PCL1 Fresno Grizzlies

Grizzlies Unveil 2010 Opening Day Roster

Published on April 5, 2010 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Fresno Grizzlies News Release


FRESNO, CA - The San Francisco Giants have announced the Opening Day roster for the 2010 Fresno Grizzlies. Headlining the list of top prospects are C Buster Posey and LHP Madison Bumgarner, the top two prospects in the Giants' minor league system, according to Baseball America. Posey, 23, is also rated the fourth-best overall prospect in baseball by MLB.com, and Bumgarner, 20, ranks tenth on the same list. Both were First-Round Draft picks, with Posey going fifth overall in 2008 and Bumgarner tenth in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft. They will form a formidable battery led by former Major League catcher Steve Decker, entering his first season as skipper of the Grizzlies after logging winning seasons in each of his first five managerial campaigns.

The pitching staff will be anchored by Bumgarner along with returner RHP Kevin Pucetas, who represented the Grizzlies at the 2009 Triple-A All-Star Game. Two of the most successful pitchers in the minor leagues over their professional careers, Bumgarner and Pucetas have combined to go 69-18 with a 2.65 ERA. They will lead a rotation stocked with veterans, including RHP Joe Martinez, who opened the 2009 season with San Francisco before joining the Grizzlies on a long rehab assignment. Other pitchers who saw time in Fresno in 2009 include RHP Steve Edlefsen, LHP Geno Espineli, LHP Alex Hinshaw and RHP Felix Romero. Newcomer RHP Henry Sosa, rated the #16 Giants' prospect by BA, went 6-0 with a 2.36 ERA in 14 starts with Double-A Connecticut in '09 before a season-ending injury. He will be joined by minor league free agent acquisitions RHP Denny Bautista, RHP Eric Hacker and LHP Horacio Ramirez, all of who have logged time in the Major Leagues. LHP Joe Paterson also moves up from Double-A Connecticut where he posted a 1.96 ERA in 55 appearances. RHP Osiris Matos will start the season on the Seven-Day Disabled List.

Posey will lead the charge behind the plate, sharing the catching duties with veteran C Steve Holm, who has split the past two seasons between Fresno and San Francisco. C Nestor Rojas, also on the team in '09, will start the season on the Seven-Day Disabled List.

The right side of the infield will feature a pair of rising prospects in 1B Brett Pill and 2B Brock Bond. Pill, rated 21st in the organization by BA, is coming off a 2009 campaign that saw him drive in an Eastern League-best 109 RBI with Double-A Connecticut. He will be joined by Bond who, as his teammate last season, batted .333 with a .429 on-base percentage, both tops in the league. Bond enters 2010 as the 29th rated prospect in the system. Joining them will be returning INF Matt Downs and INF Ryan Rohlinger, two players that had strong campaigns in '09 with Fresno. Downs batted an even .300 in 109 games with the Grizzlies, while Rohlinger set a new franchise mark by rapping 37 doubles last season. The infield is rounded out by another newcomer, INF Brad Boyer, who hit .359 after the All-Star break with Double-A Connecticut in '09, as well as returning INF Juan Ciriaco, who will start the year on the Seven-Day Disabled List.

Shifting from his infield post to the outfield is Jesus Guzman, who batted .321 in 115 games for the Grizzlies last year, good for the fifth-best average in the Pacific Coast League. He will be joined by speedster OF Mike McBryde (ranked 25th in the system), OF Joe Borchard and OF Ben Copeland, all of whom spent time as Grizzlies in 2009. Rounding out the roster is newcomer OF Eddy Martinez-Esteve, a .294 career minor league hitter.

The Grizzlies will have many familiar faces in 2010, as 16 of the 24 active players on the Opening Day roster spent at least part of the season in Fresno in 2009. Additionally, nine members of the Giants' 40-man roster will start their seasons with the Grizzlies.

Pat Rice returns for his second season as Grizzlies pitching coach, and trainer Anthony Reyes will be back for his third season in Fresno. They will be accompanied by Ken Joyce, who joins the staff as hitting coach after spending the last eight years in the Toronto Blue Jays' organization. The Grizzlies staff will also include strength and conditioning coach Carl Kochan.

The Fresno Grizzlies open the 2010 season on the road at Reno this Thursday, April 8th. The team returns to Fresno to kick off home portion of the campaign on Friday, April 16th when they welcome the Portland Beavers to downtown Fresno. Single-game tickets for the 2010 season will go on sale on Monday, March 15th at 9:00am. For information on season tickets or mini-plans, both on sale now, visit the new www.fresnogrizzlies.com or call the Grizzlies front office at 559.320.HITS.

Check out the Fresno Grizzlies Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Pacific Coast League Stories from April 5, 2010


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.

OurSports Central