B-Royals Release 2018 Opening Day Roster

BURLINGTON, N.C. - After a 29-39 season in 2017, the Burlington Royals have announced their 27-man roster for opening day of the 2018 season. The roster consists of 17 pitchers, five infielders, three outfielders and two catchers.
Pitcher Elvis Luciano and infielder Jeison Guzman are ranked in the Kansas City Royals Top 30 Prospects List, according to MLB.com. Luciano, the Royals 28^th-ranked prospect, was acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks earlier this month along with another prospect in exchange for Jon Jay. Guzman is the Royals 21^st-ranked prospect.
The Burlington group features 20 players who were already in the Kansas City organization and five who were selected in the 2018 Major League Draft. Outfielder Juan Carlos Negret was signed as a free agent after being granted his release from the Atlanta Braves organization in the offseason, and Luciano was acquired via trade.
Pitchers Yerelmy Garcia, Luis Alcantara and Ismael Maldonado are all returning for a second season in Burlington. Infielders Jeison Guzman and Jose Marquez are also back with the B-Royals after spending time with the club in 2017.
COACHING STAFF
After serving as Burlington's bench coach in 2017, former major leaguer Brooks Conrad is taking over the managerial duties in 2018. Carlos Martinez will spend his seventh consecutive season as the team's pitching coach, while Nelson Liriano is the hitting coach.
PITCHERS
Of the 17 pitchers on the roster, the most highly-touted is Daniel Lynch, who was selected with the 34^th-overall selection in the 2018 draft by Kansas City out of the University of Virginia. The other 2018 draft picks include Austin Cox, a fifth-round choice out of Mercer University, Austin Lambright, the 10^th-round pick from the University of Central Oklahoma, Kyle Hinton, who was taken in the 16^th-round out of the University of Delaware and Josh Dye, a 21^st round selection from Florida Gulf Coast University.
Along with Garcia, Alcantara and Maldonado, the international pitchers include Randy Acevedo, Jose De Leon, Emmanuel Estevez and Kelvin Gonzalez.
Charlie Neuweiler, Malcolm Van Buren, Bryar Johnson and Marlin Willis were all Kansas City draft picks taken in prior years from the high school ranks. Luciano will be seeing his first time in the Royals organization after his acquisition from the Arizona system.
CATCHERS
The two catchers on the Burlington roster are Chris Hudgins and Freddy Fermin. Hudgins was Kansas City's 16^th round pick out of Cal State Fullerton in 2016 and spent 2017 with Idaho Falls.
Fermin, who was signed as an international free agent out of Venezuela in 2015, also joins Burlington after playing for Idaho Falls last season.
INFIELDERS
Along with Guzman and Marquez, two of the other infielders on the roster are international signings. Those include Angel Medina and Rafael Romero.
The other infielder is Dalton Griffin, who was drafted out of high school in Georgia in the 21^st round in 2016.
OUTFIELDERS
The three outfielders on the Burlington roster are Isaiah Henry, Montae Bradshaw and Juan Carlos Negret.
Henry, a 14^th round pick out of high school in Texas in 2017, is seeing his first playing time in the Kansas City organization.
Bradshaw was a 38^th round pick out of Patrick Henry Community College in 2017 and spent last season in the Arizona League.
Negret, a Cuban-born product, is in his first season in the organization after his release from Atlanta.
The Burlington Royals are the Appalachian League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals.
The 2018 season opens on the road against the Elizabethton Twins on June 19. The home opener is on June 22 against the Bluefield Blue Jays.
Single-game tickets are on sale now. Call 336-222-0223 or visit www.burlingtonroyals.com for more information.