San Jose Giants Announce 2009 Roster
Published on April 6, 2009 under California League (CalL1)
San Jose Giants News Release
SAN JOSE, CA- Highlighted by six former first round draft picks and most of the top prospects in the San Francisco organization, the San Jose Giants unveiled their opening day roster in anticipation for the 2009 season. The club will be led offensively by 2008 first round draft selection Buster Posey while the reigning San Francisco Giants Minor League Pitcher of the Year Madison Bumgarner and last season's California League ERA champion Tim Alderson lead a deep and talented pitching staff.
"If you're a Giants fan, or just a fan of baseball, you're going to be thrilled about what you see in San Jose this season," said Manager Andy Skeels. "We have players that are going to be an integral part of the success in San Francisco in the near future."
Posey returns to San Jose after joining the Giants last September during the playoffs. The catcher, who was selected fifth overall in last year's draft, won every major college Player of the Year award in 2008 at Florida State University after leading the country in batting average (.463), RBI's (93), slugging percentage (.879) and on-base percentage (.566). He also tallied 26 home runs in just 68 games played. Posey has limited professional experience, having played in only 15 career games entering 2009, but the backstop shined in major league spring training camp last month as a non-roster invitee.
Bumgarner will be looking to build on an outstanding 2008 campaign that saw the 19-year old left-hander win South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Year as a member of the Augusta GreenJackets. Bumgarner compiled a 15-3 record to go with a remarkable 1.46 ERA while amassing 164 strikeouts in 141 2/3 innings. The southpaw was also named MiLB.com's Most Spectacular Pitcher after finishing with the lowest earned run average among starting pitchers in Minor League Baseball.
Alderson returns for his second season in San Jose after a tremendous 2008 All-Star campaign in the California League. The 20-year old right-hander led the league with a 2.79 ERA in addition to posting a 13-4 record while sharing the San Jose Giants Pitcher of the Year award. Alderson also finished tied for third in the league in victories and fourth in strikeouts. The San Francisco Giants chose both Bumgarner and Alderson in the first round of the 2007 draft.
Top prospects and former first round picks Nick Noonan and Conor Gillaspie will also play key roles on this year's San Jose squad. Noonan, a 19-year old second baseman, was arguably Augusta's most consistent hitter last season en route to the league championship. A 2007 supplemental first round pick, Noonan batted .279 with the GreenJackets in addition to collecting nine home runs, 68 RBI's and 29 stolen bases.
Gillaspie, a supplemental first round pick in last year's draft, enjoyed a brief stint with the San Francisco Giants last September. The third baseman hit .268 in 18 games with the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes before receiving a promotion to San Francisco where he appeared in eight games. Gillaspie became the first player from the 2008 draft to reach the major leagues while also becoming the quickest San Francisco Giants draft choice to appear in a big league game (96 days after the draft). Gillaspie was an All-American at Wichita State University in 2008 where he posted a .419 batting average.
Elite prospect Angel Villalona will also begin the 2009 season in San Jose after leading Augusta in home runs last year as the youngest player in the South Atlantic League. The 18-year old blasted 17 homers while also contributing 29 doubles and 64 RBI's. Villalona is regarded as one of the top power hitting prospects in the San Francisco organization.
According to Baseball America, the top five prospects in the San Francisco farm system and six out of the top seven (#1 Bumgarner, #2 Posey, #3 Villalona, #4 Alderson, #5 Noonan, #7 Gillaspie) are on San Jose's opening day roster.
Eight players on the roster have previously called Municipal Stadium home. Returning from the 2008 San Jose Giants, in addition to Posey and Alderson, are pitchers Clayton Tanner, Daniel Turpen, Wilmin Rodriguez and Craig Whitaker and outfielder Darren Ford. Pitcher Adam Cowart is also back in the California League after having played in San Jose during the 2007 playoffs.
Tanner will again pitch in the starting rotation after logging a 10-8 record and the sixth-lowest ERA in the California League (3.69) last season. Turpen and Rodriguez, a pair of relief pitchers, split 2008 between San Jose and Augusta while Whitaker, a former first round pick, will again work out of the bullpen. Ford begins his second season in the San Francisco organization after he was acquired via trade from the Milwaukee Brewers last July. The center fielder has stolen over 60 bases in each of his first three full professional seasons. Cowart excelled for the Giants during the 2007 post-season winning the decisive fifth game of the Championship Series on the mound before spending all of last year with Double-A Connecticut.
Other notable newcomers include pitchers Scott Barnes and Edwin Quirarte, shortstop Brandon Crawford and outfielder Roger Kieschnick. Barnes, rated #9 on Baseball America's list of top San Francisco Giants prospects, formed a dominant 1-2 punch alongside Bumgarner in Augusta's starting rotation late last season. The left-hander fashioned a 1.38 ERA with 41 strikeouts in 32 2/3 innings over six starts after joining the GreenJackets.
Quirarte saved 14 games to go with a 2.12 ERA as Salem-Keizer's closer last year and should play a key role out of San Jose's bullpen. Crawford, a fourth round pick last season, hails from nearby Pleasanton and is considered one of the top shortstop prospects in the farm system. Kieschnick will be making his professional baseball debut in the San Francisco Giants farm system this season. A third round pick in 2008, Kieschnick played for the Waikiki BeachBoys last season and led the Hawaii Winter League in home runs.
Other newcomers to the San Jose Giants in 2009 include pitchers T.J. Brewer, Craig Clark, Rafael Cova, Mitch Lively, David Mixon and Oliver Odle, catchers Michael Ambort and Aaron Lowenstein, infielders Vladimir Frias and Skyler Stromsmoe and outfielders Shane Jordan and Thomas Neal.
The 25 active player roster will be determined on April 9th from this preliminary roster.
Andy Skeels joins the San Jose Giants as manager this season. Last year, Skeels directed Augusta to the best record among full-season teams and a South Atlantic League championship. The GreenJackets posted an outstanding 88-50 mark with Skeels at the helm to earn MiLB.com's Team of the Year award. Skeels is set to begin his fourth season in the San Francisco Giants organization and second year as a manager.
Hitting coach Gary Davenport, pitching coach Jerry Cram, athletic trainer Yukiya Oba and strength and conditioning coach Carl Kochan round out the San Jose staff.
Fans can meet the 2009 players and coaches at the 2nd annual San Jose Giants FanFest on Monday, April 6th at Municipal Stadium. Gates open at 5:30 PM while Skeels and many of his players and coaches will be available to sign autographs, pose for pictures, and answer questions from fans as part of a "Meet and Greet" at 6:00 PM on the Martinelli's VIP Deck. Fans will then have the opportunity to watch the team practice beginning at 7:00 PM, enjoy their first bite of Turkey Mike's BBQ, purchase new merchandise at the Clubhouse Store, and play in the Family Fun Zone. Admission and parking are free. Those interested in becoming new season ticket holders are invited to come down to Municipal Stadium during FanFest to select their seat locations.
The San Jose Giants open their 2009 season on Thursday, April 9th at Municipal Stadium vs. the Stockton Ports. The Opening Night Extravaganza will include a post-game fireworks display presented by State Farm, 2009 magnet schedule giveaway, the return of Gigante and much more. Box Seats and Upper Reserved Seats are already SOLD OUT for Opening Night but plenty of General Admission tickets are still available. For more information on tickets for the 2009 season please call (408) 297-1435 or visit www.sjgiants.com.
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