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SL1 Jackson Generals

Generals Announce Opening Day Roster for 2015

April 7, 2015 - Southern League (SL1)
Jackson Generals News Release


Generals Set Opening Day Roster
Generals Set Opening Day Roster
(Jackson Generals)

Jackson, Tenn. - The Jackson Generals, in conjunction with the Seattle Mariners, officially announced their Opening Day roster for the 2015 season on Tuesday. Jackson's 25-man active roster includes 18 players with Double-A experience or better and 16 that played in Major League Spring Training games.

Two of the Mariners' top prospects - corner infielder D.J. Peterson and right fielder Gabby Guerrero - will start the season with Jackson. Five other current Generals are officially ranked among the Seattle's top prospects by Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus and MLB.com.

Peterson returns to the Generals after finishing a stellar 2014 campaign in Jackson. Baseball Prospectus' No. 1 Mariners prospect, Peterson was one of five minor league players to record at least 30 home runs (31) and at least 100 runs batted in (111). He also played in the 2014 All-Star Futures Game and the Arizona Fall League's Fall Stars Game.

Gabby Guerrero, nephew nine-time MLB All-Star Vladimir Guerrero, is listed as high as No. 4 in Mariners prospect rankings (Baseball Prospectus). Guerrero blasted a personal-best 18 home runs last season for Advanced-A High Desert Mavericks while earning a spot in the 2014 All-Star Futures Game. The 2015 season will mark Guerrero's first assignment with the Generals.

Jordy Lara and Jack Reinheimer - both Top-20 prospects in Baseball America and MLB.com - join Peterson in the infield. Lara, a corner infielder from Bani, Dominican Republic, hit 26 home runs last season between High Desert and Jackson. Reinheimer joins the Generals after earning 2014 Midwest League Mid-Season All-Star honors as a shortstop for the Class-A Clinton LumberKings.

Jackson's infield corps also includes Tyler Smith, Daniel Paolini and Patrick Brady. Smith, the 2013 Appalachian League Player of the Year, is back with the Generals after a late-season promotion to Jackson in 2014. Paolini led the Generals last season with 13 home runs and 65 runs batted in. Brady played for the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers last year between a pair of stints in Jackson.

Jabari Henry, Julio Morban and Dario Pizzano will be in the outfield with Guerrero. Henry was a 2014 California League Post-Season All-Star after hitting 30 home runs with High Desert. Morban, who is also a member of Seattle's 40-man roster, was a 2013 Southern League Mid-Season All-Star in his first stint with Jackson. Pizzano delivered eight of his 11 home runs last year during his time with the Generals.

Jackson's catchers to begin this season will be Steve Baron and Carlton Tanabe. The Generals have led the Southern League in caught stealing efficiency for the past two seasons, and both Baron and Tanabe have posted caught stealing percentage marks of .500 or better against potential base stealers over their three combined stints for Jackson.

Right-handed pitchers Stephen Landazuri and Dylan Unsworth are among the many viable candidates for the starting rotation. Landazuri overcame an injury last season to go 6-5 over 19 starts with Jackson before pitching for the Surprise Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League. Unsworth, a native of Richwood, Cape Town, South Africa, also earned six wins last season while pitching for the High Desert Mavericks.

A few of the left-handed starting options include Scott DeCecco, Tyler Pike and Misael Siverio. DeCecco joined Landazuri, Peterson and Matt Anderson with the Surprise Saguaros in the Arizona Fall League last year. Pike started a combined no-hitter with High Desert on May 28, 2014 prior to a mid-season promotion to Jackson. Siverio is expected to make his affiliated baseball debut with the Generals. The Cuban-born southpaw signed with the Mariners in November.

Anderson is one of many other right-handed pitchers opening the season with Jackson. He notched three wins for both High Desert and Jackson in 2014. Moises Hernandez, who is third in franchise history with 126 games pitched, is back for his fifth season in Jackson. Trevor Miller returns after serving as Jackson's Opening Day starter last year. Grady Wood is one of the few newcomers on the Generals pitching staff after notching six saves with High Desert last season. Tony Zych, a former Chicago Cubs prospect and a fourth-round draft pick, will begin his tenure in the Mariners system with Jackson.

Southpaws James Gillheeney, Kyle Hunter and Jordan Shipers round out the active roster. Gillheeney has split his time between Jackson and the Tacoma Rainiers over each of the past two seasons. Hunter posted a 3-0 record with a 0.32 ERA over his final 15 appearances for the Generals in 2014. Shipers transitioned to a relief role last season, recording 12 total outings with Jackson last year.

Seven players on Jackson's Opening Day roster will start the season on the disabled list. Those players are catcher Mike Dowd, outfielder Leon Landry and pitchers Oliver Garcia, Cam Hobson, Andrew Kittredge, Ramon Morla and Richard Vargas.

The Generals begin the 2015 season at the Jacksonville Suns on Thursday, April 9 before coming home on Wednesday, April 15 for a ten-game homestand against the Mississippi Braves and the Tennessee Smokies. Fans may purchase single-game tickets, flex plans and season-ticket packages by stopping by the ballpark, calling the team at (731) 988.5299 or going online to jacksongeneralsbaseball.com .

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Generals Set Opening Day Roster
Generals Set Opening Day Roster
   



Southern League Stories from April 7, 2015


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