Lugnuts Announce Prospect-Loaded 2014 Roster
March 31, 2014 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Lansing Lugnuts News Release
LANSING, Mich. - In conjunction with the Toronto Blue Jays, the Lansing Lugnuts announced a loaded 2014 Opening Day roster headlined by center fielder D.J. Davis, third baseman Mitch Nay and frontline pitching talent.
Third-year manager John Tamargo, Jr. will direct a Lugnuts squad that features eight returning players alongside 10 of Baseball America's Top 30 Blue Jays prospects - including six of the Jays' 12 best minor-league talents. The top of that list belongs to the fleet Davis, drafted 17th overall in 2012 and rated #3 in the system, and the powerful Nay, a 2012 first-round supplemental pick rated #4.
Familiar faces from 2013 include catcher Santiago Nessy, right-fielder Carlos Ramirez, infielder Jason Leblebijian and pitchers Kendall Graveman, Griffin Murphy and Alonzo Gonzalez.
Graveman joins the impressive piggybacking tandems of Alberto Tirado (#8) / Jairo Labourt (#12) and Chase De Jong (#11) / Adonys Cardona in the starting rotation, filled out by Canadian Junior National Team member Tom Robson (#16) and 2011 second-rounder Jeremy Gabryszwski (pronounced "Gaborisky").
Fireballing right-hander Jimmy Cordero steps in as the Lugnuts' 2014 closer, aided in the bullpen by lefties Gonzalez, Murphy and Scott Silverstein, and right-handers Roberto Espinosa and Brady Dragmire.
Nay and Leblebijian are accompanied in the infield by even more prospects, with 2013 Appalachian League batting champion Matt Dean (#25) starting at first base; Dickie Thon, whose father played from 1979-1993 in the Majors, at second base; exciting 19-year-old Dawel Lugo (#9) at shortstop; and 20-year-old Canadian Justin Atkinson.
24-year-old Ian Parmley and 21-year-old Derrick Loveless, rising from Vancouver and Bluefield respectively, will fill out the Lugnuts' outfield beside Davis and Ramirez, while the slugging Nessy (Toronto's #23 prospect) will be backed up behind the plate by Miami native Jorge Saez
Right-hander Phil Kish and 2013 Lugnut catcher Seth Conner and pitcher Roberto Osuna open the season on the Disabled List.
The first opportunity for fans to Meet the Team is on Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. at Cooley Law School Stadium.
Thursday is the eighth annual Crosstown Showdown presented by Auto-Owner's Insurance, with the Lugnuts playing the Michigan State Spartans at 7:05 p.m. The game is a Labatt Thirsty Thursday, with $2 beer/soft drinks, and a special commemorative gift for the first 2,000 fans attending.
Lugnuts tickets are available for purchase via the Cooley Law School Stadium box office, telephone at 517-485-4500 and online at lansinglugnuts.com . To sign up for Lugnuts Alerts, text LUGNUTS to 80373.
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