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Lake County Captains Announce 2018 Roster

April 2, 2018

 (Eastlake, OH) - The Lake County Captains, the Class- A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, have announced their 2018 Opening Day roster. The Captains will feature five players who rank in the top 30 Indians prospects, according to MLB.com, including Indians #4 prospect Nolan Jones and #7 prospect Will Benson

 (Eastlake, OH) - The Lake County Captains, the Class- A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, have announced their 2018 Opening Day roster. The Captains will feature five players who rank in the top 30 Indians prospects, according to MLB.com, including Indians #4 prospect Nolan Jones and #7 prospect Will Benson .
Benson and Jones were the Indians' first two selections in the 2016 MLB Draft. Benson, a power hitting 19-year old outfielder, was the Indians' first round pick two years ago. The Tribe selected Benson 14th overall out of The Westminster Schools in Atlanta, GA. He went on to slug 10 home runs last year for the Short Season Mahoning Valley Scrappers.
Jones, a lefty-hitting third baseman, was Cleveland's second pick 2016. The 19-year old third baseman was selected 55th overall out of Holy Ghost Prep in Pennsylvania. Last year with Mahoning Valley, the left-handed hitter batted .317 and led the New York-Penn League with 43 walks.
In addition to Benson and Jones, the Captains boast two more position players who rank among the Indians' top prospects. Outfielder Oscar Gonzalez is rated as Cleveland's #18 prospect. The 20-year old from the Dominican Republic was named an All-Star in the New York-Penn League last year. Second baseman Ernie Clement ranks as the Tribe's #24 prospect. The former MVP of the prestigious Cape Cod League was Cleveland's fourth-round selection last year.
Another All-Star, a pair of returnees and an elite college contact hitter round out the Captains' infield. Ulysses Cantu , a 19-year old first baseman from Texas, was named a New York-Penn League All-Star last year. Shortstop Tyler Friis will be another new addition to the Captains this year. The Indiana State product was one of the toughest players in the country to strike out last college season. Cantu and Friis are joined by Jorma Rodriguez and Jose Medina , who return to the Captains after spending part of 2017 in Lake County. Rodriguez is a third and second baseman from Venezuela. Medina is a first baseman and outfielder from the Dominican Republic who hit three homers in a game last year at Lansing and also spent part of 2016 with the Captains.
In the outfield, returnee Todd Isaacs and newcomer Austen Wade will accompany Benson and Gonzalez. Isaacs, a speedy outfielder from the Bahamas, etched his name in Captains history last season when he hit a walk-off home run to notch the Captains' 1,000th win. Wade was a standout at Texas Christian University. After leading the Horned Frogs in average, hits, doubles, triples and walks, Wade was drafted by the Indians in the fifth round.
Michael Rivera and Jose Vicente will work behind the dish this year. Rivera was a key member of the Florida Gators who captured the College World Series title last year. It was the first ever baseball national title in Gators history. Vicente, a returnee from last year, slugged six homers in 35 games of action in 2017 with Lake County.
The Captains' 13-man pitching staff is dotted with numerous top picks and electric arms. Eli Morgan, the Indians' #28 prospect, highlights the hurlers. The Indians drafted the Gonzaga right-hander in the eighth round last year after he finished third in NCAA Division I in strikeouts. Coincidentally, the man who finished second on that list will be Morgan's teammate in Lake County. James Karinchak , a right-hander from Bryant University, struck out an average of 13.7 batters per nine innings before Cleveland selected him in the ninth round last year.
Morgan and Karinchak will be joined by a pair of second-round picks in RHP Grant Hockin (2014) and LHP Juan Hillman (2015) who returns after spending last season with Lake County. The Captains' pitching staff will also feature another returnee in RHP Domingo Jimenez , as well as RHP Tommy DeJuneas , LHP Kirk McCarty , RHP Jean Carlos Mejía , LHP Kyle Nelson , LHP Francisco Perez , RHP Felix Tati , RHP Jonathan Teaney and RHP Gregori Vasquez .
Lake County's coaching staff will be led by Luke Carlin , who becomes the 13th field manager in Captains' history. The former Major League catcher will be joined by Pitching Coach Joe Torres, Hitting Coach Peter Lauritson and Bench Coach Kyle Hudson . Jake Legan will be the Captains' Athletic Trainer and Juan Acevedo will be the Strength Coach.
The Lake County Captains open the 2018 season on April 5 at Classic Park against Fort Wayne. Affordable ticket packages and group party and picnic options are available now. More information may be found at captainsbaseball.com or by calling 440-954-WINS.

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