Sports stats

FSL1 Charlotte Stone Crabs

Stone Crabs Announce Opening Day Roster

April 6, 2015 - Florida State League (FSL1)
Charlotte Stone Crabs News Release


PORT CHARLOTTE, FL (April 6, 2015) - The Charlotte Stone Crabs, Class-A Advanced affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, are excited to announce their 2015 Opening Day roster as they prepare to start their seventh season in the Florida State League. Led by first year manager Michael Johns, the 25-man roster will feature seven of the Rays top 30 minor league prospects, including 19-year-old shortstop and number three overall prospect Willy Adames. The Stone Crabs open up at home on Thursday, April 9, at 6:30 PM when they host the defending Florida State League champion Fort Myers Miracle at Charlotte Sports Park.

Johns, 39, is ready for his first season in the Florida State League as he prepares to manage his fourth team in as many years. Since the final season of a three-year tenure with the organization's Appalachian League affiliate in Princeton in 2012, Johns has made stops in Hudson Valley (2013) and Bowling Green (2014). Last season with the Hot Rods marked MJ's first full-season managing job, when he led the team to a 61-77 finish in the Midwest League. He was influential in the development of left-handed pitcher Blake Snell and center fielder Johnny Field, who both started the 2014 season in Bowling Green before being promoted to Charlotte. Both players would eventually be named the Rays' Minor League Pitcher and Player of the Year. Johns, a resident of Orange Park, Florida, has coached 16 of the 25 players on the roster at one point during their careers.

The rest of the field staff remains intact from last season with Joe Szekely returning as hitting coach and Steve "Doc" Watson returning as pitching coach. Szekely's been with the `Crabs since their inaugural season in 2009 and has helped the offense finish second leaguewide in team batting average each of the last two seasons. Watson is back for his fourth season in Port Charlotte and his second stint with Michael Johns after serving as the pitching coach in Hudson Valley in 2013. Athletic trainer Scott Thurston starts his eighth season in the Rays organization and his fourth with Charlotte. Vero Beach native Justin Weiss is back for his second straight year as the team's strength and conditioning coach.

Snell will lead the starting rotation after his breakout 2014 season, when he finished 8-8 with a 3.19 ERA in 24 starts between Bowling Green and Charlotte. During a second-half stretch when he won four straight decisions from July 17-August 10, the former first-round pick made history when he threw the Stone Crabs first no-hitter in a rain-shortened win against Daytona on August 2 at Charlotte Sports Park. Other familiar names from last year's squad include former first-rounders Ryne Stanek (2013) and Jeff Ames (2011), who will look to rebound after injury-shortened 2014 seasons. Aside from Snell, the only other lefthander is Chris Kirsch, who's spent most of his three-year career playing for Johns. Five other pitchers who ended the 2014 season in Bowling Green will be making their Stone Crabs debuts, including righties Jacob Faria and 20-year-old German Marquez, ranked by Baseball America as the 29th best prospect in the organization.

Perhaps the most exciting element of the Opening Day roster is the infield, which features four Top 30 prospects. Topping the list at number three is 19-year-old shortstop Willy Adames, the centerpiece of last season's blockbuster trade which sent David Price to the Tigers. He was voted as having the best infield arm in the Midwest League last season, and was the preseason pick for the Rays' best defensive infielder award. In the 27 games following the trade, Adames hit .278 with nine extra-base hits and 11 runs batted in for the Hot Rods. Bronx native Andrew Velazquez (12th overall prospect) will be suiting up for the Rays for the first time after arriving in the offseason trade that sent Jeremy Hellickson to the Diamondbacks. The former Fordham Prep star led the Midwest League with 50 stolen bases in 65 attempts in 134 games with the South Bend Silver Hawks. First baseman Jake Bauers comes in as the #21 prospect who also arrived in an offseason trade. A seventh round pick of the Padres in 2013, Bauers hit .296 in 112 games with the Fort Wayne TinCaps last season, while accumulating eight homers and 64 runs batted in. A homegrown talent and a fourth round pick of the Rays in 2013, second baseman Kean Wong enters 2015 as the 25th best prospect after an All-Star season in Bowling Green. In addition to being voted as the Midwest League's best defensive second baseman, Wong finished second in the league with a .306 average. He is the younger brother of St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong.

For the second straight season, the Stone Crabs should be solid behind the plate with Maxx Tissenbaum, Armando Araiza, and Mike Marjama splitting the catching duties. Tissenbaum, a 2014 midseason All-Star with the 'Crabs, was one of the team's most consistent offensive players and finished the year batting .288 with 51 runs batted in. Araiza was voted as the best defensive catcher in the Midwest League with Bowling Green last season, while Marjama makes his first appearance in the Florida State League after spending the first four seasons of his career in the White Sox organization.

In the outfield, Marty Gantt will be back for his second season in Port Charlotte after batting .262 in 86 games a year ago. It will mark the first time in his four year career he won't be playing for manager Jared Sandberg, who's now managing the Durham Bulls in Triple-A. A 12th round pick out of Mississippi a year ago, Braxton

Lee moves up from Hudson Valley, where he helped the Renegades to the New York-Penn League playoffs. In 51 games, the 21-year-old batted .287 with 13 runs batted in. Charlotte should also benefit from the arrival of Joey Rickard, who spent all of last season in Double-A with the Montgomery Biscuits. A ninth round pick of the Rays in 2012, the former Arizona Wildcat has climbed from short-season single-A in Hudson Valley without ever making a stop in Port Charlotte during his first three seasons.

After missing the playoffs last season with a 63-70 record, the Stone Crabs will look to return to the postseason in search of their first league championship. A two-time South Division champion, the team's three postseason trips resulted in finals appearances in 2009, 2010, and 2013. Tickets for Thursday night's season opener at Charlotte Sports Park are still available, so visit www.stonecrabsbaseball.com or call 941-206-HITS (4487) to order your tickets now!

Check out the Charlotte Stone Crabs Statistics



Florida State League Stories from April 6, 2015


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 Charlotte Stone Crabs Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central