Yard Goats Infielder Ezequiel Tovar Named All-Star & Top MLB Prospect  

*Yard Goats Infielder Ezequiel Tovar Named All-Star & Top MLB Prospect *

Former Yard Goats Manager Warren Schaeffer added to Colorado Rockies Major League Coaching Staff

(Hartford, CT) The Hartford Yard Goats Baseball Club, the Double-A Eastern League affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, has been informed by Minor League Baseball that Ezequiel Tovar was named as the shortstop on the 2022 Eastern League All-Star team, and selected as the Top MLB prospect in the league. Tovar spent most of this past season with the Yard Goats and finished the season in the Major Leagues with the Colorado Rockies. Additionally, the Rockies announced that they have added former Yard Goats manager Warren Schaeffer to the Major League coaching staff. Schaeffer, who managed the Yard Goats in 2018 and 2019, is the new Rockies third base coach.

Tovar, 21, batted .318 with 15 doubles, 13 home runs, 47 RBI and 17 stolen bases in 66 games with the Yard Goats. He was named Eastern League Player of the Week on May 2nd when he batted .487 with two homers, two triples, four RBI and six runs scored, April 26-May 1st. He was named EL Player of the month in April while leading the league in hits (24) and total bases (46) and was second in OPS (1.061), 3rd in SLG and became the 6th Yard Goats player to win a Player of the Month Award and all have reached the Major Leagues (Ezequiel Tovar, Elehuris Montero, Tyler Nevin, Peter Lambert, Josh Fuentes, Ryan McMahon, Noel Cuevas).

Schaeffer, 37, joins Bud Black’s staff after spending the past 10 seasons, mostly as a manager, in the Rockies Minor League system. He spent the past two seasons as manager at Triple-A Albuquerque after leading the Yard Goats in 2018 and 2019. Several former Yard Goats that he managed in Hartford have reached the Major Leagues, including nine from the 2019 club and seven for the 2018 team (LHP Phillip Diehl, RHP Ashton Goudeau, RHP Antonio Santos, LHP Ben Bowden, INF Alan Trejo, RHP Justin Lawrence, INF Tyler Nevin, INF Colton Welker, C Brian Serven, IF/OF Garrett Hampson, OF Yonathan Daza, RHP Jesus Tinoco, RHP Peter Lambert, RHP Rico Garcia, OF Sam Hilliard, LHP Brian Moran).

The Yard Goats open the 2023 season on Thursday, April 6th at 7:10 PM against the Bowie Baysox (Baltimore Orioles affiliate) at Dunkin’ Donuts Park. Season tickets, luxury suites and hospitality options are now on sale.