Hillcats Announce Their Opening Day Roster
April 5, 2023 - Carolina League (CarL)
Lynchburg Hillcats News Release
The Lynchburg Hillcats in conjunction with the Cleveland Guardians are excited to announce the release of the 2023 Break Camp Roster.
This year's Opening Day roster will feature many members of the 2022 Cleveland Guardians draft class as well as several members of the MLB.com Guardians Top 30 Prospects list. The two members of the list are Parker Messick and Wuilfredo Antunez. Last season, Antunez spent some time in Lynchburg during the season.
Messick (number 21 in the Guardians Top 30), a left-handed pitcher, was drafted round 2, pick 54 by the Guardians in the draft. Messick attended Florida State where he excelled on the mound where he earned First Team All-ACC honors in his final season. The native of Florida helped carry the Seminoles to an NCAA Regional's appearance, where he defeated UCLA in his lone start.
Antunez, a native of Venezuela, joins the Hillcats as a highly touted outfielder. Currently ranked as the 27th best prospect in the Guardians organization, Antunez looks to build on the strong hitting which has carried him through the organization. Last season in five games with the Hillcats, Antunez hit .333 with four walks and an OPS of 1.100.
Though the roster holds an older average age than other squads, many members of the squad will be making their professional baseball debut. Twelve other members of the Guardians 2022 Draft Class will be joining Messick in Lynchburg this season, most of which being pitchers.
The other draft class members joining the Hillcats are Nate Furman (Rd. 4, Pk. 121), Guy Lipscomb Jr. (Rd. 5, Pk. 151), Austin Peterson (Rd. 9, Pk. 271), Magnus Ellerts (Rd. 11, Pk. 331), Jack Jasiak (Rd. 12, Pk. 361), Tyresse Turner (Rd. 13, Pk. 391), Pres Cavanaugh (Rd. 14, Pk. 421), Adam Tulloch (Rd. 15, Pk. 451), Angel Zarate (Rd. 17, Pk. 511), Zach Jacobs (Rd. 18, Pk. 541), and Shawn Rapp (Rd. 20, Pk. 601).
Hillcats fans will also see several other familiar faces to Antunez. The returning pitchers include Reny Artiles, Yeury Gervacio, Braunny Munoz, Alonzo Richardson, Sameul Vasquez, Wardquelin Vasquez, Miguel Vinicio, and Juan Zapata. Returning hitters will be Juan Benjamin, Antunez, and Lexer Saduy.
Lynchburg will start their season on the road this Friday against Fredericksburg for a three-game series. The Hillcats will return home for Opening Day on Tuesday, April 11th, at 6:30 p.m. against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. Tickets for Opening Day can be purchased at Lynchburg-hillcats.com.
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