MWL1 Bowling Green Hot Rods

Bowling Green Hot Rods Game Notes ( vs. DAY)

Published on April 8, 2016 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Bowling Green Hot Rods News Release


Bowling Green Hot Rods (1-0, 1-0) vs. Dayton Dragons (0-1, 0-1)

RHP Cameron Varga (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. LHP Jacob Constante (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

Bowling Green Hot Rods - Class-A Affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays

Friday, April 8, 2016

Game #2 of #140- 6:35 p.m

Bowling Green Ballpark - Bowling Green, KY

Last Game: Opening up their 2016 season, the Bowling Green Hot Rods scored the final seven runs of the game en route to a 7-1 victory against the Dayton Dragons, With the victory, the Hot Rods improved to 6-2 in Opening Day games and have now won their last five straight home openers.

NEXT GAME

DATE OPP. TIME DRAGONS STARTER HOT RODS STARTER

Sat, April 8 DAY 4:07 (ET) RHP Jose Lopez LHP Michael Velazquez

NEWS AND NOTES

Hot Rods Roster Breakdown: Of the 25 men on the Hot Rods 2016 Opening Day Roster, 13 of the players were either international signees or were undrafted out of college. Four of the players on the Hot Rods roster have converted to new positions, with Brett Sullivan converting from third base to catcher, Taylor Hawkins converting from catcher to a knuckleball pitcher, Joe McCarthy converted to first base from the outfield and Jake Cronenworth converting to shortstop full-time after spending the majority of his first pro season and college career at University of Michigan at either second or third base. The Hot Rods also do not have a Rays first round draft pick on their initial roster for the first time in eight years, but have eight players drafted in the first ten rounds of their respective drafts. Other highlights from the roster include four returning players (Hawkins, RHP Jose Mujica, RHP Diego Castillo and RHP Henry Centeno).

Fountain of Youth: With an average age of just 20.8 years old, the Bowling Green Hot Rods one of the youngest rosters in the Midwest League/. The Hot Rods also have a MDW-league high of five players under the age of 20-years-old and have more teenagers on the team (5) than they do 23-year-olds (2). RHP Genesis Cabrera is the youngest player (19 years, 6 months) while INF Michael Russell is the oldest (23 years, 2 months).

Baseball Prospectus: According to MLB.com, the Hot Rods have two of the Rays top-30 prospects in the organization. Those players are 3B Kevin Padlo (#21) and Mujica (#27). Padlo, one of the five teenagers on the roster, came over from the Rockies this past offseason in the trade that sent big league closer Jake McGee and former Hot Rods pitcher German Marquez to Colorado with standout outfielder Corey Dickerson heading over to the Rays. A Rockies 5th round pick in 2014, Padlo was named a 2015 Northwest League all-star last season with the Boise Hawks. Aside from Padlo and Mujica, both OF Zacrey Law (w/Princeton - Appalachian League) and Cronenworth (w/Hudson Valley - NY/Penn League) were named the MVP of their respective teams last year. Padlo went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer in his debit with the Rays organization on opening day while Mujica earned the win on the mound (5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 4 K, 1 BB).

Meet the Coaches: For the second straight year, Reinaldo Ruiz will be the manager of the Hot Rods. Ruiz, 36, went 69-69 in his first year as a Midwest League skipper. Joining Ruiz for another season is pitching coach Bill Moloney, who is returning for his third season overall in his second stint with Bowling Green. Moloney was also the pitching coach in Port Charlotte (High-A, Rays) in 2013 following his first season with the Hot Rods. Rounding out the coaching staff is hitting coach Manny Castillo, a longtime fixture in the Rays organization. Castillo is returning for his second stint in Bowling Green, having served as the coach for the Hot Rods for four seasons (2010-2013). During his two-year hiatus from the Hot Rods, he has been tutoring the young hitters for the Rays in Hudson Valley, NY (New York-Penn League). The 2016 season will be former major leaguer's 19th season with the Tampa Bay Rays and 41st in professional baseball.

Opening Day: With their 7-1 victory last night, the Hot Rods are 6-2 all-time on opening day (5-2 in Midwest League openers). Last year, they lost 2-1 in South Bend, but won the prior three opening days and have now won 4 of their last 5. The Hot Rods are also 6-2 in season home openers, winning their last five straight season debuts at Bowling Green Ballpark. They have homered in three straight opening days and have outscored their opponents 38-17 all-time on opening day.

Check out the Bowling Green Hot Rods Statistics

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Midwest League Stories from April 8, 2016


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.

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