Cunningham and Dix Headline Rawhide's 2026 Opening Day Roster
CalL Visalia Rawhide

Cunningham and Dix Headline Rawhide's 2026 Opening Day Roster

Published on April 2, 2026 under California League (CalL)
Visalia Rawhide News Release


Visalia, CA - The Arizona Diamondbacks announced the Visalia Rawhide's 2026 Opening Day roster headlined by first round draft picks Kayson Cunningham and JD Dix. Visalia's roster is full of experience with 21 players having previously played for the Rawhide. Five players are in MLB.com's Top 30 D-backs prospects.

The Rawhide will open their season on Friday at Valley Strong Ballpark with a three-game Opening Weekend series against the Fresno Grizzlies at 7:05 PM. Tickets are available by visiting the Rawhide's website and during business hours at the Rawhide Ticket Office presented by Kaweah Health.

Cunningham, the second ranked prospect in the D-backs system, was selected 18th overall in the 2025 MLB Draft. The San Antonio area product made his pro debut with Visalia shortly after the draft totaling 12 hits and 4 RBI in 11 games.

Dix, the No. 6 D-backs prospect, was selected 35th overall in 2024. He joined the Rawhide midway through the 2025 campaign hitting for a .261 BA and .391 OBP across 50 games. The Wisconsin native utilized his speed in Visalia with 19 stolen bases and numerous web gems playing second base.

No. 17 prospect Carlos Virahonda and No. 26 prospect Ivan Luciano lead an acclaimed Rawhide's catcher room as the highest ranked backstops in the D-backs system.

Virahonda hit for a .256 BA and .362 OBP in 33 games for Visalia to finish the 2026 season with three home runs. He threw out six runners in 18 starts behind the dish.

Luciano was a second round draft pick by the D-backs out of Puerto Rico in 2024. He joined the Rawhide for three games to finish the 2025 season after excelling in the Arizona Complex League with a .275 BA and .398 OBP.

The Rawhide outfield is full of familiar faces. Abdias De La Cruz returns after playing 101 games- second most of any player for Visalia in 2025.

Jakey Josepha was a nightly highlight reel for the Rawhide in 2025 including blasting five home runs. He returns to Valley Strong Ballpark after playing for the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic.

Daury Vasquez headlines the Rawhide's pitching staff as the No. 25 ranked D-backs prospect. He dominated in five starts for Visalia in 2025 with a 3.72 ERA, .227 BAA and 19 strikeouts in 19.1 innings pitched.

Wilkin Paredes, Mervin Fell and Erick Reynoso all return to the Rawhide rotation after throwing the second through fourth most innings respectively for Visalia in 2025. Paredes totaled five wins and a 3.78 ERA while Fell led the Rawhide with 82 strikeouts and was second on the team with six wins.

The Taiwanese right hander Chung-Hsiang Huang will be Visalia's Opening Day starter after excelling in 2025 with a 2.78 ERA in seven starts for the Rawhide.

Visalia adds some additional pitching talent from the D-backs 2025 draft class. The draftees in Visalia include Joe Ariola a 7th round draftee from Wake Forest and Mississippi State's Luke Dotson from the 11th round.

Rawhide players hail from three continents and six countries along with nine states and territories across the United States.

All Rawhide single-game tickets are available for sale on the Rawhide's website and at the Rawhide Ticket Office presented by Kaweah Health during business hours.

Check out the Visalia Rawhide Statistics

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California League Stories from April 2, 2026


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