Hartford Yard Goats Announce Opening Day Roster
The Hartford Yard Goats Baseball Club, the Double-A Eastern League affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, announced its 2017 Opening Day Roster. 13 pitchers and 12 position players have been assigned to Hartford, including two of the Rockies top 10 prospects listed by Baseball America- #6 RHP Ryan Castellani and #9 INF Ryan McMahon and four of MLB Pipelines top 30 prospects- #7 Castellani, #8 McMahon, #16 RHP Yency Almonte and #26 RHP Parker French .
(Hartford, CT ) The Hartford Yard Goats Baseball Club, the Double-A Eastern League affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, announced its 2017 Opening Day Roster. 13 pitchers and 12 position players have been assigned to Hartford, including two of the Rockies top 10 prospects listed by Baseball America- #6 RHP Ryan Castellani and #9 INF Ryan McMahon and four of MLB Pipelines top 30 prospects- #7 Castellani, #8 McMahon, #16 RHP Yency Almonte and #26 RHP Parker French . The Rockies set the roster and are responsible for all the player transactions during the season. The Yard Goats have 10 returning players from last year's club, 12 players who are at the Double-A level for the first time and 4 players who are in their first year in the Rockies' organization. The Yard Goats will play their home opener at Dunkin' Donuts Park on April 13th after starting season with a 7-game game road trip.
2017 Hartford Yard Goats Opening Day Roster
RHP Yency Almonte (Miami, FL), RHP Shane Broyles (Burleson, TX), RHP Ryan Castellani (Philadelphia, PA), RHP James Farris (Columbus, OH), RHP Parker French (Austin, TX), RHP Austin House (Albuquerque, NM), RHP D.J. Johnson (Beaverton, OR), RHP Troy Neiman (Castaic, CA), RHP Luis Niebla (El Fuerte, Sinaloa, MX), RHP Luis Ramirez (Santo Domingo, DR), RHP Konner Wade (Scottsdale, AZ), LHP Austin Wright (Schaumburg, IL), LHP Jack Wynkoop (Virginia Beach, VA), C Dom Nunez (Elk Grove, CA), C Jan Vazquez (San Lorenzo, PR), INF Collin Ferguson (Santa Cruz, CA), INF Josh Fuentes (Rancho Santo Margarita, CA), INF Luis Jean (San Pedro de Macoris, DR), INF Emerson Jimenez (Santo Domingo, DR), INF Ryan McMahon (Yorba Linda, CA), INF Ashley Graeter (Poplarville, MS), OF Omar Carrizales (Maracay, VZ), OF Dillon Thomas (Houston, TX), OF Drew Weeks (Green Cove Springs, FL), OF Max White (Williston, FL), Elvin Soto (C) disabled list
The Yard Goats roster includes three second round picks and six 2016 All-Star's including OF Dillon Thomas who was an Eastern League All-Star selection last season. The Yard Goats roster also includes INF Josh Fuentes, who is cousin of Rockies All-Star Gold Glove Award winner Nolan Arenado. The Rockies were recently named as having the 8th best farm system in baseball by MLB Pipeline. Last year, five Players on Yard Goats opening day roster and six total players reached the major leagues with the Rockies.
Almonte, 22, returns to the Yard Goats for his second season. He is on the Rockies 40-Man Major League Roster and had the biggest prospect jump in system going from no rating last year to #16 in 2017. He made five starts for the Yard Goats last season, going 3-1 with a 3.30 ERA (10 ER 30 IP) with 22 strikeouts and was named to the California League Post Season All-Star Team for his outstanding season at Class-A Modesto. The right-hander combined to go 11-10 with a 3.58 ERA with 156 strikeouts in 186.1 innings pitched (27 GS) between Hartford and Modesto, his first season in the Rockies organization. Almonte led entire Rockies system with 156 strikeouts.
Castellani, 21, is at the Double-A level for the first time. He was invited to Major League Spring Training as a non-roster player and is listed by Baseball America as the Rockies #6 Prospect in entire Rockies organization. He spent entire the 2016 season at Class-A Modesto in the California League and ranked 6th in the CAL with a 3.81 ERA and led the league in strikeouts (142) and innings pitched (167.2 IP), ranked 4th in the CAL 1.23 WHIP, led the club and finished 4th in the CAL with 26 starts. He was part of the starting rotation that had four of the top six ERA leaders in the California League and was selected the CAL Pitcher of Week on May 8. He was also named to the California League Mid-Season All-Star Team and ranked 8th in the entire Rockies system in ERA and 4th in strikeouts.
French, 24, is at the Double-A level for the first time. He spent most of last season at High-A Modesto, going 8-9 with a 2.85 ERA in 24 starts for the Modesto Nuts and led the California League with a 2.85 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, finished third in the CAL with 154.1 innings pitched and fourth in the CAL with a .237 batting average against. He was part of pitching staff that led the California League in ERA (3.89). He won a career-high 10 games last season (Modesto & Asheville) and was named the CAL Pitcher of the Week on July 3rd. The former University of Texas star was named to the California League Post Season All-Star Team and led the entire Rockies system with a 2.63 ERA.
McMahon, 22, returns to the Yard Goats for his second season. He was invited to Major League Spring Training as non-roster invitee and is listed as MLB Pipeline's #8 prospect and Baseball America's #9 prospect in the entire Rockies' organization in 2017. He spent entire 2016 season with Yard Goats
and batted .242 with 27 doubles, 12 home runs and 75 RBI in 133 games in his first season in the Eastern League. He ranked 4th in the Rockies minor league system in RBI, led the club and ranked T-4th in the Eastern League in games played, ranked 3rd on club with 27 doubles and T-3rd on club with 12 home runs. He ripped the first double in franchise history on April 7 @ Richmond and was first ever Yard Goats player to hit back-to-back home runs along with David Dahl on May 21 @ New Hampshire.
The Yard Goats have players from 12 different states and three countries.
Yard Goats by the State
California (5) New Mexico (1) Virginia (1)
Florida (3) Oregon (1) New York (1)
Texas (3) Mexico (1) Mississippi (1)
Pennsylvania (1) Arizona (1) Puerto Rico (1)
Ohio (1) Illinois (1) Dominican Republic (3)
Venezuela (1)