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CalL1 Visalia Rawhide

Rawhide Announce 2016 Opening Day Roster

April 4, 2016 - California League (CalL1)
Visalia Rawhide News Release


VISALIA, CA - The opening day roster has been announced for the Visalia Rawhide, who look to continue their streak of three consecutive seasons qualifying for the California League Postseason in 2016. Headlining the squad this season are 11 returners from a season ago, including six top-30 prospects as ranked by Milb.com.

The highest ranked prospect on the roster at #7, 2B/SS Domingo Leyba is returning to Visalia for his second straight campaign after being acquired in December of 2014 by Arizona in the three team trade that sent Didi Gregorious to the Yankees and netted Robbie Ray for the D-Backs along with Leyba. The Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native will begin the 2016 season at just 20 years old and logged 124 contests with the Rawhide in 2015. He hit just .237 (122-for-514), scored 60 runs, drove in 43, connected for 21 doubles, five triples, drew 26 walks and swiped 10 bags. MiLB.com had this to say about the young prospect "Defensively, Leyba proved to be a pleasant surprise at short after having split time between both middle-infield positions previously. Though he looks more like someone who would thrive at second base, he made all the plays at shortstop with excellent hands, good range and a solid, accurate arm. Offensively, Leyba had his ups and downs, though he performed better in the second half. He has terrific hand-eye coordination and consistently puts the ball in play. That hurt Leyba at times and the D-backs are working with him to tone down his aggressiveness at the plate some."

Coming in ranked #13 in Arizona's top-30 prospects is RHP Brad Keller, who suited up for the Kane County Cougars in 2015. The 6'5", 230-pound Keller had a bounce back season last year in his full season debut with the Cougars. Keller finished 8-9 with a 2.60 ERA, which was good for third in the Midwest League. He toed the rubber in 26 games and logged 142.0 innings. He picked up 109 strikeouts while allowing 128 hits, including just three home runs and issuing 37 walks, all good for a .243 batting average against. The MiLB.com scouting report is as follows on the Flowery Branch, GA native "The 6-foot-5 starter combines solid stuff with a very good feel for pitching. Keller uses his size well, throwing with a good downhill plane and sink to his low-90s fastball, resulting in many ground-ball outs. Still very young, there might be a bit more consistent velocity to come. His best secondary pitch is his changeup and his slider is improving, giving him the chance to have three at least Major League-average offerings. Keller's fastball command is advanced, especially for his age, and he can throw strikes with all three pitches, missing a fair amount of bats along the way."

SS Dawel Lugo is next in line at #17 after being acquired by Arizona in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays that sent Cliff Pennington and cash up north for Lugo in August of 2015. Lugo spent time with three teams over the course of season, including the Kane County Cougars in the Diamondbacks system. He played in just 22 games with Kane County, hitting .333 (27-for-81) over that span. Over the course of the entire campaign he played in 120 games between the Dunedin Blue Jays, Lansing Lugnuts and the Cougars. For the season he hit .270 (125-for-463), including 16 doubles, four triples and four home runs. He picked up 47 RBIs, walked 18 times and scored 43 times. The 6'0", 190-pound Bani, Dominican Republic product has a lot of upside according to MiLB.com. "While he's still a free swinger who has yet to overly refine his approach, Lugo's swing jumps out. He's direct to the ball and while he lacks plate discipline, he makes solid contact consistently. He hasn't shown much in-game power yet, but there is some raw pop to tap into. Lugo has good actions in the field with a strong arm."

21-year old OF Victor Reyes is the 21st ranked prospect in the system. Also a Cougar in 2015, Reyes patrolled the outfield in 121 contests last season and swung the stick at a .311 clip (132-for-424), which ranked fifth in the Diamondbacks organization and third in the Midwest League. He whacked 17 doubles, five triples and two long balls along with 57 runs, 59 RBIs, 22 walks, 13 stolen bases, only 58 strikeouts and an on-base average of .343. The switch-hitting Barcelona, Venezuela native was acquired in Round B of the Competitive Balance in 2015 after a trade with Atlanta netted the pick for Arizona. As he advances another level in the system there is a lot of excitement surrounding Reyes according to MiLB.com "He has tremendous hand-eye coordination, employing a contact-first approach that allows him to spray the ball to all fields. He is capable of barreling up the ball and while he hasn't shown power in games, he does have room to add strength to his lean frame. Reyes is a good baserunner who maximizes his fringy speed and he's going to be just fine in an outfield corner, with solid average range and throwing arm."

OF Colin Bray is 24th in the top-30 and patrolled the outfield alongside Reyes with Kane County a season ago. Bray, another switch hitter rarely missed a game, playing in 130 last season. He hit .308 (151-for-490), added 25 doubles, eight triples and three home runs. The Mobile, AL native scored 78 times, knocked in 52 runs, walked 47 times and stole 27 bases. Bray finished in the top 10 in the Midwest League in 2015 in batting average, on-base average and stolen bases. His consistency and all around production led MiLB.com to say this about the former sixth round pick "A switch-hitter, Bray has a knack for putting the ball in play and should keep hitting for average as he progresses. As a potential tablesetter, he's more than willing to bunt his way on, sacrifice and draw some walks. He's not a power hitter, but he has enough strength to find gaps. A well above-average runner, he'll continue to be a threat on the bases. He's an excellent defender in center field with a solid arm."

Ranked 28th in the Arizona system is LHP Josh Taylor. Another Cougar from a season ago Taylor stands at 6'5", 225 pounds and split time in the Phillies and Diamondbacks organizations. Acquired in July of 2015 along with Chris Oliver in a trade with Philadelphia for future considerations, Taylor split time with the Lakewood BlueClaws along with the Cougars. He wrapped his 11 games with Kane County with a 4-3 record and a 3.20 ERA over 59.0 innings pitched. The southpaw hurler allowed 73 hits, 29 runs (21 earned), two home runs, he walked 20 and struck out 53. Over the course of the entire 2015 campaign he finished 8-8 in 24 games and a 3.96 ERA. Over 127.1 innings he allowed 144 hits, eight home runs, 44 walks and he struck out 123. Taylor will begin his first full season in the Arizona system and MiLB.com projects the Phoenix, AZ native like this "Taylor got a shot to start in 2015 after pitching well in relief in the Gulf Coast League right after signing. The D-backs kept him in a rotation once they got him and he opened some more eyes there. The 6-foot-5 lefty has some definite arm strength, sitting 92-95 mph with his fastball. He'll mix in a slurvy breaking ball and a changeup, both of which show glimpses of being serviceable. More than anything, Taylor needs to refine his command, and there's hope his pitches will all get more consistent if he can find the strike zone more consistently."

Along with Keller and Taylor returning to the pitching staff from the Division Champion 2015 squad, pitchers Zac Curtis, Miller Diaz, who came over from the NY Mets in late 2015, Lucas Irvine, Bud Jeter, Blake Perry and Myles Smith will toe the rubber this season Jimmie Sherfy, who spent time in 2014 with the Rawhide returns as well. Rounding out the pitching staff are the Visalia newcomers Nick Baker, Ethan Elias, Luis Ramirez, and Austin Wright.

The backstop core sees three players return from a season ago, Tyler Baker and Oscar Hernandez along with Stryker Trahan, who split time with three affiliates in 2015, including Visalia, Kane County and Hillsboro. Baker played in 68 games last season with Visalia and while he only hit .188 45-for-240) he did throw out %41 of would-be base stealers, nailing 30 of 73. Hernandez suited up for the big club in 18 contests in 2015, logging 31 at-bats for Arizona while catching in 13 games. Trahan played in 104 games across three levels and threw out %34 of would-be base stealers while also logging time in the outfield.

The infield will feature two newcomers alongside Leyba and Lugo, with Henry Castillo and Rudy Flores joining the Rawhide this season. Castillo logged 79 games with Kane County last year, batting .315 (91-for-289). Flores, who spent time with the Rawhide in 2014 spent all of last season with the Mobile BayBears, playing 121 games and a .241 batting average (106-for-440) with 24 doubles and 14 homeruns.

Joining Bray and Reyes patrolling the outfield at Recreation Ballpark in 2016 is Ericson Leonara, Cody Regis and Chuck Taylor. Leonara begins his season in the Arizona organization after signing as a free agent in late 2015. Last season he suited up for Tampa Yankees in the Florida State League, playing in 113 games. He only hit .222 (90-for-205) but added 21 doubles, three triples and 13 homeruns. Regis enters his second season as a Diamondback farmhand after playing all year with Kane County in 2015. The lefty swinger his .290 138-for-476) over 124 games and was named a Midwest League All-Star. Taylor split time between Visalia and Kane County in 2015 and hit .280 (81-for-289) with the Cougars after originally being selected in the fourth round of the 2012 draft.

J.R House, 36, will return for his second season at the helm in Visalia after playing in parts of five Major League seasons for the Pirates, Astros, and Orioles, and enjoyed 12 professional seasons overall; he made his Big League debut in 2003, and retired after the 2011 season. House led the Rawhide to an 86-54 regular season record in 2015, and won both halves in the North Division. The club's First Half crown was their first since 1990. Lauded for his energy and ability to bring the best out of his team, House was named the League's top manager, marking the 7th time a Visalia skipper has claimed the award. This will be his 3rd managerial season overall. He originally hails from Charleston, West Virginia.

Jeff Bajenaru, 37, makes his Visalia debut as Pitching Coach in 2016. Bajenaru is from Pomona, California, and was a 36th round selection by the Chicago White Sox in 1999. He made Major League appearances with the White Sox in 2004 & 2005, and also came up briefly with the D-backs in 2006. He spent last year at short-season Missoula, where he helped guide the Osprey to a Pioneer League championship, and begins his 6th coaching year in the D-backs farm system.

Vince Harrison also begins his 1st season as Rawhide Hitting Coach, and his 3rd in the D-backs organization. The 36-year-old Lexington, Kentucky native spent parts of 9 seasons in the Minor and Independent Leagues. He is the older brother of Josh Harrison (a 2014 All-Star with the Pittsburgh Pirates), and is the nephew of 2-time World Series champion John Shelby.

Colina, 36, enters his 1st year in Visalia as well. He spent last season in Hillsboro, and is in his 3rd with the Diamondbacks. Colina played in parts of 14 minor league campaigns, and logged over 5,000 professional at-bats.

The Visalia Rawhide 2016 season kicks off Thursday, April 7th in Bakersfield against the Blaze before coming home to Rawhide Ballpark and opening the home portion of the schedule on Saturday April 14th vs. Bakersfield. Tuesday April 5th the Rawhide are hosting their Youth Baseball Camp from 4 - 7 pm followed by their "Scrim-Jam" where the Rawhide will take to the diamond for the first time this season and play a scrimmage against the Fresno Pacific University Sunbrids. The 2016 Fan Fest will be held on Saturday, April 9th from 1 -4 pm; both the "Scrim-Jam" and Fan Fest are free, open to the public events. Come see your Visalia Rawhide for the first time this season! Call 559-732-4433 for tickets and more information!

Full 2016 Visalia Rawhide Opening Day Roster

Pitchers: Nick Baker, Zac Curtis, Miller Diaz, Ethan Elias, Lucas Irvine, Bud Jeter, Brad Keller, Blake Perry, Luis Ramirez, Jimmie Sherfy, Myles Smith, Josh Taylor, Austin Wright

Catchers: Tyler Baker, Oscar Hernandez, Stryker Strahan

Infielders: Henry Castillo, Rudy Flores, Domingo Leyba, Dawel Lugo

Outfielders: Colin Bray, Ericson Leonara, Cody Regis, Victory Reyes, Chuck Taylor

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