Louisville Bats Announce 2022 Opening Day Roster

LOUISVILLE, KY – The Louisville Bats today announced their Opening Day roster for the 2022 Triple-A baseball season. The squad features three of the top 30 prospects in the Cincinnati Reds’ organization, several returning standouts from the 2021 Bats team and the addition of key veterans like slugger Jake Bauers and University of Kentucky alum JT Riddle.

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The trio of top prospects headlining the roster include RHP Graham Ashcraft (No. 11), outfielder TJ Friedl (No. 22) and infielder Alejo Lopez (No. 26). Ashcraft has been touted by Baseball America as possessing the top breaking pitch in the Reds’ system in back-to-back seasons, while Friedl returns as the team’s reigning Mary E. Barney MVP Award winner from the 2021 campaign. The duo is also backed by Lopez, who burst onto the scene last year to lead all of Minor League Baseball in base hits during his standout Bats debut.

In addition to the familiar faces of Friedl and Lopez, Louisville’s Opening Day roster also includes the walkoff hero from several thrilling come-from-behind wins in 2021, INF Michael De Leon, and the stalwart southpaw out of the bullpen in LHP Phillip Diehl.

The marquee veteran additions to the squad include Bauers, who has blasted 27 homers in the Majors over parts of his last two seasons, and Riddle, who inserts into the lineup with 250 career MLB games on his resume. Riddle is a native of Frankfort, Kentucky, won the state’s Mr. Baseball award in 2010 and was a three-year starter at the University of Kentucky from 2011-13.

The 2022 Louisville Bats are managed by returning skipper Pat Kelly. Kelly has coached more than 3,500 games during his pro career and is entering his third season at the helm of the team.