Padres Announce 2019 Storm Roster

LAKE ELSINORE, CA - The Lake Elsinore Storm, in conjunction with the San Diego Padres, have announced their 2019 Opening Day roster, which includes seven players listed as Padres Top 30 Prospects, as determined by MLB.com. Headlining this year's Storm roster is MacKenzie Gore, the 2017 MLB Amateur Draft's third overall selection and top pitching prospect in the Padres' pitching-heavy Minor League system.
This season's roster is made up of 25 players from 13 states and eight countries, with players ranging in age from 19 to 26. Right-handed pitcher Luis Patiño (No. 6) will join Gore in the rotation. Just 19-years-old, Patiño starred in full season ball with Class A Fort Wayne. The Colombia native went 6-3 in 17 starts for the TinCaps, posting a 2.16 earned run average with 98 strikeouts in 83.1 innings of work.
The 2019 Storm lineup will have some top-level organizational talent, with Padres Top 30 Prospects covering all major positions. Catcher Luis Campusano (No. 18) will look to build off a successful 2018 season in which he hit .288 in 70 games with the TinCaps. The Augusta, Georgia native was named a 2018 Midwest League All-Star with Fort Wayne. The infield boasts middle infield prospects Gabriel Arias (No. 25) and Esteury Ruiz (No. 27) to go along with Storm returners Eguy Rosario and Kelvin Melean, while the outfield also includes a pair of Padres Top 30 Prospects in Tirso Ornelas (No. 16) and Jeisson Rosario (No. 22). Taylor Kohlwey, who spent parts of previous seasons in Lake Elsinore, returns to The Diamond, along with Robbie Podorsky, who played five games in Lake Elsinore in 2018, and hit .366 with 23 stolen bases in 57 games with Fort Wayne before suffering a season-ending injury.
Making his managerial debut is Tony Tarasco, the 16^th manager in team history. The 48-year-old former big leaguer joins the staff after spending his last three seasons with the Padres organization serving as the High Performance and Outfield/Baserunning Coordinator. Prior to joining the Padres system, Tarasco spent 10 seasons with the Washington Nationals, most recently as their first base coach in 2015. The Southern California native played in parts of eight Major League seasons with the Atlanta Braves, Montreal Expos, Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees and New York Mets.
The Storm field staff will include a pair of returners in hitting coach Doug Banks and pitching coach Pete Zamora. Felipe Blanco, a former Storm player, is the team's new Fielding Coach. Ricky Huerta is back as trainer and Jay Young returns for his second season as the team's strength and conditioning coach.
Lake Elsinore's 26^th Opening Night at The Diamond is set for Thursday, April 11 with the team starting the season on the road at Inland Empire on Thursday, April 4. Tickets are available online at stormbaseball.com/tickets.