ValleyCats Retain Strong Core from 2024 Season, Acquire Eight New Players

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FL Tri-City ValleyCats

ValleyCats Retain Strong Core from 2024 Season, Acquire Eight New Players

December 17, 2024 - Frontier League (FL)
Tri-City ValleyCats News Release


TROY, NY - The Tri-City ValleyCats have announced their first Building the Roster Update of the 2024-25 offseason presented by Curtis Lumber. The ValleyCats retained many of their players from this previous season, and acquired eight new players through trades and free agent signings. This year, Tri-City hosted the Frontier League East Wild Card Game, and made the postseason for the first time since 2018. These athletes will look to make an impact during the ValleyCats All-Star Game season in 2025.

Tri-City has picked up the options of the following players: C Oscar Campos, RHP Chas Cywin, RHP Nick DeCarlo, INF Tyson Gingerich, CF Jaxon Hallmark, RHP Rolando Heredia-Bustos, UTL Cam Jones, RHP Nathan Medrano, INF Robbie Merced, LHP Caden O'Brien, LHP Tom Peltier, INF Josue Urdaneta, and RHP Zeke Wood.

The 'Cats handed out contract extensions to RHP Wes Albert, OF Dylan Broderick, RHP Austin Dill, OF Demias Jimerson, RHP Easton Klein, 1B Kyle Novak, RHP Arlo Marynczak, RHP Gino Sabatine, 3B Ian Walters, RHP Connor Wilford, and OF Javeyan Williams. The ValleyCats have also signed the following new players: OF Julian Boyd, INF Drew Holderbach, INF Brody Harding, INF John McHenry, LHP Stephen Still, OF RJ Stinson, and C Miguel Useche.

Tri-City received INF Amani Larry from the Evansville Otters to complete the Alec Olund trade and subsequently picked up his contract option for the 2025 campaign. Meanwhile, the 'Cats traded LHP Alfredo Ruiz to the Joliet Slammers for future considerations.

Boyd fits in perfectly with the ValleyCats thanks to his sneaky power and blistering speed. The San Diego native was third overall in the Pioneer Baseball League with 46 stolen bases and six triples for the Grand Junction Jackalopes. The Colorado Mesa University product also batted .280 and swatted 10 homers in 80 games.

The Holderbach name should sound familiar to plenty of 'Cats fans, as Drew's older brother, Alex, was on the 2018 championship team. The younger Holderbach brother batted .305 in 37 games for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers of the MLB Draft League, and had a brief two-game appearance with the Florence Y'alls to close out the 2024 campaign.

A teammate of Boyd, Harding batted .333 across 25 games with Grand Junction in 2024. The left-hand hitting infielder saw a huge spike in power during his final year at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He cranked 10 long balls across 56 collegiate games this past season for the Fighting Illini.

Larry swiped three bases in 13 games during his first professional year with Evansville. He won several accolades in college, including the 2022 First Team All-Southland Conference honors from the University of New Orleans. Larry finished his college career as a key contributor for Mississippi State University in 2023 & 2024.

The switch-hitting McHenry was signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Washington Nationals in 2022. He spent three seasons in their organization, reaching as far as High-A Wilmington. The 23-year-old competed in 118 Minor League games, sporting a .316 OBP and racking up 16 stolen bases.

Still is the third representative of the 2024 Jackalopes to join the ValleyCats. The southpaw compiled plenty of swings and misses for Grand Junction, striking out 118 batters in 84.1 innings. The Baton Rouge native graduated from Loyola University - New Orleans in 2024, and played with the Wolf Pack for four years.

Stinson, an offensive force for William Carey University, left the program as the all-time leader in hits (338), RBI (225), and runs (265). The 5-foot-10 outfielder was one of five finalists for the Ferriss Award in 2024, given to the top collegiate player in Mississippi.

Useche hails from Caracas, Venezuela and immigrated to the U.S. when he was five years old. He is coming off his best season at the University of New Orleans, hitting .349 with five home runs and 45 RBI in 57 games.

Frontier League teams are able to carry 34 players during the offseason with the active roster then trimmed down to 24 players for Opening Day on May 9 th. The ValleyCats roster will continue to take shape during the hot stove season with additional transactions updated at www.tcvalleycats.com and through the team's social media channels.

Ticket plans and group outings are now available to purchase for the ValleyCats All-Star Game season in 2025. Each ticket plan includes multiple fireworks dates to enjoy. The Frontier League Midsummer Classic at "The Joe" will be on Wednesday, July 16 th. Fans can add on All-Star Game tickets to their ticket plan, and group outings can also be booked now for the Midsummer Classic. Individual All-Star Game tickets will go back on sale on March 27 th. You can be a part of the excitement by logging on to tcvalleycats.com or by calling 518-629-CATS (2287).

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