Blue Jays announce 2014 Opening Day Roster
DUNEDIN, FL - The Dunedin Blue Jays have announced their tentative 2014 Opening Day roster, which will take the field to face the Clearwater Threshers at 6:30 p.m. at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium on Thursday. Managing the team this season is Omar Malavé, who is beginning his second stint as the D-Jay's skipper. Joining him will be FSL Hall of Famer Darold Knowles in his ninth season as pitching coach and Stubby Clapp who returns for his second year as hitting coach.
Dunedin will begin the season with 30 players on the roster, 22 of which played at least one game in Dunedin last season. There are currently 14 pitchers and 16 position players on the team, and among them are nine who were drafted in the first 10 rounds of the MLB Entry Draft.
Leading the rotation will be lefties Daniel Norris (Science Hill HS, TN) and Matt Boyd (Oregon St.), who both saw action in Dunedin late last season after impressive showings with the Lansing Lugnuts. Norris, a 2011 second-rounder, posted a 0.75 ERA, .880 WHIP, and 29 strikeouts in five starts with Lansing last August, earning him a late start with the Blue Jays, a five-inning outing in which he allowed only one hit. Entering this season, Norris was ranked as the #6 overall prospect and #3 pitching prospect in the Blue Jay's system by Baseball America. While Norris spent almost the entire 2013 season in Lansing, Boyd was on the move, starting the spring with his college team, the Oregon State Beavers. He posted an 11-4 record and 2.04 ERA, good enough to be named a Third-Team All-American by Baseball America, and also gained national recognition with his post-season performance. He was the first college player selected by the Blue Jays in the 2013 Draft, going in the sixth round, and was sent immediately to Lansing, where his 0.64 ERA and .571 WHIP quickly earned him a move to Dunedin.
Anchoring the bullpen this season will be Arik Sikula (Marshall) and Danny Barnes (Princeton). Many fans will recognize Barnes' name, as he broke the Dunedin record for saves in 2012 with 34, but then missed the majority of last season due to injury. Sikula recorded 19 saves and posted a 1.93 ERA while striking out 60 batters in 50 appearances for Lansing last season. He has proved himself to be a reliable bullpen arm, as he has yet to post an ERA above 3.00 since he was a late-round draft pick in 2011. He has also had a sub-1.00 WHIP in back-to-back seasons. Also returning is 2013 All-Star closer Blake McFarland (San Jose St.), who will add to the competition for save opportunities.
The core of the offense will be built around 2013 Dunedin stars, as well as the best of the best from Lansing last season. Derrick Chung (Sacramento St.) was one of the best defensive catchers in the Florida State League last season, throwing out 42.7% of runners, which was second best among catchers who had over 65 attempts. Another returning player who flashed the glove and the bat last summer was K.C. Hobson (Stockdale HS, CA), who lead the team with 19 home runs and 72 RBIs. Outfield depth is a strength of the team with 2013 team batting leader Matt Newman (Arizona St.) and 2010 third-rounder Marcus Knecht (Connors St.) returning, and Lansing additions Dalton Pompey (John Fraser HS, ON), who led the team with 68 runs, 38 stolen bases and 63 walks last season, and Dwight Smith Jr. (McIntosh HS, GA), a 2011first round pick, adding to the mix.
Pitchers (13 + 1 DL)
Barnes, Danny
Boyd, Matt
Browning, Wil
Champlin, Kramer
Cole, Taylor
Girodo, Chad
Hernandez, Jesse
Jackson, Justin
McFarland, Blake
Meyer, Ajay (DL)
Nieves, Efrain
Norris, Daniel
Sikula, Arik
White, Ben
Catchers (2 + 1 DL)
Chung, Derrick
Rankin, Pierce (DL)
Reeves, Mike
Infielders (7 + 1 DL)
Flores, Jorge
Guerrero, Emilio
Hobson, K.C.
Lopes, Christian
Opitz, Shane (DL)
Patterson, Kevin
Pierre, Gustavo
Sweeny, Kellen
Outfielders (5)
Baligod, Nick
Knecht, Marcus
Newman, Matt
Pompey, Dalton
Smith, Jr., Dwight