Blue Rocks Well Represented on Royals' 2018 Opening Day Roster

Hall of Famer and Kansas City Royals' legend George Brett once said, "There's nothing like Opening Day." The parent affiliate of the Wilmington Blue Rocks season begins today and so does the quest to win their third World Series title in franchise history. This year's Opening Day roster features 10 former Blue Rocks on the active roster and 13 in total, including All-Stars Salvador Perez, Mike Moustakas and Kelvin Herrera . Six former Blue Rocks on the 2018 Opening Day roster were on the 2015 World Series team when the Royals won their last championship.

Coming off an impressive 2017 campaign in which he was named an American League All-Star, Moustakas will man third base and provide a veteran presence. The 29-year-old played with the Blue Rocks in 2009 and hit .250 with 32 doubles, 16 home runs and 86 RBI in 129 games. Perez, a five-time All-Star, will start the season on the disabled list after recently suffering an injury. The backstop played in Wilmington during the 2010 season and hit .290 with 21 doubles, seven homers and drove in 53 runs. Herrera is slated to be the team's closer for the second straight year after notching 26 saves last season. The hard-throwing righty made eight appearances in 2011 as a Blue Rock and allowed just one earned run in 14.2 innings of work. Danny Duffy , who pitched for the Blue Rocks in 2009-10, makes his second consecutive Opening Day start.
Other notable Blue Rocks to crack the big league roster this season are former top-prospects Bubba Starling and Adalberto Mondesi . Both will start the year on the disabled list. Starling was rated the top prospect in the system in 2012 and played in Wilmington in both 2014 and 2015. Mondesi, the son of former big leaguer Raul Mondesi, was tabbed as the best prospect in the organization during the 2015 season. That same year, the infielder became the first player to make his major-league debut in the World Series, pinch hitting in Game 3 against the New York Mets.
There are also a handful of familiar names Blue Rocks fans will recognize on Kansas City's Opening Day roster. Pitchers Tim Hill, Jakob Junis, and Eric Skoglund, infielders Cheslor Cuthbert and Whit Merrifield , outfielder Paulo Orlando and catcher Cam Gallagher round out the baker's dozen.
The Blue Rocks open their season on Thursday, April 5 at Potomac and start their home slate at Frawley Stadium on Thursday, April 12 against the Lynchburg Hillcats. Individual tickets, season seats, mini plans and group packages for the 2018 season are on sale now at BlueRocks.com.