Nuts set to open 30th season with "tight-knit group"

There was excitement in the air at JacksonⓇ Field™ on Monday morning as the Lansing Lugnuts gathered at the stadium for media day, officially ushering in the 2026 baseball season in Michigan’s capital city.

“The vibes are great," infielder Justin Riemer said. “We're all really happy to be here. We were all really excited when we stepped on campus yesterday for the first time, so we're really excited to get after it.”

With a new manager and a roster filled with both returning veterans and new faces, the Lugnuts hope to have a successful season.

Celebrating 30 years

The 2026 campaign marks a milestone season for the Lugnuts as the team celebrates its 30th year of existence. The team officially began playing in the state capital in 1996, having relocated from Springfield, Illinois. Since then, the Lugnuts have brought two Midwest League Championships to the city and seen a host of major league talent come through the locker room.

The significance of the milestone was not lost on the members of the team as they posed for pictures, signed memorabilia and talked with the media on Monday morning.

“It means a lot,” pitcher Kyle Robinson said. “You know, this team's been around a while. A lot of great players have come through here. … Just excited to represent the team, represent the town and just go win as many games as we can this year.”

“It's amazing,” Riemer said. “It's one of the first things I saw when I walked on campus yesterday. It surprised me, at first I wasn't aware, but now that I know, it's really exciting to celebrate the city and celebrate the team like this.”

Under new leadership

With the new season comes a change of leadership in the dugout. After managing the Single-A Stockton Ports for the last two seasons, Javier Godard steps up a level to manage the Lugnuts as the 20th all-time manager for the team. Godard was a part of Lansing’s staff previously, serving as the hitting coach in both 2021 and 2022.

As Godard steps into his new role, he is focused on the team having a “winning mindset”.

“Being in a winning team,” Godard said. “That's what I'm excited about, and we have winning players, and it should be an awesome year. And we're not only gonna try to win games, but also we're gonna try to push for a playoff. … To me, it's just about winning, a winning mindset.”

Godard has been with the Athletic’s organization for 16 years, gaining experience as both a player and a coach.

“You learn by experience, but also teaching these kids and helping them grow, you learn too,” Godard said. “So learning from my own experience as a player and also as a coach, it makes everything so much easier. And, like I said, I'm looking forward to a great year and (for) these guys to develop and move up. That's our goal here. If they move up, that means we’re doing (it) the right way.”

Godard comes into the season having already coached several of his current players in Stockton.

“Javi's amazing, man,” outfielder Devin Taylor said. “He gives us opportunities that we don't even expect sometimes, and he makes sure that we make the most out of every single one of 'em. … He likes to mess around a lot, which is my thing. Messing around and having fun, playing the game still.”

“He’s amazing,” infielder Jared Sprague-Lott said. “He brings a lot of energy every day. He's quick to coach, but he's also a players' coach as well. (He) relates with all the guys and brings a lot of energy every day.”

Top prospects playing with the Lugnuts

The Lugnuts enter the season with five of the MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 Athletics prospects on their roster. Two of them return to the team having played in Lansing in 2025.

Outfielder Nate Nankil is No. 26 on the list and played 88 games with the team last season, hitting .294 with an OPS of .778.

On the pitching staff, Steven Echavarria (No. 16) returns after a 2025 campaign with the team that saw him post a 4.59 ERA through 26 games.

Pitcher Zane Taylor (No.19) will make his debut with the team this season after appearing in a single game with Triple-A Las Vegas last season. In college, Taylor posted a 3.28 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP through 59 games at UNC Wilmington.

Infielder Bobby Boser (No. 30) is also new to the team, having played for Godard in Stockton last season.

Finally, the Lugnuts welcome outfielder Devin Taylor, the highest rated prospect on the list at No. 8. After a successful college career at Indiana where he hit .350 through 655 at-bats and earned numerous awards, Taylor played in Stockton last season, earning a .264 batting average and an .869 OPS.

This season, while Taylor steps up to the next level of minor league baseball, he realizes his goal is not complete.

“It's amazing, but at the same time it's just another step in the process,” Taylor said. “My goal is very far away still, and I'm just one step closer than I was yesterday.”

Despite being the highest-rated prospect in the organization, Taylor said he isn’t feeling any extra pressure. “It's just baseball at the end of the day,” he said. “We're all in the same organization, still trying to do the same thing, get hits. And we're all just fighting for it. And whoever comes out on top, comes out on top. But regardless, we're all one big team. We're all just gonna work together regardless.”

A ‘tight-knit’ group

Even though the season hasn’t started yet, there is already a feeling of camaraderie that has formed between the guys in the locker room.

“We're a family. … To me, family's a huge word, it means a lot,” Godard said. “And I try to have these guys feel like they are part of this family.”

“We have a great group of guys,” Sprague-Lott said. “It's been so much fun. We had a great spring training, and just on the plane ride over here, just great vibes. So really looking forward to being with this group.”

“This one's pretty special,” Devin Taylor said. “Like we are a very tight-knit group. Like we've been together probably for most of spring training, and we get along very well, just have the most fun outta all the teams, in my opinion. But at the same time, this is our end goal. We all know where we want to go, and we're just gonna work together on that.”