Series Preview: Bees Start Season in Sacramento

After a very long six months away, the wait for Salt Lake Bees baseball is officially over, as the team finally kicks off the 2024 season this weekend. First up on the slate is a three-game road series against the Sacramento River Cats from Friday, March 29 to Sunday, March 31.

Taking the mound on Opening Day for Salt Lake is Andrew Wantz, who returns to the squad after posting a 4.18 ERA in 49 combined games between Triple-A and the majors last season. The righthander worked primarily out of the bullpen in 2023, but he is currently tabbed to begin this year at the top of the Bees rotation. Following Wantz on Saturday and Sunday will be the newly debuting Zach Plesac, who signed with the Angels this offseason after spending seven years as a member of the Cleveland Guardians organization, and Davis Daniel, who returns after featuring with the team for parts of the last three seasons.

On the other side of the ball, the Bees come into the year with a solid mix of youth and experience that will look to produce a high-powered offense. Perhaps the highest-profile position player to don the black and yellow to start the year is outfielder Jordyn Adams, who comes back to Salt Lake as the team’s new single-season stolen base king after swiping 44 bags in 49 attempts in 2023. The Angels’ No. 23 prospect also posted an .817 OPS with 15 home runs in addition to his escapades on the basepaths, and he will look to start building upon this career-best season during 2024’s opening weekend.

Beyond the returning Adams, Salt Lake also features a number of notable newcomers in the lineup that also look primed to play big roles with the team. Sharing the outfield with Adams will be Jake Marisnick and Willie Calhoun, two big-league veterans coming off of impressive spring training performances with the Angels, and in the infield, former fifth-round pick and fan-favorite first baseman Sonny DiChiara makes his Bees debut after spending the first two seasons of his professional career with Double-A Rocket City.

As for their opponents, the Bees will see a number of different players suiting up for Sacramento that sit among the San Francisco Giants top 30 prospects. This includes pitchers Carson Seymour (19th), Mason Black (8th) and Carson Whisenhunt (3rd and 83rd overall), who all currently line up to start each of the three games in the series in that order.

The River Cats will also pencil Marco Luciano, one of the crown jewels of the Giants farm system, into their lineup over the weekend. The 22-year-old shortstop currently ranks as San Francisco’s No. 2 prospect and MLB’s No. 39 overall prospect, and he starts the year in Sacramento looking to make his way back to the big-league club after a brief 14-game cameo at the end of 2023.

The first pitch for Friday’s Opening Day contest is scheduled for 7:45 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday’s contests will kick off at 7:37 p.m. and 2.05 p.m. respectively