FSL1 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels

Kanzler, Stewart on Miracle Opening Day Roster for 2015

Published on April 7, 2015 under Florida State League (FSL1)
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels News Release


FORT MYERS, Fla. (April 6, 2015) - The Fort Myers Miracle are pleased to announce the Opening Day roster for the 2015 season. Led by the return of Naples native Jeff Smith as the manager, the Miracle roster is comprised of 13 pitchers, three catchers, five infielders and four outfielders with five players beginning the season on the disabled list.

The rotation will be paced by the Minnesota Twins' first round pick in 2013, Kohl Stewart. Selected with the fourth overall pick, the Tomball, Texas native will be entering his third full season as a professional after making 19 starts for Single-A Cedar Rapids in 2014. Stewart is rated as the No. 4 prospect in the Twins organization according to Baseball America and the No. 6 prospect by MLB.com. Stewart posted a 3-5 mark with the Kernels last year with a 2.59 earned run average and 62 strikeouts in 87 innings. Stewart is slated as the probable starter for the season opener on April 9.

Stewart will be joined in the starting rotation by fellow newcomer Chih-Wei Hu. An international free agent signing by the Twins out of Taichung, Taiwan in 2012, Hu burst onto the scene in 2014 with a stellar campaign. Combined between rookie-level Elizabethton and Cedar Rapids, Hu went 8-2 in 13 games, 12 starts, with a 2.15 earned run average and just 15 walks in 71 innings.

2013 second round pick Ryan Eades will have a spot in the rotation after making 25 starts with the Kernels last year. Eades went 10-11 with a 5.14 earned run average over 133 innings.

Returning right-handers Ethan Mildren and Aaron Slegers will round out Smith's rotation to open the season. Mildren, a 12th round selection in 2013, made 10 starts in a Miracle jersey in 2014 including Game Two of the FSL Championship Series versus Daytona. Mildren blanked the Cubs for five innings and picked up the victory. Slegers only appeared in three games with the Miracle a year ago, but won two games and struck out 12 in 19 innings. Slegers stands 6-10 and was a fifth round pick in 2013.

In the bullpen, the Miracle bring back multiple arms with experience in the Florida State League. The versatile Tim Shibuya returns after tallying seven wins in 28 games in 2014, including 10 starts, two complete games, one shutout and two saves. Right-handed relievers Madison Boer, Brian Gilbert, Alex Muren, Todd Van Steensel and Brandon Peterson all saw action in Fort Myers in 2014. Free agent signing Luke Westphal and hard-throwing 2012 second round pick J.T. Chargois round out the reliever corps.

Behind the plate, the Miracle welcome slugging catcher Mitch Garver to the lineup. A ninth round selection from the 2013 MLB First-Year Player Draft, Garver torched the Midwest League with Cedar Rapids last year. In 120 games, Garver totaled 29 doubles, one triple, a team-high 16 home runs and 79 runs batted in while posting a .399 on-base percentage and hitting .298. Garver was selected to the Midwest League Postseason All-Star and placed on the MiLB.com Organizational All-Star Team.

Garver will be joined by fellow backstops Alex Swim and Michael Quesada. Swim, who made one appearance for the Miracle last year, can play multiple positions and made starts at first base and right field for the Kernels. A switch-hitter, Swim hit .311 over 63 games with Cedar Rapids. Quesada played the last two seasons with the Kernels hitting .202 and .205 respectively.

On the infield, Niko Goodrum returns after spending the entire 2014 season with the Miracle. Goodrum played 122 games, hitting .249 with 27 extra-base hits and 49 runs batted in. Niko led the entire Twins farm system in stolen bases with 35 and was only caught four times.

Shortstop will be manned by the slick-fielding, switch-hitting Engelb Vielma. Rated as the top defensive infielder by Baseball America, Vielma posted a .266 average with the Kernels in 2014. The multi-skilled Aderling Mejia is slated to get time at third base, shortstop and second base. Mejia has spent part of the last two seasons with the Miracle and has a career batting average of .287 in the Florida State League.

Tanner Vavra, a 30th round pick in 2013, and Bryan Haar, a 34th round pick in 2012, round out the Miracle infield. Haar, a corner infielder, played 108 games in Single-A last year and hit .267 with 14 homers and 63 runs batted in. A late call-up to the Miracle in August, Haar played in 10 games with Fort Myers and knocked in five runs. Vavra is the son of Twins coach Joe Vavra and hit .258 in 81 games with the Kernels last season.

The outfield features the 2014 FSL Championship Series hero, center fielder Jason Kanzler. In only 27 regular season games with the Miracle last year, Kanzler made a splash with his unique blend of base-running, power and fielding prowess. A 20th round pick in 2013 by the Twins, Kanzler will be forever etched into Miracle history after hitting the championship clinching, two-run homer in Daytona in the eleventh inning of the deciding Game Four.

Kanzler will play alongside Chad Christensen, Logan Wade and Marcus Knecht. Christensen played 127 games at four different positions for the Kernels while hitting .272 with 24 doubles, seven triples, nine home runs, 73 runs batted in and also stole 30 bases. Wade, an international signing out of Brisbane, Australia in 2012, hit .233 in 75 games in Cedar Rapids. Knecht was just recently signed by the Twins after being released by the Toronto Blue Jays. Knecht has played the last three years in the Florida State League with the Dunedin Blue Jays.

Pitchers Steven Gruver, David Hurlbut, Brett Lee and Corey Williams start the season on the Fort Myers disabled list along with infielder Ryan Walker.

The Miracle begin the season on Thursday, April 9 at Charlotte Sports Park against the Charlotte Stone Crabs at 6:30 p.m. The home opener at Hammond Stadium at the CenturyLink Sports Complex is Friday, April 10 at 7:05 p.m. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. and there will be postgame fireworks after the final out. Fans can pick up complimentary general admission tickets at Wendy's and MetroPCS locations in Lee and Collier counties. For $2, fans can upgrade those tickets at the Hammond Stadium ticket office this week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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