Cuban Star Andy Ibanez Joins RoughRiders
Published on June 8, 2016 under Texas League (TL1)
Frisco RoughRiders News Release
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - The Texas Rangers announced Tuesday that Andy Ibanez will join the Frisco RoughRiders, the Double-A affiliate of the Rangers. The infielder was promoted from Class-A Hickory, where he excelled in 49 games for the Crawdads.
Ibanez, 23, was signed by Texas on July 7, 2015 as a non-drafted free agent. A native of Havana, Cuba, Ibanez hit .324 prior to the promotion with seven home runs and 35 RBI to go along with 10 stolen bases. He departs the South Atlantic fifth in batting, fourth in RBI, third in doubles (18), second in extra-base hits (26), and first in slugging percentage (.546).
At age 19, the right-handed hitter was the youngest player on Cuba's 2013 World Baseball Classic team. Ibanez also spent 2012-2014 in the Cuban National Series, batting .283 in three seasons.
The Rangers 15th-ranked prospect, according to MLBPipeline.com, defected from Cuba in 2014 before signing with Texas in 2015.
In a corresponding roster move, catcher Erick "Shaq" Matta was transferred to Extended Spring Training. Ibanez is one of two players who are expected to make their 2016 RoughRiders debut this week, as outfielder Chris Garia joined the RoughRiders on Monday as well. In a pair of additional of moves Sunday, outfielder Zach Cone was released by Texas, and right-handed pitcher Richelson Pena was activated off of the temporary inactive list and promoted to Triple-A Round Rock.
Frisco's roster is at 25 active players, which is the Texas League limit, and includes three players on the disabled list.
The RoughRiders begin a four-game road trip in San Antonio on Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m. from Nelson W. Wolff Municipal Stadium.
The club returns back home on Saturday, June 11. Tickets for the upcoming homestand and the remainder of the 2016 season are available now online at RidersBaseball.com, via email at info@ridersbaseball.com, over the phone at (972) 731-9200, or in-person at the RoughRiders box office. The RoughRiders host 70 games through Labor Day, September 5.
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