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MLB

Threshers Announce 2011 Opening Day Roster

By
April 3, 2011

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Taking the field for the 2011 Clearwater Threshers will be the bulk of the young nucleus that won a South Atlantic League title last season in Lakewood. The team will be led for the second straight season by manager Dusty Wathan and includes six of the top 10 Phillies prospects listed by Baseball America.

Leading the way for the Threshers will be 19-year-old Jonathan Singleton, rated the second best prospect in the organization behind former Thresher Domonic Brown. Singleton, an eighth round selection in the 2009 draft, was voted as the SAL Most Outstanding Major League Prospect at the conclusion of last season.

The Lakewood, Calif. native hit .290 and clubbed 14 home runs with the BlueClaws. His 77 RBI were second on the club to Leandro Castro (81), who will also patrol the outfield in Clearwater. Castro hit .257 in Lakewood, but ripped 27 doubles, nine triples, and 10 home runs while stealing 22 bases.

Joining the outfield with Singleton and Castro will be Jiwan James, a speedy 22-year-old who grew up 20 miles south of Gainesville, Fla. James was committed to the University of Florida before the Phillies were able to sign him in the 22nd round of the 2007 draft. After converting from a pitcher before the 2009 season, James hit .270 in his first full season as an outfielder and swiped 33 bases. Rounding out the outfield will be a pair of 2010 Threshers, Brian Gump and D'Arby Myers.

The infield will be anchored by a pair of familiar faces as shortstop Troy Hanzawa and first baseman Darin Ruf return to Clearwater for the start of 2011. Though Hanzawa struggled at the plate last year, he still recorded a .960 fielding percentage and was involved in 56 double plays. Ruf flashed a .988 fielding mark at first base and hit .277 with 50 RBI.

Cesar Hernandez makes the jump from short-season Williamsport to Clearwater after registering a .325 batting average in 65 games with the Crosscutters. The switch-hitting Venezuelan stole 32 bases in 2010 and was signed when he was just 16 years old. Travis Mattair, Alan Schoenberger, and Joe Savery round out the infield.

The Clearwater pitching staff will be a led by a trio of hard-throwing right-handers that are each rated in Baseball America's top five for Philadelphia prospects. Brody Colvin (3), Jarred Cosart (4), and Trevor May (5) will headline a talented starting rotation as all three have been clocked in the mid to upper 90's. Colvin and Cosart get their first look at the Florida State League while May returns for a second shot at the FSL.

May started in Clearwater last season and was a mid-season all-star for the Threshers but struggled with his control, forcing a move back down to Lakewood to work on his command. The move paid off as May went 7-3 with a 2.91 with the BlueClaws in the second half, fanning 92 hitters in 65 innings and helping the team to another SAL title.

Colvin finished 2010 with a 6-8 record but was the recipient of some bad luck, as he recorded nine outings of five innings, allowing one or no runs, in which he did not get credit for a victory. Cosart posted a 7-3 mark but was limited due to an injury that shelved him for most of the second half.

Joining the rotation will be Julio Rodriguez, a 20-year-old righty from Puerto Rico. Rodriguez dazzled in 13 games with the BlueClaws, going 5-1 in seven starts with a miniscule 1.44 ERA. He also struck out 90 hitters in just 56 innings of work. Jonathan Pettibone and Joe Esposito can each fill the no. 5 spot in the rotation, or work in long relief for the team.

The bullpen will be filled by 2010 Threshers Tyler Cloyd, Jordan Ellis, Jordan Whatcott, and Derrick Loop. Newcomer Ebelin Lugo makes the jump from Lakewood and Justin Friend, a 2010 rule 5 draft pick, will start the year in Clearwater.

Receiving this talented staff behind the plate will be catchers Sebastian Valle and Kyle Lafrenz. Valle, 20, displayed great power potential in Lakewood by launching 16 homeruns with 28 doubles. He also drove in 74 runs and was a SAL post-season all-star. Lafrenz, 24, is entering his third season of professional baseball after being drafted out of Indiana State University in 2009.

Wathan, who boasts a career 183-167 record with just three seasons of managerial experience, will lead the Threshers again in 2011. He will be joined by pitching coach David Lundquist and new hitting coach, John Mizerock.

The season opens on April 7 and the first game at Bright House Field will be held the following day at 6:30 p.m. Tickets start at just $5 and be sure to stick around for a post-game fireworks show. Contact the ticket office at (727) 467-4457 or visit ThreshersBaseball.com.