EL1 Akron RubberDucks

Indians Announce 2015 RubberDucks Opening Day Roster

Published on April 6, 2015 under Eastern League (EL1)
Akron RubberDucks News Release


(AKRON, OHIO) April 6, 2015 - Cleveland Indians Director of Player Development Carter Hawkins, Assistant Director of Player Development Eric Binder, and RubberDucks manager David Wallace have announced the Opening Day roster for the 2015 Akron RubberDucks.

The RubberDucks are the Double-A affiliate of the Indians, and will embark on the 2015 season this Thursday evening, April 9th, at Canal Park against the Binghamton Mets at 6:35 p.m. That game will open a four-game series against the defending Eastern League champion Mets. The Trenton Thunder will then visit for three games beginning Monday to fill out the season-opening, seven-game homestand. For a complete schedule, visit www.akronrubberducks.com.

The roster released today includes 25 players who have traveled from Spring Training in Goodyear, Arizona, to Akron for the start of the season. Of the 25 individuals currently on the roster, 17 saw action with Akron last season. The group also includes four members of the Indians' 40-man roster, and three players who are ranked among the Indians top prospects by MLB.com.

The pitching staff includes starters Cody Anderson, Shawn Morimando, Ryan Merritt, Will Roberts, and Mike Clevinger. Morimando and Merritt are lefthanders. Merritt was named the Indians' Minor League Pitcher of the Year last season after going 13-3, with a 2.58 ERA at Single-A Carolina. Anderson won the same award in 2013, and spent all of last season with the RubberDucks. Although he was just 4-11, in 25 starts, Anderson fanned 81 and walked only 44 in 125 innings. Both Merritt and Anderson are part of Cleveland's 40-man roster. Roberts has made 50 starts for Akron over the past two seasons, winning 19 games. Last season, he ranked second in the EL with 12 wins, as he went 12-12, with a 4.08 ERA in 27 starts. Morimando made his Double-A debut last season, making 10 starts for Akron, and going 2-6, 3.83 ERA. He also made 18 starts at Carolina. Clevinger, a 6-foot-4 righthander, is a newcomer to the organization, having been acquired from the Angels last August in a trade for major league reliever Vinnie Pestano. He joined Carolina during the final month of last season, going 0-1 in five appearances. This will be his first action at the Double-A level.

The bullpen is comprised of righthanders Clayton Cook, Jordan Cooper, Trey Haley, Louis Head, Jeff Johnson, Jacob Lee, Josh Martin, and Grant Sides. The initial roster includes no lefty relievers. Head emerged as an effective late-inning reliever last season, splitting time between Carolina and Akron. With the RubberDucks, Head pitched in 29 games, going 1-1, 2.97 ERA, and converting all three of his save opportunities. Cooper has been a steady performer for Akron each of the last two seasons, pitching primarily out of the bullpen, but also starting when needed. Haley is a former second-round pick who pitched sparingly last season following shoulder surgery. He is regarded as one of the hardest throwers in the Tribe minor league system. Johnson made an impact in Akron in 2013, but missed all of last season after undergoing Tommy John Surgery. Cook, Lee, Martin and Sides will all be seeing their first extended action at the Double-A level.

The position-player contingent is led by the 1-2 punch of shortstop Erik Gonzalez and catcher Tony Wolters, both of whom are on the Indians 40-man roster. Gonzalez ranks 8th on MLB.com's list of top Tribe prospects, while Wolters checks in at #17 on the list. In his first Double-A action, Gonzalez hit a hefty .357 in 31 games for the RubberDucks last season. He smacked one homer and had 16 RBI. Wolters was the primary catcher for the RubberDucks last season, appearing in 94 games, and hitting .249, with a home run and 34 RBI. He also threw out 47% of opposing base stealers (25-53).

The infielders include Gonzalez, Yandy Diaz, Todd Hankins, Jake Lowery, and Justin Toole. Lowery, a former All-American catcher at James Madison University, is returning to Akron for the third straight season and will see action at first base. Lowery missed nearly two months of last season after being hit in the eye by a pitch in April. After returning to the lineup, he hit .201, with five homers and 19 RBI in 66 games. Toole, one of the more versatile players in the Tribe system, batted .275 with 25 RBI in 77 games, mostly at third base. Hankins and Diaz will each be making his Double-A debut.

All four outfielders were Akron regulars a year ago. Kent State alum Anthony Gallas, Jordan Smith, Bryson Myles and Ollie Linton all return for a second season with the RubberDucks. After being named an all-star during the first half of the season at Carolina, Gallas was promoted to Akron and promptly continued his prolific offensive production by hitting .293, with 16 home runs and 49 RBI in 73 games with the RubberDucks. Smith was a fixture in right field, appearing in a team-high, 126 games. Smith hit for the cycle at Reading on July 27th. Myles missed time due to a torn meniscus, but still managed to club six homers and drive in 30 runs in 84 games. Linton spent his first season in the organization, and saw action in 49 games for Akron.

The catchers are Wolters, Alex Lavisky and Jeremy Lucas. Lavisky, a native of Lakewood, Ohio, spent all of last season with the RubberDucks, and saw action in 67 games. He hit .278, and slugged 10 doubles and four home runs. Lavisky also opened the season with Akron in 2013, but sustained an injury six games into the season when he fouled a ball of his foot, resulting in a broken toe. Lucas, a former Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year at Indiana State University, spent all of last season at Carolina, where he belted 12 homers. Lucas was with Akron briefly in 2013, collecting three hits in 15 at-bats.

The RubberDucks will have one final tune-up when they host the Single-A Lake County Captains in a seven-inning exhibition contest on Tuesday afternoon at 5:05 p.m. Merritt is expected to start for Akron. The game will be seven innings, and will be broadcast on the RubberDucks' flagship station, Fox Sports 1350 AM.

Akron has made the EL playoffs 15 times, including nine of the last 13 years. The team has captured four Eastern League titles, most recently in 2012.

The Akron RubberDucks are the Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. The 2015 season will be its 19th since moving to Canal Park and its second as the RubberDucks. Last season, the team attracted 350,704 fans to Canal Park, an average of 5,157 per game. The team will begin the 2015 regular season at home on Thursday, April 9th against the defending EL champions, the Binghamton Mets, at 6:35 p.m. at Canal Park. For ticket information and merchandise featuring the Akron RubberDucks, go to www.AkronRubberDucks.com or call 330-253-5151. The Akron RubberDucks are on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AkronRubberDucks and Twitter at @AkronRubberDuck.

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