Captains Announce 2022 Roster: Six Top 30 Prospects to Guide Captains Into 2022 Season

(Eastlake, OH) – The Lake County Captains, High-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians, have announced their expected Opening Day roster for the 2022 season.

The Captains have seven players who rank among Cleveland’s top 30 prospects, according to MLB.com. Four of those top prospects are 20-years old or younger and three of them are 2021 draft picks.

The top seven prospects consist of three pitchers and four position players. RHP Gavin Williams (#7), INF Angel Martinez (#10), 3B/1B Jhonkensy Noel (#13), OF Petey Halpin (#14), LHP Doug Nikhazy (#21), RHP Tommy Mace (#24), and 3B/SS Gabriel Rodriguez (#30).

*Top Prospects *

Williams: The 1st round pick of the Cleveland Guardians in the 2021 draft will make his professional debut with the Captains. The hard-throwing right-hander spent the past four seasons at East Carolina University. As the ace of the staff, Williams helped lead the Pirates to the Super Regional round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Over his collegiate career, Williams amassed 200 strikeouts in 149.1 innings pitched and posted a 2.65 ERA.

Martinez: The 20-year-old infielder was signed by Cleveland on July 2, 2018, as part of the international singing class from the Dominican Republic. Martinez, the son of the former major league Sandy Martinez, played 97 games with the Lynchburg Hillcats, Low-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians in 2021. Martinez slashed a .241/.319/.382 with seven home runs and 20 doubles.

Noel: Noel finished his 2021 in Lake County and will begin his 2022 campaign there. The 20-year-old third baseman was signed on his 16th birthday by the Guardians from the Dominican Republic. He gained a .393/.426/.693 line with the Hillcats earning his promotion to Lake County in mid-August. He continued his success .280/.351/.550 in 26 games with the Captains.

Halpin: The 19-year-old outfielder, was the third-round pick for the Guardians in the 2020 MLB Draft. Halpin spent the 2021 season in Lynchburg, hitting .294/.363/.425 and displaying impressive speed with 11 stolen bases and six triples in 54 games. Halpin was drafted out of Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, California.

Nikhazy: The 22-year-old left-hander, was the 2nd round pick for Cleveland in the 2021 Draft via Ole Miss. Nikhazy pitched three seasons in Oxford and was vital for the Rebels in their 2021 run to the NCAA Super Regional. He was the winning pitcher in all three games started in the tournament and totaled 16 strikeouts against the Florida State Seminoles in the regional round, matching a program record.

Mace: The 23-year-old right-hander, was another 2nd round pick by the Guardians in the 2021 Draft. Mace toed the rubber for four seasons at the University of Florida. In his collegiate career, Mace totaled 258 strikeouts in 269.2 innings along with a 4.37 ERA and a 22-7 mark. The Tampa, FL native was a member of the 2019 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team and the 2020-21 SEC Community Service Team.

Rodriguez: Rodriguez was acquired as part of the 2018 international signing class as well. The 20-year old Venezuelan shortstop, debuted last season for the Hillcats. He posted a .236/.288/.314 slash line and played at four defensive positions through 97 games.

Pitchers

The Captains’ pitching staff boasts 16 arms, including four returnees. LHP Raymond Burgos (2019-21), RHP Mason Hickman (2021), RHP Cade Smith (2021), and LHP Matt Turner (2019-21) are all back with the club. The new faces include RHP Alaska Abney, LHP Jaime Arias, RHP Tanner Bibee, RHP Aaron Davenport, RHP Zach Hart, RHP Jordan Jones, LHP Randy Labaut, Mace, Nikhazy, RHP Hunter Stanley, RHP Lenny Torres, and Williams.

Catchers

Mike Amditis, Zac Fascia, and Micael Ramirez will be the backstops for the Captains this season. The 24-year-old Amditis played 34 games for Lake County last season and produced .192/.300/.375 with four home runs. The 23-year-old Fascia and 22-year-old Ramirez will be making their debuts with the Captains.

Infielders

Seven infielders are on the roster, featuring four returnees. INF Raynel Delgado returns for a third season and has the most games played of any Captain position player with 117. He played every infield position besides shortstop in 2021. INF Joe Naranjo manned first base for Lake County last season and looks to build on his .235/.324/.324 line. Aaron Bracho and Christian Cairo round out the returners, Bracho was limited to 70 games due to injury in 2021 while Cairo was called up from Lynchburg in late August and had 19 hits in 21 games played. The three newcomers are Martinez, Noel, and Rodriguez.

Outfielders

The landscape of the outfield will have a new look in 2022. Four of the five outfielders will make their first appearances at Classic Park. OF Korey Holland is a versatile outfielder, who played both sides and straightaway for Lynchburg in 2021. OF Alexfri Planez displayed power for the Hillcats last year blasting 16 HR which led the team. Halpin and Connor Kokx are also new additions. Kokx played 15 games in the Arizona Complex League. The lone returner is Jonathan Rodriguez. Rodriguez impressed with a .314/.363/.450 line with the Hillcats and earned the call-up in late August. Rodriguez slashed .215/.311/.342 in the 24 games with Lake County.

The Captains 2022 season home opener will be Tuesday, April 12, at 6:35 p.m. against the Dayton Dragons. Tickets are available at CaptainsBaseball.com.