Isotopes Opening Day Roster Unveiled
The Albuquerque Isotopes unveiled their Opening Day roster today that features some of the Colorado Rockies top prospects. The roster includes 16 players with Major League experience and four first-round picks.
New manager Glenallen Hill's club features an average age of 26.4, balancing a group of veterans and younger players on the rise. Ten members of Albuquerque's squad are on the Colorado Rockies 40-man roster: Chad Bettis, Rex Brothers, Jairo Diaz, Tommy Kahnle, Jorge Rondon, Chris Rusin, Cristhian Adames, Ben Paulsen, Brandon Barnes and Kyle Parker.
Pitching coach Darryl Scott has an experienced staff with 10 of his 12 hurlers claiming Major League experience. Right-hander Jon Gray, the Rockies No. 2 overall prospect, will highlight the staff. Gray owns a 14-5 overall record in the Minors with a 3.45 ERA after being drafted third overall in the 2013 draft. He is also the youngest player on the roster at 23 years, 155 days. Right-hander Tommy Kahnle appeared in 54 games with Colorado in 2014 with a 2-1 record and 4.19 ERA. Chad Bettis also pitched in 37 games with Colorado during the last two seasons, while Rex Brothers has a 15-11 record over four seasons with the Rockies. Jair Jurrjens, Aaron Laffey and John Lannan have combined to play in parts of 20 Major League seasons, and Laffey will make his return to Isotopes Park after 12 appearances at the Lab in an Isotopes jersey in 2013. Jairo Diaz (Los Angeles [AL]), Jorge Rondon (St. Louis), Chris Rusin (Chicago [NL]) and Simon Castro (Chicago [AL]) all also have big league time. Ken Roberts will make his Triple-A debut after posting a 9-2 ledger with a 2.31 ERA at Double-A a season ago. Reliever Scott Oberg will also be making the jump to Triple-A this season with a combined 2.17 ERA in 108 appearances over three Minor League seasons.
Hitting coach Dave Hajek will have plenty of experience to work with at the plate as well. Albuquerque will begin the season with three versatile catchers on the roster: Ryan Casteel, Dustin Garneau and Matt McBride. Casteel is making his first appearance at Triple-A. The 23-year-old was a 17th-round selection in 2010 and has a lot of versatility defensively, splitting his time between catcher (39 games), first base (59) and designated hitter (18) in 2014. Garneau appeared in 44 games with Triple-A Colorado Springs last season, slugging four home runs, nine doubles and two triples. He was also named a Texas League Mid-Season All-Star after hitting .270 with seven doubles and 20 RBI in 34 Double-A games in 2014. McBride split his 2014 campaign between Triple-A and the Rockies. Four of his seven hits in the Majors last season were for extra-bases, included a grand slam against Kansas City on August 20 when he went 2-for-3 in a 5-2 Colorado win. McBride was also awarded the Abby Greer Award this spring, given to the Rockies Minor Leaguer who had the best Spring Training. McBride hit .315 with four home runs, 12 RBI and a .986 OPS in 26 games.
The Isotopes infield features a mix of Major League experience and youth. Cristhian Adames is the youngest position player on the Opening Day roster at a ripe 23 years, 257 days, yet he is one of two Topes infielders on Colorado's 40-man roster. In 38 games at the Triple-A level in 2014, Adames hit .338 with 12 doubles, 14 RBI and five stolen bases. Ben Paulsen is also on the 40-man and split the 2014 campaign between Triple-A and the big leagues. He hit .317 in 31 games with Colorado, including his first-career hit in his MLB debut on July 21 when he went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Angelys Nina and Tim Smalling will both be back at Triple-A after spending the majority of 2014 with Colorado Springs. Joey Wong will see his first stint at Triple-A after two years at the Double-A level.
Three of Albuquerque's four outfielders played in the Major Leagues last season. Brandon Barnes and Kyle Parker appear on the Rockies 40-man roster, while Roger Bernadina has seen time in the Majors in seven different seasons. Barnes in a career .242 hitter in the big leagues with 37 doubles, 17 homers and 75 RBI, while Parker made his debut just last season, going 5-for-26 with one double. Bernadina returns to Isotopes Park after playing in 23 games with the Isotopes a season ago. Tim Wheeler rounds out the outfield corp. The first-round selection from 2009 will return to Triple-A for the fourth season after clubbing 11 homers in 2014, a personal-best at the Triple-A level.
The Isotopes season opener is this Thursday, April 9, when they take on the Reno Aces at 6:35 p.m.