EL1 New Hampshire Fisher Cats

Fisher Cats Announce 2009 Opening Day Roster

Published on April 4, 2009 under Eastern League (EL1)
New Hampshire Fisher Cats News Release


Manchester, NH- The New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, today announced their Opening Day roster for the 2009 season, highlighted by the return of a pair of 2008 Eastern League All-Stars -pitcher Zach Dials and catcher Brian Jeroloman- and the arrival of first baseman David Cooper, the Blue Jays' 2008 first-round draft pick.

"It's always exciting when we find out which Blue Jays prospects will represent the Fisher Cats, and we look forward to seeing this mix of familiar faces and new players entertaining our fans this season," said Fisher Cats President/General Manager Rick Brenner. "We look forward to introducing our Season Ticket Holders and Kids Club members to our team on Monday night at the Meet-and-Greet."

Dials, 23, led the Fisher Cats with 15 saves while posting a record of 2-3 with a 4.91 ERA in 36 games last season, earning a spot on the Northern Division Team at the Northeast Delta Dental Eastern League All-Star Game at Merchantsauto.com Stadium in July. Dials will join 25-year-old right-hander Leon Boyd in the New Hampshire bullpen. Boyd, a Vancouver, BC, native, became a hero in Holland last month as the closer for the Netherlands team that upset the heavily-favored Dominican Republic in the opening round of the World Baseball Classic. The Fisher Cats bullpen will also include right-hander Sean Stidfole, a 25-year-old who has posted a 2-1 record with a 3.26 ERA in 53 career Fisher Cats' appearances between 2007 and 2008. The rest of New Hampshire's relief corps will be comprised of right-handers Adrian Martin and Celson Polanco and left-handers Rommie Lewis and Nate Starner.

Marc Rzepczynski, 23, is slated to be the Opening Day starter on Wednesday, April 8, vs the New Britain Rock Cats at 6:35pm at Merchantsauto.com Stadium. The left-hander went 7-6 with a 2.83 ERA for the Class-A Lansing Lugnuts of the Midwest League last season, racking up 124 strikeouts in 121 innings. Reidier Gonzalez, 23, will also be in the Fisher Cats starting rotation. The righty shared the Florida State League lead in victories last season, going 12-4 with a 3.14 ERA in 27 appearances for the Advanced-A Dunedin Blue Jays. Left-handers Luis Perez and Fabio Castro will also be in the rotation, and right-handed starter Randy Boone begins the season on the Disabled List.

The most experienced position will be catcher, where Jeroloman and veteran Kyle Phillips both return for a second season in New Hampshire. Jeroloman, 23, batted .270 with 6 home runs and 31 RBIs in 71 games for the Fisher Cats, being named a Northern Division All-Star before playing 25 games with the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs (International League) to close out the year. Phillips, 25, spent the entire season with the Fisher Cats, matching a career high and leading the club by batting .306 with 8 home runs and 34 RBIs in 78 games.

First baseman Brian Dopirak, 25, led all Blue Jays minor leaguers with 29 home runs and ranked second with 101 RBIs in 2008. The former 2002 2nd-round draft pick of the Chicago Cubs finished the season with the Fisher Cats, batting .287 with 2 HR and 13 RBI in 22 games. Dopirak will share time with Cooper, the 17th overall draft selection last June out of the University of California-Berkeley. Cooper enjoyed his first season of professional baseball, batting a combined .333 with 5 HR and 51 RBIs in 69 games at three levels: Short Season-A Auburn (.341, 2, 21), Class-A Lansing (.354, 2, 17) and Advanced-A Dunedin (.304, 1, 13).

Second base will be manned by 22-year old Brad Emaus, who batted .302 with 12 HR and 71 RBIs for Dunedin last season. Emaus led the D-Jays with 60 walks and added 12 stolen bases in 124 games. Returning Fisher Cats Chris Gutierrez and Jonathan Diaz will join Luis Sanchez as the other New Hampshire infielders.

The Fisher Cats welcome five newcomers to the outfield, led by former Los Angeles Angel Nick Gorneault, who batted .257 with 19 HR and 57 RBIs for the Triple-A Round Rock Express (Houston Astros) of the Pacific Coast League last season. The other outfielders include Sean Shoffit, who led Dunedin with 16 stolen bases last season, Adam Calderone, Todd Donovan and Cody Hearther, who will begin the year on the Disabled List.

Gary Cathcart returns for his second season as manager of the Fisher Cats. Paul Elliott begins his first year as hitting coach, Tom Signore will serve as the team's new pitching coach, Voon Chong remains in his role as the only trainer in Fisher Cats' history and Mike Hall embarks on his second year as the strength and conditioning coach.

The Fisher Cats host the New Britain Rock Cats on Opening Night/United Way Night Wednesday night, April 8, at 6:35pm. The first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive a free Fisher Cats Fleece Blanket, courtesy of Coca-Cola. For tickets, visit www.nhfishercats.com or call (603) 641-2005.

On Monday night, April 6, the Fisher Cats host their annual Season Ticket Holder and Kids Club Meet-and-Greet with the players and coaching staff. The event runs from 6pm-7:30pm in the Samuel Adams Bar & Grill. To become a Season Ticket Holder or a Kids Club member, visit www.nhfishercats.com or call (603) 641-2005.

Check out the New Hampshire Fisher Cats Statistics

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