Top Prospect Paul Skenes Headlines Indians Preliminary Opening Day Roster

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indianapolis Indians, in conjunction with the Pittsburgh Pirates, today announced their preliminary Opening Day roster for the 2024 season. Led by right-hander Paul Skenes – the No. 3 prospect in Minor League Baseball according to MLB Pipeline – and a plethora of veteran talent, the Indians kick off their 122nd campaign in franchise history with a three-game series in Louisville before returning to Victory Field on Tuesday, April 2.

Six prospects ranked among the Pirates top 30 (according to Baseball America) are slated to begin the season in Triple-A, led by Skenes as the organization’s No. 1 farmhand. Others include right-hander Quinn Priester (No. 8), infielder Nick Gonzales (No. 9), former Ball State (Muncie, Ind.) University right-hander Kyle Nicolas (No. 13), outfielder and Fishers, Ind. native Matt Gorski (No. 15), and right-hander Colin Selby (No. 30).

Skenes, 21, also enters the season rated by MLB Pipeline as MiLB’s top right-handed pitching prospect after being selected by the Pirates as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft. Following a College World Series championship season at Louisiana State (Baton Rouge) University in which he was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, Skenes struck out 10 batters over 6.2 innings of professional ball with the FCL Pirates, Single-A Bradenton and Double-A Altoona.

Indianapolis’ daily roster will consist of 28 active players, 11 of whom were signed by the Pirates as minor league free agents during the 2023-24 offseason.

Leading the veteran group is 33-year-old infielder Jake Lamb, who was selected as a National League All-Star during his 2017 campaign with Arizona. Across 10 years and over 700 games of big-league action, Lamb owns a .235 batting average (543-for-2309), 112 doubles, 96 home runs, 342 RBI and 7.3 bWAR.

Other offseason acquisitions rounding out Indy’s preliminary roster include Indians Opening Day starter, left-hander Michael Plassmeyer, and former top-15 MiLB prospect, right-hander Brent Honeywell.

Pitchers (14)

LHP Cam Alldred
LHP Brady Feigl
RHP J.C. Flowers
LHP Geronimo Franzua
RHP Brent Honeywell
LHP Eric Lauer
RHP Kade McClure
RHP Kyle Nicolas
RHP Wily Peralta
LHP Michael Plassmeyer
RHP Quinn Priester
RHP Connor Sadzeck
RHP Colin Selby
RHP Paul Skenes

Position Players (14)

INF Sergio Alcántara
C Carter Bins
OF Gilberto Celestino
INF Nick Gonzales
OF Matt Gorski
C Grant Koch
INF Jake Lamb
OF Billy McKinney
INF Malcom Nuñez
OF Joshua Palacios
INF Liover Peguero
INF Joe Perez
OF Dustin Peterson
C Eli Wilson