Globe iconLogin iconRecap iconSearch iconTickets icon
Scores
All Scores Triple-A Scores Double-A Scores High-A Scores Single-A Scores Rookie Scores
Schedule
Complete Game Schedule Triple-A Schedule Double-A Schedule High-A Schedule Single-A Schedule Rookie Schedule Sync Schedules
Teams
Teams by Affiliate Teams by Name Teams by Class Teams by League Ballparks
Watch
Watch Games Subscribe Highlights Prospect Highlights Streaming FAQ Help Center Gameday Audio Podcast Bally Sports Live
Tickets
Tickets
Shop
MiLB Store Auctions Shop Copa Shop Marvel
Standings
Full Season Rookie Leagues Playoffs Playoff Procedures
Stats
Full Season Rookie Leagues Trending Players Top Prospect Stats
News
Pipeline Transactions Copa de la Diversión Baseball Traveler Malmö Oat Milkers MiLB App MiLB Newsletters Sweepstakes & Contests
Prospects
Top 100 Top 30 by Team Top 50 International Draft Top 250 Trending Players
Playoffs
MLB

Frisco RoughRiders release Opening Day roster

Experienced group hopes for return to postseason play
By
March 28, 2013

FRISCO, TEXAS (MARCH 28, 2013) - Beginning next week, the Frisco RoughRiders will field a team balanced with youth, experience, prospects and veterans to make up their 2013 Opening Day roster. Manager Steve Buechele will once again lead the RoughRiders, who will be seeking a fourth straight trip to the Texas League playoffs and the franchise's second championship when the season starts on April 4.

This year's RoughRiders squad features six players listed in Baseball America's top 30 prospects for the Texas Rangers organization, highlighted by 20-year-old pitcher Cody Buckel (8). The others are pitcher Roman Mendez (13), infielder Hanser Alberto (15), and pitchers Wilmer Font (22), Neil Ramirez (23) and Randy Henry (29). Font, who pitched for Frisco at the end of the 2012 season, is noted by Baseball America as having the best fastball among Rangers farmhands. He was the only player last season to throw a triple-digit pitch as recorded by the Dr Pepper Ballpark radar gun.

While there are nine RoughRiders players on this year's team who will be new to the Double-A level, there will plenty of experience on hand as well. Seventeen players have previously played at the Double-A level or higher, with 17 of those players combining for 35 seasons of Double-A playing experience. Six players (Chih-Hsien Chiang, Ryan Feierabend, Kevin Pucetas, Guilder Rodriguez, Tyler Tufts and Ross Wolf) own a combined 21 seasons of Triple-A experience in their playing careers. Three players have reached the highest level of baseball, with Feierabend (Seattle), Font (Texas) and Wolf (Florida, Oakland) combining for six seasons in the big leagues.

Other notes from this year's Opening Day roster:

  • Chiang, who has previously played in the Red Sox and Mariners organizations, will become the RoughRiders' first-ever Taiwanese-born player.
  • Submarining right-handed pitcher Ben Rowen was named the Rangers' 2012 Minor League Reliever of the Year after dominating in Myrtle Beach (5-0, 1.57 ERA, 19 SV). He was also honored with a "MiLBY Award" as the best reliever in all of Minor League Baseball last year.
  • The RoughRiders have 14 players returning from last year's South Division Championship team: Jake Brigham, Alex Buchholz, Buckel, Font, Jared Hoying, Mendez, Carlos Pimentel, Ramirez, Ryan Rodebaugh, Rodriguez, Ryan Strausborger, Tufts, Wolf and Zach Zaneski.
  • Ten players were on the 2012 Myrtle Beach Pelicans team that qualified for postseason play in the Carolina League: Alberto, Buckel, Font, Randy Henry, Herrera, Mendez, Brett Nicholas, Jimmy Reyes, Rowen and Tomas Telis.
  • The average Opening Day age of this year's team is exactly 24 years old. The pitchers' average age is 24.3 while the hitters' is 23.7. Alberto (20) is the youngest player while the oldest is Wolf (30).
  • The players making up this year's team hail from 13 different states (Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Virginia) and four countries (Dominican Republic, Taiwan, United States of America and Venezuela).
  • There are 26 players listed on the roster, one more than the Texas League limit. The RoughRiders will provide an update in the coming days as to who will not be on the active roster for the start of the season.
  • Alejandro Selen will be skipping the Advanced-A level to join the RoughRiders after playing with Single-A Hickory for each of the last two seasons.

Buechele will enter his fourth year as the manager of the RoughRiders. He headlines a coaching staff that remains intact from last season's squad, which advanced to the Texas League Championship Series. He will be joined by pitching coach Jeff Andrews, hitting coach Jason Hart (a former Ranger who also suited up as a Frisco player in 2005) and Double-A coach/Rangers scout James Vilade. Carlos Olivas (athletic trainer) and Eric McMahon (strength & conditioning coach) also return after being honored as the best in the Texas League at their respective positions last season.

The RoughRiders kick off the 2013 season with the Future Rangers Showcase, an exhibition game on Tuesday, April 2 at 7 p.m. against the Triple-A Round Rock Express at Dr Pepper Ballpark. The regular season begins on Thursday, April 4 when Frisco visits the Arkansas Travelers. The 'Riders begin their home schedule on Thursday, April 11 at 7 p.m. when the Travelers come to Dr Pepper Ballpark. For information on tickets to see the RoughRiders in 2013, please call (972) 731-9200, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.ridersbaseball.com.