OKC Dodgers Release 2016 Opening Day Roster
OKLAHOMA CITY - The Oklahoma City Dodgers and Los Angeles Dodgers have announced the OKC Dodgers Opening Day roster for the 2016 season.
The OKC Dodgers open the season on an eight-game road trip, with their first game on Thursday against the Nashville Sounds at 6:35 p.m. Central. The roster is subject to change between now and Thursday night.
Among the 25 players on the current roster, 10 played in the Major Leagues in 2015, with seven suiting up for the Los Angeles Dodgers. A total of 16 players have Major League experience, and all but one have spent time in their careers at the Triple-A level. Seven players are currently on the Los Angeles Dodgers 40-man roster.
Of the players on the current roster, 14 spent time at some point with the OKC Dodgers last season. Pitcher Zach Lee-who will start Opening Night-was among the Pacific Coast League's top pitchers in 2015 and became the first OKC pitcher to register at least 11 wins in a season since 2010. Among position players, first baseman/outfielder O'Koyea Dickson is the top returner after hitting 13 home runs and picking up 50 RBI last season.
Four pitchers on the roster are ranked among the Dodgers' top 30 prospects, as ranked by Baseball America: Julio Urias (#2), Jharel Cotton (#9), Zach Lee (#14), and Jacob Rhame (#20). The 19-year-old Urias in a consensus top five prospect in all of baseball, and is widely considered as the top left-handed pitching prospect in the game. Infielder Micah Johnson was ranked the #8 prospect in the White Sox organization by Baseball America prior to being traded to the Dodgers.
Lee, Cotton, and Urias will be joined in the starting rotation by veteran Jeremy Kehrt and Carlos Frias, who spent most of last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
There are currently five lefties in the bullpen, including a trio who spent significant time with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2015: Luis Avilan, Adam Liberatore, and Ian Thomas. The other southpaws are Grant Dayton and Dustin Richardson, both of whom spent time in OKC last season.
The bullpen also features four hard-throwing right-handers: Lisalverto Bonilla, Jacob Rhame, Chin-Hui Tsao, and Matt West. Rhame held Texas League opponents to a .192 batting average and averaged over 10 strikeouts per nine innings with Double-A Tulsa in 2015. Tsao was a mainstay in the back end of the OKC Dodgers bullpen last season and recorded seven saves.
The speedy Johnson highlights the infield and will be the team's starting second baseman and primary leadoff hitter. He owns a career .301 batting average in the Minor Leagues and hit .315 with Triple-A Charlotte last season. Up the middle, Johnson will be joined by veterans Elian Herrera and Brandon Hicks. Herrera split last season between the Milwaukee Brewers and Triple-A Colorado Springs, where he hit .357 for the Sky Sox.
Along with Dickson, the other corner infielders are Lars Anderson and Rob Segedin. Acquired in an off-season trade with the New York Yankees, Segedin impressed in big league camp during spring training and was among Los Angeles' final cuts. During Cactus League play, Segedin led the Dodgers with 12 RBI and tied for the team lead with four home runs.
Former Oklahoma State standout Corey Brown is among the team's outfielder. Signed as a free agent this past off-season, Brown has hit at least 17 home runs in each of his last four seasons, including 19 last year with Triple-A Durham. Brown had a decorated three-year career in Stillwater from 2005-07 and was recently inducted in the OSU Baseball Hall of Fame. Jose Tabata-who spent the final month of the 2015 season in OKC-and Alex Hassan round out the outfield.
Behind the plate, the OKC Dodgers will have catchers Shawn Zarraga and Jack Murphy. Zarraga spent the second half of last season with OKC and had several clutch hits in late-game situations.
The Dodgers will play four games each in Nashville and Memphis before returning to Oklahoma City on April 15 against Nashville at 7:05 p.m. Limited tickets remain for the home opener. To purchase tickets for any game during the opening homestand or throughout the entire 2016 season, please call (405) 218-1000, go to okcdodgers.com, or visit the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark box office on S. Mickey Mantle Drive in Bricktown.
2016 OPENING DAY ROSTER
PITCHERS (14)
Luis Avilan, Lisalverto Bonilla, Jharel Cotton, Grant Dayton, Carlos Frias, Jeremy Kehrt, Zach Lee, Adam Liberatore, Jacob Rhame, Dustin Richardson, Ian Thomas, Chin-Hui Tsao, Julio Urias, Matt West
CATCHERS (2)
Jack Murphy, Shawn Zarraga
INFIELDERS (6)
Lars Anderson, O'Koyea Dickson, Elian Herrera, Brandon Hicks, Micah Johnson, Rob Segedin
OUTFIELDERS (3)
Corey Brown, Alex Hassan, Jose Tabata
DISABLED LIST (2)
Josmar Cordero, Vinny DiFazio
MiLB podcast discusses Anthony, Caglianone at Triple-A
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
These are the greatest Minor League promos happening in June
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
New playoff format coming to 2025 Dominican Summer League
Minor League Baseball announced the 2025 Dominican Summer League (DSL) season will begin June 2 with Opening Day festivities taking place at the Boston Red Sox Academy in Guerra. The 2025 campaign will also see the introduction of the DSL Cup, a new playoff format that will see 16 DSL
Debating best Minor League home caps on podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
The Omaha Storm Chasers' 'Take Meow-t' cat night included a Litter Box Sundae
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Boston's Triple-A affiliate throws birthday bash for Roman Anthony
With all the hype that has surrounded Roman Anthony over the past two seasons, it’s easy to forget how young he really is. MLB's No. 1 prospect played 70 games at the highest level of the Minors before he could order a beer. But he can now. Roman Anthony turned
Friendly foes, 2024 first-rounders Moore and Caglianone trade first Triple-A homers
For years, Christian Moore and Jac Caglianone laced up their cleats against one another in the SEC. A rivalry that spanned Florida, Tennessee and other landmarks across the South moved to Salt Lake City this week as the Royals and Angels' top prospects got simultaneous Triple-A promotions. So it was
Phillies' Moore, Fausnaught join MiLB podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Red Sox prospect rips double THROUGH Fenway-esque scoreboard
Red Sox No. 4 prospect Franklin Arias, an infielder for High-A Greenville, REALLY didn’t want to let visiting Asheville score any runs in the top of the eighth inning on Friday night. With runners on first and second base in the bottom of the fourth, Arias showed he apparently held
April's hottest hitting prospects -- one for each organization
The Minor League season is a month old and several of the game's best hitting prospects are off to fast starts. Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony is tearing up Triple-A (just like he did at the end of last year), Padres shortstop Leo De Vries is leading the High-A Midwest
Check out the best -- and wackiest -- Minor League promos happening in May
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Orioles' Honeycutt joins The Show Before the Show
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
MiLB podcast coming LIVE to a Somerset this June
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
New ballparks highlight 2025 MiLB road trip stops
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Minor League Baseball partners with TruGreen
FRANKLIN, Tenn. -- TruGreen, the nation's leading lawn care treatment provider, is proud to announce a groundbreaking partnership with Minor League Baseball that includes activations across all 120 clubs, a makeover of the home dugout in each market, sponsorship of select MiLB team grounds crews, and a new initiative called
Podcast explains why the Syracuse Mets are looking for Jim Morrison
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Dash im-prom-tu promo and Mets' Suero joins the podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Minor League Baseball partners with Circle K
Minor League Baseball announced a new national partnership with Circle K, which will see the convenience store giant become the “Official Convenience Store of Minor League Baseball.” During the 2025 season, the Circle K brand will be integrated into the MiLB in-stadium experience through in-game video board assets at most
These 15 moments led to season No. 15 of Minor League road trips
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
MiLB podcast crew makes Opening Day predictions
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Everything you need to know for Triple-A Opening Day
First, there was big league Opening Day. Now it's Triple-A's turn to take the spotlight. The Minor League season opens Friday when the Triple-A International League and Pacific Coast League seasons get underway for the first of MiLB’s two Opening Days. And right out of the gates, several of baseball's
Top prospects to watch at Triple-A -- one for each organization
It’s Triple-A’s turn up to bat on Friday. The regular season begins for the Minor Leagues’ highest level one day after the action starts on the Major League side. Fun fact: it’ll be the earliest start to a Minor League season since 1951 (March 27). Double-A, High-A and Single-A will
Here's where every Top 100 prospect is expected to start the season
The 2025 Opening Day prospect roster announcements began last week when the Cubs informed Matt Shaw (MLB No. 19) he was making the trip overseas to compete in the Tokyo Series. Roki Sasaki (No. 1) also received the good news, but his assignment was much less of a surprise. Now
Nationals prospect King joins MiLB podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Here are the 2025 All-Spring Breakout Teams
Fifteen games, several jersey swaps and countless highlights later, the second edition of Spring Breakout has officially concluded – and it lived up to its billing. Of the 16 contests sprinkled across four days, only one game (Dodgers vs. Cubs) was rained out. Coincidentally, the Cubs were one of two