Indians Announce 2017 Opening Day Roster

The Texas Rangers assigned 32 players to Spokane on Friday for the start of the Northwest League season, which opens Thursday, June 15th at Avista Stadium. Headlining the roster are a pair of highly touted pitchers, with 2016 1^st round pick Cole Ragans  and 2016 2^nd round pick Alex Speas .

Spokane, WA - The Texas Rangers assigned 32 players to Spokane on Friday for the start of the Northwest League season, which opens Thursday, June 15th at Avista Stadium.

Headlining the roster are a pair of highly touted pitchers, with 2016 1^st round pick Cole Ragans  and 2016 2^nd round pick Alex Speas .
 
Ragans and Speas are both listed in the top ten prospects within the Texas Rangers organization, according to MLB.com. Ragans, the 30^th overall selection in the 2016 MLB Draft, is rated #8 and Speas is rated #9.
 
In total, the Indians have 11 players on the roster selected in the first 20 rounds of the last two MLB Drafts. That total includes 2016 3^rd round pick Kole Enright.

Returning players from the Indians 2016 roster include pitchers Johan Juan and Tyler Phillips , catcher Clayton Middleton, infielders Charles Leblanc , first baseman Curtis Terry , and outfielder Chad Smith.

Outfielder Miguel Aparicio  headlines a total of 13 international players on Spokane's roster. Aparicio ranks in the top 30 prospects for the Rangers and has spent most of this season with the Hickory Crawdads.

First-year Indians manager Matt Hagen is impressed with the roster.

"It's a young group that likes to play baseball. They bring good energy everyday," said Hagen. "I'm excited to see what they do with people in the stands and under the lights. They've been preparing for this not only for the last four or five months but a lot of them for their entire lives."

The Indians are expected to receive players from the 2017 MLB Draft, and some of those players could make their way to Spokane in July. The first round of the draft starts at 4:00 PM on Monday, June 12, with Texas holding two picks in the opening round.

A complete list of the current roster is attached here

Fans will have their first chance to meet the 2017 Spokane Indians during the Community FanFest on Saturday, June 10 from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. 

The Indians open the season against the Boise Hawks on Thursday, June 15th for Opening Night Fireworks & AAA Magnet Schedule Giveaway presented by ABC Office Equipment, KREM 2-TV, 93.7 The Mountain, 1510 KGA NW Sports Talk, and The Journal of Business.

The Spokane Indians are the Short Season Class 'A' Affiliate of the Texas Rangers. Ticket Packages and Hospitality Areas for the 2017 Spokane Indians season are available now. Click Here to view the 2017 schedule. For more information, please visit SpokaneIndians.com or call (509) 343-OTTO (6886). Parking at all Spokane Indians games is FREE.