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IL1 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

SWB Game Notes

April 9, 2015 - International League (IL1)
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders News Release


First pitch is at 7:05 p.m. The game will air live on WNEP2.

SEASON OPENERS: The SWB franchise has traditionally not fared well in season openers. Since it first moved to NEPA in 1989, SWB has gone 9-17 when it was time to "Play Ball". The first-ever season-opening win did not come until year three for the team in 1991. The opponent for that 9-2 triumph? Syracuse. A season ago, SWB won its season opener at Syracuse, 4-1. The highlight play sported outfielder Ramon Flores gunning Jhonatan Solano down at the plate for a fly-ball double play in the fifth. It marked the franchise's first season-opening success since defeating Buffalo 1-0 in 2010 at home. The victory went to SWB's Bruce Billings. Billings is now a member of Syracuse's starting rotation.

ROSTER ROLL CALL: This year's club touts six of the Yankees' Top 30 prospects according to MLB.com and multiple returning stars.

BIG GUNS: Rob Refsnyder, considered the No. 5 Yankees prospect by MLB.com, returns to the RailRiders after a strong spring. The second baseman hit .364 with a home run and seven RBI in 26 Grapefruit League games. Refsnyder debuted with the RailRiders in 2014, playing in 77 games. He hit .300 with eight round-trippers and 33 RBI. New York's No. 9 prospect, Jacob Lindgren, will make his SWB debut this year after pitching in Double-A Trenton last summer. The Yankees selected Lindgren in the second round of the 2014 draft out of Mississippi State and the southpaw quickly rose through the minors with a combined 2.16 ERA after 19 appearances across four levels. No. 14 prospect Bryan Mitchell returns to the RailRiders' starting rotation alongside Chase Whitley. Whitley was in close competition for the Yankees' final spot in their rotation after posting a 1.17 ERA through 15.1 spring innings (seven games). Mitchell made nine appearances, eight starts, for SWB in 2014. He finished with a 4-2 record and a 3.67 ERA. No. 19 prospect Jose Ramirez returns for a third stint with the RailRiders. Ramirez made his Major League debut in 2014, but was limited to 22.1 combined innings due to injury.

OUTSTANDING OUTFIELD: Roaming the outfield for the RailRiders will be No. 18 prospect Tyler Austin, No. 25 prospect Ramon Flores, Slade Heathcott and Ben Gamel. Austin, a cancer survivor, claimed the organization's "MiLB Player of the Year" award in 2012 after hitting .322 in his first full season. He finished with a .275 average and 34 extra base hits with Trenton last summer. Flores played in 63 games with the RailRiders a season ago, hitting .247 with seven home runs. Heathcott claimed the Yankees' 2015 James P. Dawson Award, given annually to the team's most outstanding rookie in spring training. The 2009 first-round pick hit .355 (11-for-31) in 21 spring games.

INFIELD IN: In addition to Refsnyder, the infield will feature last season's SWB home run king in first baseman/DH Kyle Roller along with Cole Figueroa, Jonathan Galvez, Nick Noonan and Rob Segedin.

WHAT A CATCH: Austin Romine returns as the primary catcher after being edged out for the big-league back-up spot in a tightly contested spring training competition. He is joined by Eddy Rodriguez and Kyle Higashioka.

ARMS RACE: Big league veteran Kyle Davies, Jaron Long, son of former Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long, and 2014 RailRider Matt Tracy round out the rotation. The rest of the pitching staff includes highly-touted relief arms in Nick Rumbelow, Diego Moreno, Brandon Pinder, Tyler Webb and Danny Burawa.

THE SKIPPER: The only manager SWB has known during its run as the New York Yankees' top minor league club (2007-Present), Dave Miley, enters his 10th season steering the Yankees' top minor league ship. The IL Hall of Famer leads all active minor league mentors in career wins. The two-time IL Manager of the Year was at the helm for the only Governors' Cup titles in the history of both the Louisville and SWB franchises. The former Cincinnati Reds manager added to his legendary resume in 2013 when he skippered the Triple-A All-Star game for a record-tying third time. He was named Manager of the Year in all of minor league baseball by Baseball America when he led SWB to an IL North crown without a home ballpark in 2012.

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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.

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