SAL Hudson Valley Renegades

HVR Game Notes - April 8, 2023

Published on April 8, 2023 under South Atlantic League (SAL)
Hudson Valley Renegades News Release


Hudson Valley Renegades (1-0) vs. Greensboro Grasshoppers (0-1)

RHP Juan Carela (First Start) vs. RHP Bubba Chandler (First Start)

| Game 2 | Home Game 2 | Heritage Financial Park | Wappingers Falls, N.Y. | April 8, 2023 | First Pitch 4:05 p.m. |

ABOUT LAST NIGHT:Zach Messinger allowed just one run in five innings of work in his High-A debut, as the Renegades defeated Greensboro 8-1 on Opening Day. Three different Renegades players drove in a pair of runs including Spencer Jones who homered and double home a run in the contest. Ben Rice tallied a go-ahead two-RBI single in the sixth inning, while Marcos Cabrera drove in two more runs in the eighth with a triple.

EARLY GADES GET THE WORM: For the fourth straight season, the Renegades set a new mark for the earliest Opening Day game in franchise history. After never having started earlier than June 15 from 1994-2018, the Hudson Valley opened the 2019 season at Aberdeen on June 14, the 2021 season at Jersey Shore on May 4, and the 2022 season at Greenville on April 8. Friday also marks the earliest home opener in franchise history, beating out last year's April 19 date. Despite the early start date, 2,887 fans came out for Opening Day which logged the largest April crowd in three years as a High-A affiliate.

A TRUE HOME OPENER: Hudson Valley played its Opening Day game at Heritage Financial Park for the first time since 2016 when they hosted the Aberdeen IronBirds. That is probably not a surprise, as the Gades began their season against the IronBirds for an unbelievable 15 straight seasons from 2005-19. The Gades had played five consecutive lid lifters on the road, posting a 2-3 record prior to last night. With the win yesterday, Hudson Valley snapped their three-game season opener losing streak. Their previous win on Opening Night was on June 15, 2018, at Aberdeen.

MEETING GREENSBORO: The Renegades and Grasshoppers have only played three series all-time, but it has been a historic series for Hudson Valley. The only two times that the Renegades have scored 20-or-more runs in a game, and three of the five highest-scoring games for the team since 2005 have come in games at Greensboro at the extremely friendly confines of First National Bank Field.

BACK BETTER THAN EVER: 12 players on the Renegades Opening Day roster spent some time in Hudson Valley last year. Five members of the roster include Yankees' Top 30 prospects including the top two picks in the 2022 draft in Spencer Jones and Drew Thorpe. Thorpe and Chase Hampton will be making their professional debuts this season after not pitching last year after the draft in July.

GADES IN THE SHOW: The Renegades were well-represented on MLB Opening Day rosters in 2023, with 26 former Hudson Valley players and managers appearing across the AL and NL. 2021 Renegades INF Anthony Volpe headlined the list who made his Major League debut with the Yankees. In 2022, nine former Renegades made their MLB Debuts, the most in single-season franchise history.

WELCOME MR. JONES: Spencer Jones, the 25th overall pick in the 2022 First-Year-Player Draft by the Yankees last season will open the year in Hudson Valley. He begins the season as the Yankees No. 5 prospect by MLB Pipeline, the highest prospect on the Renegades roster. The former Vanderbilt Commodore hit .344/.425/.538 in 25 games between the FCL Yankees and Single-A Tampa last year. In his Hudson Valley debut on Friday, the left-handed hitter finished 2-for-4 with a double, home run, two RBI, a walk, and an outfield assist.

TOP PICKS ON THE GADES: The Renegades Opening Day roster prominently features 2022 Yankees first-round pick Spencer Jones, who was selected 25th overall by New York out of Vanderbilt University. Jones becomes the sixth Yankees first rounder to play for the Renegades in their three seasons as an affiliate. During the Renegades' entire affiliation with the Tampa Bay Rays/Devil Rays, a total of 14 first rounders played with the 'Gades (notables: Josh Hamilton, Evan Longoria, Tim Beckham, Brendan McKay, Greg Jones).

YANKEES FIRST ROUND PICKS WITH HUDSON VALLEY

Drafted Player Years w/ HV

2018 Anthony Seigler 2021-22

2019 Anthony Volpe 2021

T.J. Sikkema (Comp A) 2022

2020 Austin Wells 2021-22

2021 Trey Sweeney 2022

NEW YEAR, NEW SKIPPER: Former Major League pitcher Sergio Santos was named the 18th manager in Renegades history and the third in the Yankees era (2021-present) this past February. Santos begins his second season coaching in the Yankees organization in 2023, and his first with the Renegades. In 2022, he managed the FCL Yankees to the FCL Championship. The Los Angeles native was selected in the first round (27th overall) of the 2002 First Year-Player Draft by Arizona out of Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana. Santos spent parts of six years in the Major Leagues including the Yankees in 2015. He racked up a career-high 30 saves in 2011 with CWS.

Check out the Hudson Valley Renegades Statistics

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South Atlantic League Stories from April 8, 2023


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