NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, CFL stats



Round Rock Express

Round Rock Express Announces Opening Day Roster

March 28, 2013 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Round Rock Express News Release


ROUND ROCK, Texas - The Round Rock Express officially have the one-two punch to start the 2013 season.

The "one" in this case is the number one prospect in all of baseball, shortstop Jurickson Profar, and the "two" being the Rangers number two prospect, third baseman Mike Olt. Both players have been assigned to the Round Rock Express to start the season along with a full roster of talented players led by returning manager Bobby Jones.

The current roster, released Thursday, includes 11 pitchers, three catchers, six infielders and four outfielders. With just 24 on the active roster, there is room for one more player to be added before Opening Day.

There are seven familiar faces returning from the 2012 season, highlighted by 2012 Express MVP and Pacific Coast League mid-season All-Star Joey Butler. Also returning are pitchers Justin Grimm (Rangers #11 prospect), Neal Cotts, Yoshinori Tateyama, Johan Yan, infielders Greg Miclat and Yangervis Solarte.

Thirteen players on the current roster have major league experience: pitchers Cotts, Grimm, Tateyama, Collin Balester, Jeff Beliveau, Evan Meek, Nate Robertson, Randy Wells, catcher Eli Whiteside, infielders Olt, Profar and Brandon Allen and outfielder Aaron Cunningham. Eleven of those 13 spent time in the big leagues last season.

The Opening Day roster features just five players who are playing at the Triple-A level for the first time in their careers. That list includes pitchers Lisaverto Bonilla (Reading - AA) and Richard Bleier (Frisco - AA), catcher Jose Felix (Frisco), infielder Chris McGuiness (Frisco) and outfielder Engel Beltre (Frisco).

Current Express players hail from 13 different states and six different countries. The states include Alaska, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Mississippi, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington. The countries include Canada, Curacao, the Dominican Republic, Japan, Mexico and Venezuela.

Express manager Jones returns for his third season with the team, alongside returning third base coach Spike Owen, athletic trainer Jason Roberts and strength coach Ric Mabie. New to the 2013 coaching staff is pitching coach Brad Holman. Hitting coach Scott Coolbaugh returns to Round Rock after spending the past season and a half on the Rangers coaching staff.

Fans can purchase tickets to Opening Day by calling the Express ticket office at (512) 255-2255 or online at www.RoundRockExpress.com. Opening Day will also be the first "Original Thirsty Thursday" of the season with $1 sodas and discounted draft beer.

The Express kick off the season with a four-game series against the Omaha Storm Chasers (Kansas City Royals affiliate) followed by a four-game series against the Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs affiliate). Keep up with the Express on Facebook and Twitter!

Check out the Round Rock Express Statistics

• Discuss this story on the Pacific Coast League message board...

Pacific Coast League Stories from March 28, 2013


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Round Rock Express Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central