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CalL1 Modesto Nuts

Matzek, Arenado and Bettis Lead Nuts 2011 Roster

April 3, 2011 - California League (CalL1)
Modesto Nuts News Release


MODESTO, CA - The 2011 Modesto Nuts roster has been announced by the Colorado Rockies as minor league spring training camp broke on Saturday. The Nuts Opening Day roster will include three of the Rockies top ten prospects according to Baseball America, as well as five California natives.

Left-handed pitcher and 2009 first round draft pick Tyler Matzek, the Rockies top prospect according to Baseball America will start the season in Modesto. Matzek made his professional debut last season on May 24 with the Asheville Tourists. He finished 2010 with a 5-1 record and 2.92 ERA in 18 games, and struck out 88 batters in 89.1 innings of work. Matzek, a native of Mission Viejo, Cal., was named the South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week for the week of August 9 and will be the ace in the Nuts rotation this year.

Third baseman Nolan Arenado spent the full 2010 season with the Asheville Tourists as the everyday third baseman. He was named the 3rd best prospect in the Rockies organization by Baseball America, as well as the Best Hitter for Average and Best Infield Arm. A native of Newport Beach, Cal., Arenado posted a .308 average in 2010, fifth-best in the SAL, and hit 41 doubles, third-most in the league. Arenado was drafted by the Rockies in the second round of the 2009 first-year player draft, and has been tabbed No. 33 among the Top 50 minor league prospects by MLB.com.

Right-handed pitcher Chad Bettis, ranked the 9th best prospect in the Rockies system by Baseball America, and a second-round draft pick in 2010, split time last season between Tri-City and Asheville. He made nine starts for the Dust Devils and recorded a 4-1 record and 1.12 ERA. Bettis was awarded Northwest League All-Star accolades and was promoted to Low-A Asheville in mid-August where he made three starts.

Three more California natives will start the 2010 season with the Nuts as right-handed pitcher Nicholas Schnaitmann (Vacaville, CA/Cosumnes River College), right-handed pitcher Kurt Yacko (Costa Mesa, CA/Chapman University) and infielder Michael Zuanich (Torrance, CA/UC Santa Barbara) break spring training camp and head to Modesto. Schnaitmann spent the entire season with Asheville in 2010, while Yacko and Zuanich rejoin the Nuts after playing with the squad last season.

Several more players who spent time in Modesto last season highlight the 2011 roster. Right-handed pitchers Alan DeRatt, Parker Frazier, Dan Houston and Michael Marbry, as well as infielders Maikol Gonzalez and Joe Sanders and outfielder Scott Robinson.

The remainder of the Nuts pitching corps includes right-handers Chad Rose, Coty Woods, Leuris Gomez, Sheng-An Kuo and Daniel Perkins, as well as lefty Kaimi Mead. Rose set career highs in every pitching category except saves last season at Asheville, and notched an 8-6 record, 3.63 ERA and 94 strike outs in 86.2 innings of relief work. Woods started the 2010 season at Casper and was promoted to Asheville midway through the season where he appeared in 16 games out of the bullpen and notched a 2.70 ERA. Gomez and Kuo both spent the entire season at Low-A Asheville, and notched records of 6-5 and 3-1, respectively, while Gomez posted a 4.62 ERA in 78 innings of work, and Kuo struck out 60 batters in 61 innings. Perkins began the 2010 season as a starter for Low-A Asheville before becoming a prominent figure in the Tourists' bullpen with a 6-6 record and 4.90 ERA. Lefty Mead joins the Nuts staff after not playing in 2010.

Jose Gonzalez and Dallas Tarleton will appear behind the dish for the Nuts in 2011. Both catchers split time at Low-A Asheville in 2010, where Gonzalez appeared in 53 games and Tarleton caught 72. Tarleton posted a .251 average with 29 RBI last season.

Eliezer Mesa, Robinson, Orlando Sandoval, Delta Cleary and Kent Matthes will split time in the outfield for the Nuts. Mesa was named to the SAL All-Star team after hitting .327 in the first half of the season for Low-A Asheville, and was named the SAL All-Star Game Top Star after he went 3-for-5 with a double, a run scored, two RBI and a stolen base in the game. He finished seventh in the SAL with a .302 average on the season. Robinson returns to Modesto after playing the entire season with the High-A affiliate in 2010 and seeing time at all three outfield positions. Robinson set a career-high last season with six triples and 38 RBI, and his 27 stolen bases led the Nuts and were fourth-most in the Rockies organization. Sandoval and Cleary spent the entire season with Low-A Asheville, where Sandoval set career-highs in nearly every offensive category, and Cleary had just two errors on the season. Matthes joins the Nuts from Asheville as well, where he played just 21 games for the Tourists before being placed on the disabled list for the remainder of the season.

Angelys Nina and Carlos Martinez will see time in the infield for the Nuts after spending last season in Asheville. Nina was named a SAL All-Star after hitting .286 with 24 RBI and 26 runs in the first half. His 24 stolen bases were fifth-most in the Rockies' organization. Martinez played every infield position for the Tourists and spent the most time at shortstop where he hit .269. Infielder Josh Rutledge was selected in the third round of the 2010 draft and spent last season with Tri-City, while Kala Ka'aihue will see time in the infield for the Nuts after playing the entire 2010 season for the Stockton Ports.

Returning infielders Zuanich and Sanders started last season in Asheville before joining the Nuts midway through the season. Sanders was named a SAL All-Star after he hit .275 with 29 RBI and seven home runs in the first half. His 17 home runs on the season were tied for the fourth-most in the Rockies system. Returner Gonzalez started the season with Modesto last year, but was placed on the disabled list after sustaining a head injury.

The Nuts will be managed by Jerry Weinstein, who returns to Modesto for his fifth season as skipper of the team. Darryl Scott will join Weinstein as pitching coach for the second season, and Kevin Riggs will join the staff as hitting coach for his first season at the Class-A Advanced level in the Rockies organization.

The Modesto Nuts 2011 season begins on Thursday, April 7th as the Nuts host the Stockton Ports at John Thurman Field. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Pre-game entertainment, including live music, face painters and a barbershop quartet will begin at 5:30 p.m. A limited number of reserve seats are still available by visiting the official website of the Modesto Nuts, www.modestonuts.com. For more information, please contact the Nuts at (209) 572-HITS (4487).

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