will open the 2008 season on April 3rd, when they take on the Lake County Captains at FirstEnergy Park at 6:35 p.m. Tickets are still available, online at BlueClaws.com, over the phone at (732) 901-7000 and in person at the FirstEnergy Park ticket office.

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