SeaWolves announce 2007 roster
Published on April 1, 2007 under Eastern League (EL1)
Erie SeaWolves News Release
The Detroit Tigers today announced their 2007 minor league rosters. The 2007 version of the Erie SeaWolves will be filled with top prospects and a balanced mix of veterans to compliment the youth. 10 of the 24 players on the squad are in Baseball America's Top 30 rated prospects in the Tigers organization (Four in the top 10).
RETURNING PLAYERS
12 of the 24 players on the squad have spent parts of or entire seasons with the SeaWolves. Those players include starting pitchers Jair Jurrjens, Eulogio De La Cruz, Eddie Bonine and Jon Connolly. Four of the five arms in the rotation were a part of the Erie rotation at some point during the 2006 campaign. Other returning players include third baseman Kody Kirkland, who finished last season with Toledo, and infielders Adam Haley and Nick McIntyre. Outfielder Jackson Melian also makes a return to Erie.
CATCHERS
Two new backstops will start the season with the 'Wolves. Steve Torrealba spent 2006 with Rieleros de Aguascalientes of the Mexican League and Joel Roa from West Michigan. Torrealba made it to the big leagues with the Atlanta Braves in 2002.
INFIELDERS
The infield will be stocked with talent as Brent Dlugach and Kirkland man the left side while newcomers Mike Hollimon and Jeff Larish man the right. Dlugach spent most of the 2006 season with Lakeland before a late season call-up to Toledo. Kirkland was tied for the SeaWolves team lead in home runs in '06 with 22. Hollimon makes the jump from Class-A West Michigan where he batted .278 with 15 home runs and 54 RBI. He also led the Whitecaps with 77 walks. Larish notched 18 long balls with Lakeland last season and was second on the team in RBI with 65. Nick McIntyre and Adam Haley round out the infield and were both members of the SeaWolves last season.
OUTFIELDERS
Two Double-A rookies will make the jump from West Michigan and Lakeland in 2007. Matt Joyce batted .258 with 15 home runs for the Whitecaps last season while Clete Thomas hit .257 and led the Tigers with 136 hits.Jackson Melian returns as the only outfielder from the 2006 team. He played in 103 games for Erie batting .269 with 15 home runs and 60 RBI. Andres Torres rounds out the outfield. Torres spent 2006 with the Rochester Red Wings (Triple-A, Twins). He was a member of the 2001 SeaWolves and has big league experience with Detroit.
THE BATS
Experience will be the key with the SeaWolves at the plate this season. Kirkland has a year of Double-A under his belt while Dlugach helped Toledo to a stretch playoff run last season. The SeaWolves have a balance of power hitters with Larish, Melian and Kirkland and have a compliment of on-base players with Hollimon, Torres, Thomas and Joyce. While the 'Wolves led the EL in home runs, they also led the league in strikeouts. Time will tell whether the 2007 version with more speed and pop at the top and bottom of the lineup will produce a higher powered scoring offensive attack.
THE ARMS
The SeaWolves enter the season with a strong pitching staff. The rotation will feature returnees Jurrjens, De La Cruz, Bonine and Connolly. The fifth member of the rotation is Dallas Trahern who went 6-11 with a 3.30 ERA in Lakeland.
The bullpen will be anchored by four returning SeaWolves in P.J. Finigan, Jeremy Johnson, Ian Ostlund and Danny Zell. Kyle Sleeth, who played in Erie in 2004 prior to Tommy John Surgery, will also come out of the pen. Two newcomers in Kevin Ardoin and Andrew Kown round out the bullpen.
TOP PROSPECTS
Prospects listed in Baseball America's Top 30 for the Tigers Organization include:
#4 - Jair Jurrjens
#6 - Eulogio De La Cruz
#8 - Dallas Trahern
#9 - Jeff Larish
#11 - Kody Kirkland
#15 - Mike Hollimon
#19 - P.J. Finigan
#23 - Matt Joyce
#29 - Clete Thomas
#30 - Kyle Sleeth
Three players, De La Cruz, Sleeth and Kirkland are on the Tigers 40-man roster.
The 13th season of SeaWolves baseball begins Thursday, April 5 against the Altoona Curve (Pittsburgh Pirates). First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. For ticket information, visit www.seawolves.com or call (814) 456-1300. All 142 SeaWolves games will be broadcast live on Jet Radio 1400 and on www.seawolves.com.
Eastern League Stories from April 1, 2007
- Senators Roster Released - Harrisburg Senators
- 2007 Fisher Cats Roster Announced - New Hampshire Fisher Cats
- SeaWolves announce 2007 roster - Erie SeaWolves
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.
