2012 Modesto Nuts Roster Released
Former 1st round pick (2010) Kyle Parker will lead the Nuts position players in 2011. The 9th ranked prospect in the Rockies organization, according to Baseball America, will patrol the outfield at John Thurman Field this season. Parker, who was a star quarterback at Clemson University, hit .285 with 21 home runs and 95 RBI last year in Asheville. Parker will be joined in the outfield by Corey Dickerson, Chandler Laurent and Scott Robinson. Dickerson (32 HR in '11) and Laurent (15 HR in '11) both spent the 2011 season in Asheville. Robinson will be returning for his 3rd season with the Nuts. Outfielder Rafael Ortega will start the season on the disabled list and will stay in extended spring training until healthy.
First baseman Jared Clark is the only returning member of the 2011 Nuts infield. Clark appeared in 61 games at first base and designated hitter for the Nuts last year. Middle infielder Timothy Smalling spent the 2011 with the Tri-City Dust Devils of the Northwest League. He finished in the top three in the league in triples, double and extra-base hits and as a result has made the big jump straight to Modesto to start the season. Christhian Adames played in 108 games as the starting shortstop for Asheville last season. The switch-hitter compiled a .273 average for the Tourists. Sakata will have tremendous versatility in the infield as Brett Tanos, Helder Velazquez and Joey Wong all played over 100 games each at various infield positions throughout the 2011 season.
The Nuts will begin the season with three catchers: Dustin Garneau, Bryce Massanari and Dallas Tarleton. Tarleton spent the 2011 season with the Nuts but an injury kept him on the DL for over 2 months. Garneau and Massanari split the catching duties last season in Asheville with Garneau getting the majority of the starts. The duo combines for 31 home runs and 110 RBI.
The Nuts pitching staff contains five players with previous experience at John Thurman Field. Former number 1 draft pick Tyler Matzek will begin the season with the Nuts for the second straight year. The left-hander struggled in his few starts with the Nuts last year before finding his form with the Asheville Tourists. The 21-year old is still considered one of the top prospects in the Rockies organization. Right-hander Nick Schnaitmann spent the first half of the 2011 season in the Nuts rotation before being transferred to Asheville. The 6'6" right-hander was 6-2 with a 2.70 ERA with the Tourists. Right-handers Chad Rose and Leuris Gomez were key members of the Nuts bullpen in 2011. Left-hander Isaiah Fronenberger appeared in 45 games for the 2010 Modesto Nuts.
Right-hander Christian Bergman made 15 starts for Tri-City in 2011 finishing with a 2.59 ERA for the Dust Devils. Bergman was named a Northwest League Post-Season All-Star. Righty Joshua Slaats made 22 starts for Asheville last year finishing with 7 wins for the Tourists. Righty Josh Mueller spent the 2nd half of the 2011 season as a starter for the Tourists finishing with over 100 innings pitched for the first time in his career.
Virtually the entire 2011 Asheville bullpen will be joining the Nuts squad to start the season. Left-handers Josh Hungerman and Kraig Sitton will join right-handers Juan Gonzalez and Bruce Kern to reprise their role in the bullpen in 2012. The quartet combined for over 276 innings pitched last year in Asheville.
The 2012 Modesto Nuts season kicks off on Thursday, April 5th as the Nuts host the San Jose Giants at John Thurman Field. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. and pre-game festivities will begin at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are available online at www.modestonuts.com or by calling (209) 572-HITS (4487).