FL River City Rascals

New, Familiar Faces to Roam Rascals Outfield in 2018

Published on March 19, 2018 under Frontier League (FL)
River City Rascals News Release


With less than two months remaining until Opening Day of the 2018 season, May 12th against the Windy City Thunderbolts at Standard Bank Stadium in Crestwood, IL, the River City Rascals boast an intriguing mix of outfielders for the new campaign, their 20th in O'Fallon, MO. Paul Kronenfeld, Kevin Suarez and Ryan Fucci all return from the 2017 Rascals squad, and will be joined by Frontier League veterans Justin Chigbogu and Connor Oliver, as well as former Boston Red Sox farmhand Mike Meyers.

Paul Kronenfeld, a 6-3 left-handed hitter from Greensboro, NC was one of the team's top offensive players last season, hitting .301 with seven home runs and 30 RBIs in 42 games. He joined the Rascals in mid July after starting the season with the New Britain Bees of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.

The former 25th round pick in the 2014 MLB Draft by the Cincinnati Reds out of Catawba College, Kronenfeld, 26, spent two seasons in the Reds system. He played the 2015 season with the Dayton Dragons of the single-A Midwest League, hitting .249 and slugging .404 with six homers and 33 RBIs in 74 games. Paul spent the 2016 season with the Shaumburg Boomers, when he hit a career high ten home runs and drove in 49 runs, earning Frontier League All-Star honors.

Kevin Suarez played in 14 games for the Rascals last summer, collecting five hits, including a double. The Miami, FL native is a product of Nova Southeastern University, which he helped lead to the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship in 2016, the first in school history.

Suarez, 23, broke a program record by reaching base in 42 straight games for the Sharks during his junior season in 2016. He hit .343 as a senior, and lead the team in hits with 73 over 53 games. Kevin bats and throws right handed.

Ryan Fucci is a 25-year old from Lexington, KY. He appeared in nine games for the Rascals last season. The product of Wright State University is a 6-2 right hander who was a 25th round selection by the Seattle Mariners in the 2016 draft. Fucchi hit .326 with a team-high 11 home runs and 64 RBIs as a college senior in 2016, leading the Raiders to the NCAA Regionals. Ryan's brother is a junior outfielder for the NCAA DI Samford Bulldogs.

Justin Chigbogu is a Kansas City, MO native with six years experience at the professional level entering the 2018 season. A fourth round pick in the 2012 draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers, the lefty also spent time in the Reds and Arizona Diamondbacks organizations, hitting 58 home runs and driving in 200 RBIs over five seasons.

In 2017, the 23-year old played for the Southern Illinois Miners, where he hit .252 with four home runs, 19 RBIs and six doubles across 30 games.

Connor Oliver has spent the last two seasons with the Lake Erie Crushers. The 24-year old hit .275 with 13 homers and 40 RBIs in 2016 and then .211 with 11 and 36 last season. He recorded over 150 hits over his two seasons with the Crushers.

The native of Sicklervillle, NJ was a 23rd round pick of the Atlanta Braves in 2013 out of State College of Florida, Manatee?"Sarasota. He spent three seasons in the Braves organization before joining the Crushers. He also spent some time in the New York Yankees system in 2016.

Mike Meyers is a 24-year old from Las Vegas, NV who spent the last six seasons in the Boston Red Sox organization after being drafted by the team in the 12th round of the 2012 draft. Meyers reached as high as AA last season, and had his best full professional season to date in 2016, hitting .272 for the A+ Salem Red Sox, with 114 hits, 66 RBIs and 26 stolen bases over 111 games. Mike bats and throws right handed.

The Rascals home opener is Tuesday, May 15th against the Traverse City Beach Bums, 6:35pm at CarShield Field. Tickets for the 2018 season are available at rivercityrascals.com.

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Frontier League Stories from March 19, 2018


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