Nearly 50 Osprey on long-season squads in '09

Now that most Major League Baseball teams will open their 2009 season today, their minor-league affiliates now know who they will have playing for them this season, and will open play by Thursday. And when the games get underway, nearly 50 former Missoula Osprey players will start the season on long-season squads in the Arizona Diamondbacks' organization.

The bulk of the former Osprey talent is within the Class A and Class AA ranks, where 42 of the 48 players who have spent time in Missoula will begin their 2009 seasons. Double-A Mobile has 15 former players, and former Osprey manager Hector De La Cruz, while Class A Advanced Visalia has 14 players with Missoula ties, and Class A South Bend starts the 2009 season with 13 former Osprey.

The D-Backs' Triple-A affiliate will be in Reno this season, and the Aces will have six former Osprey on their roster, four of which were promoted to Triple-A for this season.

Three of the alumni who were promoted, catcher John Hester, infielder Rusty Ryal and right-handed pitcher Tony Barnette, played for Double-A Mobile last season. The other former Osprey to get promoted is right-handed reliever Josh Ellis, who spent last season with Class A Advanced Visalia.

Third baseman Agustin Murillo is back with the D-Backs after having a solid season both in the Mexican League in 2008 and in winter ball playing in the Mexican Pacific League, and left-handed pitcher Esmerling Vasquez, the D-Backs' Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2007, will spend his second season at Triple-A, and appears fully recovered from an arm injury he suffered in the fall of 2007.

In Mobile, the pitching is led by returnee Hector Ambriz, who was 5-13 with a 4.87 ERA for the BayBears in 2008, but had a strong second half of the season, and also earned a spot in the Arizona Fall League. Also on the BayBears' pitching staff is the top pick for the Diamondbacks in the 2008 MLB Draft, left-handed reliever Daniel Schlereth.

The BayBears, who have won two Southern League titles, also have two position players to keep an eye on this season - shortstop Pedro Ciriaco, who was added to the D-Backs' 40-man roster in the off-season, and outfielder Gerardo Parra, who has a reputation for hitting at every level, and was in the top 10 in the Venezuelan Winter League in six offensive categories this past winter.

The Visalia Rawhide, who play in the California League, have seven returning players, including outfielder Greg Thomson, and will be bolstered by a number of 2007 and 2008 former Osprey.

Leading the '08 contingent will be infielders Kyle Greene and Ryne White, and outfielder Ollie Linton, who will likely get the chance to start in center field and hit leadoff. They're joined by relief pitcher Bryan Shaw, who was one of three Osprey pitchers to combine on a no-hitter last season.

The 2007 Osprey contingent playing for the Rawhide includes infielder Taylor Harbin, catcher Sean Coughlin and the No. 1 pick for the D-Backs in the 2007 MLB Draft, right-handed pitcher Jarrod Parker.

South Bend, who played in the Midwest League championship series last season, will have 13 players that played for the Osprey in 2008. Headlining the position players from last season's Osprey who will start their season for the SilverHawks is shortstop Reynaldo Navarro, who had started at short the past two seasons for the Osprey.

Two pitchers who excited the Osprey faithful last season will get a shot at being part of the Hawks rotation. Right-hander Trevor Harden posted one of the best strikeouts per 9 innings pitched ratio in Osprey history (13.68) last season, while left-hander Taylor Sinclair was named Pioneer League Pitcher of the Week twice after being signed by the D-Backs in July.

The list of former Osprey playing for full-season teams in the Arizona Diamondbacks' system is as follows (Osprey seasons in parathensis):

South Bend (13)
Catcher: Chris Davis (2008) Infielders: Reynaldo Navarro (2007-08), Victor Estevez (2007-08), Jake Elmore (2008), Nelson Gomez (2008) Outfielders: Isaias Ascencio (2008), Alberto Diaz (2008) Pitchers: Trevor Harden (2008), Justin Mace (2008), Brett Moorhouse (2008), Rafael Quezada (2008), Taylor Sinclair (2008), Bayron Zepeda (2008).

Visalia (14)
Catcher: Sean Coughlin (2007) Infielders: Kyle Greene (2008), Taylor Harbin (2007), Eli Rumler (2007), Ryne White (2008) Outfielders: Ollie Linton (2008), Greg Thomson (2005), Derrick Walker (2006-07) Pitchers: Jerrod Parker (2007), Bryan Shaw (2008), Bryan Henry (2007), Tom Layne (2007), Jordan Norberto (2006), Jorge Perez (2006)

Mobile (15)
Catcher: Orlando Mercado (2003) Infielders: Bryan Byrne (2005), Pedro Ciriaco (2005), Ricardo Sosa (2004) Outfielders: Pete Clifford (2007), Gerardo Parra (2006) Pitchers: Hector Ambriz (2006), Bryan Augenstein (2007), Vince Bongiovanni (2005), Cody Evans (2005), Daniel Schlereth (2008), Daniel Stange (2006), Clay Zavada (2006) Manager: Hector De La Cruz (2005-06)

Reno (6)
Catcher: John Hester (2006) Infielders: Rusty Ryal (2005), Agustin Murillo (2003) Pitchers: Esmerling Vasquez (2004), Josh Ellis (2007), Tony Barnette (2006)