Knights Unveil 2015 Opening Day Roster
April 9, 2015 - International League (IL1)
Charlotte Knights News Release
(UPTOWN CHARLOTTE, NC) - Notable veterans and six of Chicago's top 20 prospects - including the organization's number one overall prospect Carlos Rodon - highlight the Charlotte Knights 2015 Opening Day roster. The Knights kick off their second season at BB&T Ballpark in Uptown Charlotte tonight with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m. against the Norfolk Tides. Gates are set to open at 6:00 p.m. and a limited amount of Standing Room Only tickets still remain.
Along with Rodon - a standout at North Carolina State University -- the squad of 25 is headlined by starting pitcher Chris Beck (ranked 11th), third baseman Matt Davidson (ranked 14th), catcher Kevan Smith (ranked 15th), outfielder Trayce Thompson (ranked 18th), and infielder Tyler Saladino (ranked 19th). Rankings are courtesy of Baseball America.
The starting rotation, which features Rodon -- the 22-year-old hard-throwing left-hander -- also consists of Scott Carroll, Brad Penny, Shawn Haviland, and Beck. Before appearing in 26 games with the Chicago White Sox last season, Carroll earned International League Pitcher of the Week honors with the Knights last April. He went 3-1 with a 1.57 ERA in four starts with the club before his promotion to Chicago on April 27.
Penny, who will start tonight's opener for the Knights, is a 14-year Major League veteran. The Oklahoma native owns a career Major League record of 121-101 with a 4.29 ERA in 349 big league games. He won 16 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers in back-to-back seasons from 2006 to 2007 and finished third in the National League Cy Young Award voting in 2007.
Beck will make his 2015 debut on Friday, while Rodon will start on Saturday and Carroll will close out the series with the Tides on Sunday. Rodon, the third overall pick in last year's draft, struck-out 18 batters over 12 innings with the Knights last year (three starts).
In all, 15 players on Charlotte's 2015 Opening Day roster have donned a Knights jersey before this season. Sluggers Dan Black, Matt Tuiasosopo, and Jared Mitchell all return to the Knights after spending significant time in the Queen City last season. Speedster Leury Garcia - who appeared in eight games with the Knights in 2013 -- returns to the club after spending the entire 2014 campaign with the White Sox. Newcomers George Kottaras, Juan Diaz, Neftali Soto, and Engel Beltre round out the squad's position players.
The club's bullpen is anchored by 35-year old Major League veteran Matt Lindstrom, who was a 10th round selection of the New York Mets in the 2002 draft. Relievers Jairo Asencio, Jarrett Casey, Maikel Cleto, Arcenio Leon, Zach Phillips, and Daniel Webb round out the team's 'pen.
Charlotte is once again led by Joel Skinner - the winningest manager in franchise history - who returns for his fourth consecutive season at the helm. Overall with the Knights, Skinner has compiled 211 wins -- the most in franchise history. In 11 seasons overall as a Minor League manager, the former Major League catcher owns a career record of 804-712. In four seasons at the Triple-A level, he has a 297-279 record. Pitching coach Richard Dotson, hitting coach Andy Tomberlin, assistant coach Ryan Newman, athletic trainer Scott Johnson, and strength and conditioning coach Chad Efron round out the coaching staff for the 2015 squad.
Tonight's game features the first Thirsty Thursday ™ of the season, presented by Hickory Tavern. On Friday, the Knights and Tides will play game two of their series and the Knights will light up the sky with post-game fireworks, presented by BB&T, News Talk 1110 WBT and 107.9 The Link. On Saturday, fans will have the chance to see the Hickory Tavern KnightinGals make their season debut. The four-game opening series comes to a close on Sunday with the first Sunbelt Sunday game of the season, presented by Sunbelt Rentals. After Sunday's 2:05 p.m. game, kids can Run the Bases, presented by Academy Sports and Outdoors.
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