Vipers Roster Set
May 17, 2006 - Northern League (NL)
Calgary Vipers News Release
Calgary Vipers field manager Mike Busch has finalized his opening day roster for Thursday's game against the defending Northern League Champion Gary SouthShore RailCats at 7:05 pm at Foothills Stadium.
Eight players from the 2005 Vipers lineup will return for a second season although one, MVP Carlos Duncan, will miss the first week of the season because of travel complications from the Dominican Republic.
The Vipers will welcome back two pitchers and six position players from the team that missed the playoffs last summer by a mere half game. Starting pitcher Quintin Oldenburg, the 2005 Northern League Rookie Pitcher of the Year, will again be in the Calgary rotation. Canadian reliever Brad Rogers will start the season in the pen.
Two first half North Division All-Stars are also back with the Vipers. Catcher Adam Shorsher and first baseman Jason Colson will be joined by three more returnees, left fielder Drew Miller, shortstop Samuel Rosario and utility player Shaun Ashman.
There are nine newcomers to the Vipers pitching staff including veterans Klae Calvert from Australia and Javier Ortiz from Colombia. Americans Jake Brooks, Josh Daws, Frank James, Justin Dowdy and John Huizinga along with Canadian Clint Hosford and Ryokan Kobayashi of Japan complete the pitching staff.
The truly United Nations roster of the Vipers also includes Cuban Yosvany Almario in center field and Manabu Kuramochi of Japan at second base. American Josh Carter starts the season in right field with Aaron McEachran handling the hot corner. Brandon Rogers will share time behind the plate with Shorsher which will make for an interesting battery when Brad Rogers is pitching.
The Vipers also play Friday night at 7:05 pm followed by three straight afternoon starts at 1:35 pm. The first 1,000 adults through the gate on Thursday night will receive one month passes from the World Health Club. Next Wednesday is the first Wireless Wednesday with the Vipers and Fargo Moorhead RedHawks taking to the field at 12:35 pm. Foothills Stadium will have WIFI service for all Wednesday games so fans can bring their laptops and pretend they're still at the office. City-TV will be handing out 1500 Groucho Glasses next Wednesday so your boss can't recognize you at the ball game.
PITCHERS B T HT WT BIRTH 2005 CLUB RESIDES 2006 STATUS
BROOKS, JAKE R R 6'1" 205 3/23/1978 Newark/Akron Algonquin, IL LS-3
CALVERT, KLAE R R 6'5" 220 11/30/1976 North Shore ('04) Mililani, HI VETERAN
DAWS, JOSH R R 5'10" 190 12/8/1978 Kalamazoo Fort Myers, FL LS-2
DOWDY, JUSTIN L L 6'1" 180 8/13/1983 Rancho Cucamonga Chula Vista, CA LS-3
HOSFORD, CLINT R R 6'3" 205 8/8/1980 Elmira Courtney, BC LS-3
HUIZINGA, JON R R 6'4" 210 10/16/1979 Kalamazoo ('04) Wayland, MI LS-1
JAMES, FRANK S L 6'2" 190 7/23/1980 Edinburg/Rockford Elgin, TX LS-2
KOBAYASHI, RYOKAN R R 6'3" 195 4/28/1979 Did not Play Tokyo, Japan LS-4
OLDENBURG, QUINTIN R R 6'1" 180 8/20/1978 Gary/Calgary Appleton, WI ROOKIE
ORTIZ, JAVIER R R 6'0" 155 11/28/1979 Charlotte Cartagena, Columbia VETERAN
ROGERS, BRAD R R 6'4" 210 12/6/1981 Calgary Nanaimo, BC LS-3
CATCHERS B T HT WT BIRTH 2005 CLUB RESIDES 2006 STATUS
ROGERS, BRANDON R R 6'0 209 3/1/1978 Kalamazoo ('04) El Cajon, CA LS-4
SHORSHER, ADAM R R 6'2" 200 10/8/1980 Calgary San Jose, CA LS-2
INFIELDERS B T HT WT BIRTH 2005 CLUB RESIDES 2006 STATUS
COLSON, JASON L R 6'3" 240 11/16/1978 Gary/Calgary Wierton, WV ROOKIE
DUNCAN, CARLOS R R 6'0" 195 6/30/1977 Calgary San Pedro de Macoris, DR VETERAN
KURAMOCHI, MANABU S R 5'7" 150 10/21/1978 Calgary ('03) Tokyo, JPN ROOKIE
McEACHRAN, AARON L R 6'0" 200 1/28/1979 Rockford St. Louis Park, MN LS-3
ROSARIO, SAMUEL Calgary
OUTFIELDERS B T HT WT BIRTH 2005 CLUB RESIDES 2006 STATUS
ALMARIO, YOSVANY R R 5'11" 190 6/21/1980 Charleston/Tampa Miami, FL LS-1
ASHMAN, SHAUN L R 6'0" 195 5/2/1980 Calgary Montrose, BC ROOKIE
CARTER, JOSH R R 6'2" 215 11/5/1980 Clearwater Fallbrook, CA LS-4
MILLER, DREW L R 6'1" 215 1/3/1980 Calgary Medicine Hat, AB LS-3
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Northern League Stories from May 17, 2006
- Cracker-Cats and RedHawks open season Thursday at 7:05 - Edmonton Capitals
- Vipers Roster Set - Calgary Vipers
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