Sounds Announce Tentative Opening Night Roster
Three of the Brewers' top 10 prospects (as ranked by Baseball America) will open the season in Nashville, highlighted by top prospect and right-handed pitcher Mark Rogers. The former first round draft pick went 6-8 with a 3.71 ERA, and 111 strikeouts in 24 starts for the Double-A Huntsville Stars last season, setting career highs in wins, innings pitched, starts, and strikeouts before making one start in Music City and joining the Brewers in September. The 25-year-old has also been recognized by the publication as having the best fastball in the Milwaukee farm system.
Rogers will also be joined by fellow prospect and infielder Eric Farris (#7 prospect) and right-handed pitcher Amaury Rivas (#10 prospect), who was a 2010 mid-season Southern League All-Star and is recognized as having the best changeup in the Milwaukee chain.
Fourteen players return to Music City from the 2010 Sounds squad, including starting pitchers Josh Butler, Marco Estrada, Sam Narron, and Chase Wright; relievers Tim Dillard, Robert Hinton, and 2010 PCL All-Star Mike McClendon; catchers Patrick Arlis and Martin Maldonado; infielders Farris and Mat Gamel; and PCL All-Star outfielder and 2010 Fan Favorite Brendan Katin.
Katin has spent the past three seasons in a Nashville uniform and is just 23 home runs and 46 RBIs behind Chad Hermansen for the top spot on the Sounds' all-time career leaderboard. Gamel will also return to anchor the Sounds' lineup while making a defensive transition to first base.
Sounds pitching coach Rich Gale has a veteran staff to work with in 2011, as 11 of the 14 Nashville hurlers have Major League experience. Narron, who led Sounds pitchers with nine victories in 2010 and 2008, is joined by Butler, Estrada, Rogers, and newcomer Frankie De La Cruz in the rotation.
In his fifth consecutive season with the Sounds, Dillard currently ranks third in Sounds history in innings pitched (453.1), is tied for third in wins (30), and is sixth in strikeouts (263).
Two additional recognizable faces to return to Nashville are catcher Mike Rivera and reliever Mark DiFelice. Rivera ranks ninth in Sounds history with 45 career home runs over his 216 games in a Nashville uniform from 2005-07 and was selected as the starting catcher on the 2006 PCL mid-season All-Star team. DiFelice previously appeared for the Sounds from 2007-08 and posted a 9-3 record and 3.16 ERA in 23 outings.
Knoxville native and former MTSU standout Brett Carroll will join the Sounds this season in the outfield. Acquired during spring training, the 28-year-old has spent parts of the last three seasons with the Florida Marlins while also visiting Greer as a member of the Albuquerque Isotopes and New Orleans Zephyrs.
Another new addition is outfielder Brandon Boggs, who enjoyed a stellar year in the Pacific Coast League in 2010 while playing for the Oklahoma City RedHawks (AAA-Rangers). The 28-year-old batted .290 with 10 home runs and 50 RBIs in 103 games while finishing third in the PCL with a .406 on-base percentage, and sixth with 72 walks before earning a late-season promotion to Texas.
Three players will make their first stop at the Class AAA level with the Sounds in 2010: Rivas, infielder Zelous Wheeler, and outfielder Caleb Gindl.
Manager Don Money returns for his third season at the helm in Music City and will be joined on the Nashville bench by his entire staff from last year: pitching coach Rich Gale, hitting coach Sandy Guerrero, athletic trainer Dave Yeager, and strength & conditioning coach Andrew Emmick.
The tentative 2011 Nashville Sounds Opening Day roster is available at the link below. Three roster moves will have to be made before Thursday's season opener to reduce the Nashville roster to the 24-man active limit.
Media day at Greer Stadium will occur at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon prior to the team's final preseason workout, which begins at 3:45 p.m.
The Sounds open their 34th season on Thursday, April 7 at Greer Stadium with a 7:05 p.m. matchup against the visiting New Orleans Zephyrs, the Triple-A affiliate of the Florida Marlins.
Ticket packages are currently on sale. Call (615) 690-HITS or visit the Sounds' website at www.nashvillesounds.com/tickets to order or for more information.