MOOSIC, PA (March 30, 2019) - The New York Yankees have announced the preliminary roster for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. New manager Jay Bell and his staff will lead the club in 2019 and are slated to begin with a 25-man roster that features 17 who played for the RailRiders 2018
MOOSIC, PA (March 30, 2019) - The New York Yankees have announced the preliminary roster for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. New manager Jay Bell and his staff will lead the club in 2019 and are slated to begin with a 25-man roster that features 17 who played for the RailRiders 2018 playoff-bound team, 13 players with Major League service time and two top-30 prospects.
The preliminary roster is comprised of nine players drafted by New York, four non-drafted signees, four acquired via trade and eight free agents.
See the full preliminary 2019 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders roster.
Clint Frazier and Tyler Wade appeared in 48 and 91 games for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, respectively, during the 2018 season. Frazier batted .311 with 10 home runs while Wade hit .255 over 91 games. Kyle Higashioka is slated to be the everyday catcher for the RailRiders after appearing in 53 games last year before spending the buld of the season on the Yankees roster. Nestor Cortes began 2018 with the Baltimore Orioles as a Rule-5 selection, but was returned to the Yankees and shined with the RailRiders. Cortes split time between the rotation and the bullpen, posting a 6-5 mark as a starter with a 3.32 ERA over those 18 games, including working a six-inning one hitter with ten strikeouts at Toledo on July 16.
Mike Ford and Ryan McBroom combined to hit 26 home runs for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2018 and return to the RailRiders to start 2019. Giovanny Urshela was acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays in early August last season and went on to hit .307 in 27 games for the RailRiders. Zack Zehner appeared in 87 games last season, batting .262 with 10 home runs and 42 batted in during his time in Triple-A.
Additional players returning from the 2018 team, which came up one win shy of the team's third Governor's Cup Championship, include starting pitchers Chance Adams and David Hale along with relievers Cale Coshow, Raynel Espinal, J.P. Feyereisen, Joe Harvey, Adonis Rosa and David Sosebee.
Adams, the Yankees number 13 prospect according to Baseball America, and Thairo Estrada, number 26 per BA, highlight the prospects on the preliminary roster. Adams was a fifth round selection in the 2015 First-Year Player Draft and reached Triple-A in 2017, going 11-5 for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Adams made his Major League debut for New York on August 4, 2018, against Boston at Fenway Park, marking his first of three stints in the Majors last season. Estrada was promoted to the RailRiders roster on April 30 last year, but only appeared in eight games before an injury ended his season.
Gio Gonzalez is most-experienced and decorated newcomer, having been twice named a Major League All-Star during his 11-year big league career. The left-hander was initially drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the first round of the 2004 and made his Major League debut for Oakland in 2008. Gonzalez signed a Minor League Agreement with the New York Yankees on March 20.
Pitchers Rex Brothers and Danny Coulombe joined the Yankees on Minor League agreements during the off-season, as did catcher Ryan Lavarnway, Billy Burns and Matt Lipka.
Gosuke Katoh is the lone player on the preliminary roster that has not yet played above Double-A during his career. Katoh, selected in the second round of the 2013 draft, appeared in 118 games for Trenton last season while seeing action in multiple spots on the field.
This roster is not yet official and an update could be made prior to April 4.
Bell will manage the club in 2019, his first at the helm of a Triple-A team. He played over 2,000 games during an 18-year, Major League career and has spent the last two years managing in the Yankees organization. Bell is joined on staff by pitching coach Tommy Phelps, hitting coach Phil Plantier and bullpen coach Doug Davis, all of whom are returning to the RailRiders dugout. Julio Borbón joined the Yankees organization in March and will serve as the defensive coach for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Athletic trainer Darren London and strength and conditioning coach Brad Hyde will also return to the RailRiders for the upcoming season.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's Media Day is slated for Monday, April 1, at 2 P.M. Meet the RailRiders is set for Tuesday night at the Hilton Scranton. The team departs for Buffalo on Wednesday and opens the 2019 season April 4 against the Bisions at 2:05 P.M. Opening Night at PNC Field is April 11 at 7:05 P.M. with a magnetic schedule giveaway courtesy of Highmark and post-game fireworks.
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