Munoz 100th Major League Monster All-Time

BURLINGTON, VT --- The Vermont Lake Monsters are proud to announce that by making today's opening day roster for the St. Louis Cardinals, 2014 Tom Racine MVP Award winner Yairo Muñoz has become the 100th former Lake Monsters player all-time to reach the Major Leagues.

Click here to view a complete list of all 100 Major League Monsters
Munoz was named the Tom Racine award winner after hitting .298 (75-for-252) with 29 runs, 17 doubles, three triples, five homers, 20 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 66 games played for Vermont as a 19-year-old during the 2014 season. Munoz is now one of 10 Racine MVP winners to reach the Major Leagues, joining Chris Stowers '96, Talmadge Nunnari '97, Matt Watson '99, Brandon Watson '00, Michael Hinckley '02, Justin Maxwell '06, Derek Norris '08, David Freitas '10 and Boog Powell '13.
After playing for Vermont, Munoz continued his Minor League career in the Oakland Athletics organization with Single-A affiliates Beloit and Stockton in 2015 before spending the 2016 season with the Double-A Midland RockHounds. After beginning the 2017 season with Midland, hitting .316 with 17 doubles and six homers in 47 games, he was promoted to Triple-A Nashville where he hit .289 with nine doubles, seven homers and 42 RBI in 65 games for the Sounds.

In December of 2017 Munoz was traded along with another Minor League infielder by Oakland to the St. Louis Cardinals for outfielder Stephen Piscotty. Munoz made the Cardinals opening day roster after hitting .323 (20-for-62) with 15 runs, three doubles, three homers and 10 RBI in 23 spring training games for St. Louis. On February 28th in one of his first spring training games, Munoz hit two home runs in the seventh inning against the Baltimore Orioles.
23 of the now 100 Major League Monsters are beginning the 2018 season on an MLB roster (21 active and two on disabled list). That includes eight players with the Lake Monsters Major League affiliated Oakland A's: Ryan Buchter '07, Ryan Dull '12 (DL), Daniel Gossett '14, Bruce Maxwell '12, Matt Olson '12, Chad Pinder '13, Jake Smolinski '08 and Powell.