Round Rock Express Reveal 2015 Roster
ROUND ROCK, Texas - The Texas Rangers and the Round Rock Express announced the Triple-A affiliate's 2015 roster Wednesday afternoon prior to the 2015 season opener in Oklahoma City.
The Opening Day roster features a 25-man active roster of 13 pitchers, three catchers, five infielders and four outfielders. Pitchers Ross Ohlendorf and Nick Tepesch will start the season on the seven-day DL.
Returning from the 2014 season are pitchers Tepesch, Edwar Cabrera, Luke Jackson, Alex Claudio, Jon Edwards, Spencer Patton, and Jimmy Reyes, catchers Brett Nicholas, Chris Gimenez and Tomas Telis, and outfielders Jared Hoying, Ryan Strausborger and Michael Choice. Pitcher Ross Wolf returns to Round Rock after spending last season in South Korea and pitcher Wandy Rodriguez is back in Round Rock for the first time since 2006.
New to the roster are pitchers Alex "Chi Chi" Gonzalez, Cody Kendall, David Martinez, Ohlendorf, Juan Perez, and Anthony Ranaudo, infielders Trever Adams, Hanser Alberto, Kyle Blanks, Tommy Field and Ed Lucas, and outfielder Carlos Peguero.
The 2015 roster features just three players who are playing at the Triple-A level for the first time in their careers: Gonzalez, Adams and Alberto. The veteran-heavy roster features 15 players with Major League experience: Cabrera, Edwards, Martinez, Ohlendorf, Perez, Ranaudo, Rodriguez, Wolf, Blanks, Choice, Field, Gimenez, Lucas, Peguero and Telis.
Three players on the Opening Day roster were named Rangers top 20 prospects: Gonzalez (5), Jackson (8) and Ranaudo (11).
Gonzalez and Choice were both first round selections with Gonzalez going 23rd overall in the 2013 MLB June Amateur Draft and Choice going 10th overall by Oakland in the 2010 amateur draft.
Players hail from 12 different states including three native Texans in Ohlendorf, Field and Choice and three different countries outside of the U.S.
The average age of the roster is 27.29 years old with the youngest player, Alberto Hanser, entering the season at the age of 22 and the oldest player, Wandy Rodriguez, at 36.
First-season Express manager Jason Wood joins the staff after managing at Double-A Frisco this past season. Prior to Frisco, Wood was the manager at High-A Myrtle Beach from 2011-2013 earning numerous accolades, including a nod from Baseball America as the Carolina League's top managerial prospect in 2012 and 2013.
Starting Rotation Solidified for Opening Series
Anthony Ranaudo will be the Opening Day starter for the Express in Oklahoma City with Luke Jackson pitching in game two, Wandy Rodriguez in game three and Alex Gonzalez in game four. Ross Wolf is slated to start the first game of the Colorado Springs series.
A mixture of veteran experience and youthful excitement make up the starting rotation. Ranuado, Rodriguez and Wolf have all seen action in the big leagues, while Jackson and Gonzalez bring young arms to the rotation. Jackson played his first year of Triple-A ball last season and this year will mark Gonzalez's first appearance at the Triple-A level.
Ranaudo made his way to Round Rock via a trade with the Boston Red Sox on January 27, 2015. The righthander went 4-3 with the Red Sox last year and had a 4.81 ERA with 15 strikeouts. Luke Jackson returns to Round Rock after a solid start in Frisco last season and 11 games for the Express this past summer. Wandy Rodriguez signed as a Free Agent with Texas on April 6, 2015 and makes his return to Dell Diamond where he pitched for the Express in 2004, 2005 and 2006 as a member of the Houston Astros organization. After impressing the organization in Frisco last year, Alex Gonzalez gets his first crack at Triple-A action. Gonzalez went 7-4 with the RoughRiders in 2014 with a 2.71 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 14 starts. Ross Wolf is back stateside with the Express after a season in South Korea. Wolf pitched for Round Rock in 2012 and 2013, starting six games in 2013.
Geno Petralli Joins Staff as Auxiliary Coach
Joining Jason Wood and the coaching staff for his first year in Round Rock is Coach Geno Petralli. Petralli began his career as a player/coach in 1994 with the Orlando Cubs and had roving responsibilities with Daytona, Kissimmee and Des Moines within the Chicago Cubs organization. He also ran the Baltimore Orioles GCL between the 1994 and 1995 season.
For the last 12 years, Geno has also worked with the Fort Worth Cats youth amateur baseball coaching kids ages 12 to 17.
The Express are on the road to kick off its 16th season with a four-game series against the Oklahoma Dodgers (Los Angeles Dodgers affiliate) followed by a four-game series against the Colorado Springs Sky Sox (Milwaukee Brewers affiliate). For tickets and more information on the Express, visit www.RoundRockExpress.com or call (512) 255-2255. Keep up with the Express on Facebook and Twitter!