Rainiers Unveil Opening Day Roster

TACOMA, Wash. -- The Tacoma Rainiers today announced the club's preliminary roster in advance of the team's season opener scheduled for Thursday, April 5.

The 24-man squad features a balanced mix of newcomers and familiar faces in 2012, with 14 players making their way back to Tacoma and 10 players set to make their Rainiers debuts during the team's season-opening homestand.

Click here to view the full roster.

Carlos Peguero fronts the list of returning Rainiers coming off a Spring Training campaign that saw the power-hitting outfielder belt five home runs and produce 13 RBI over 15 Cactus League games with the Mariners.

Peguero is slated to be joined by other familiar faces such as pitchers Cesar Jimenez, Shawn Kelley, Mauricio Robles, Anthony Vasquez and Seattle native Forrest Snow. Infielders Luis Jimenez, Johan Limonta, Luis Rodriguez and Scott Savastano will also be returning, alongside outfielders Trayvon Robinson and Mike Wilson and catcher Guillermo Quiroz.

Top prospects Vinnie Catricala and reliever Chance Ruffin are both set to headline a group of 11 newcomers to Tacoma in 2012. Selected by the Mariners as the organization's 2011 Minor League Player of the Year, Catricala enters his first season at the Triple-A level ranked by Baseball America as the ninth-best prospect in the Mariners farm system. The right-hander Ruffin, acquired by the Mariners last season in a trade with Detroit, is ranked by Baseball America as the organization's seventh-best farmhand.

Pitchers Matt Fox, Sean Henn, Josh Kinney and Charlie Furbush, along with outfielder Darren Ford, all carry Major League experience when they don Rainiers uniforms for the first time this season. They will be joined by catcher Brandon Bantz, who will log his first career playing time above the Double-A level.

The Rainiers 2012 campaign gets underway on Thursday, April 5 at 7:05 p.m. when club hosts a contest against Salt Lake, with a special Opening Night fireworks display shown immediately following the conclusion of the game. The series begins an eight-game homestand featuring series against the division-rival Bees and Colorado Springs Sky Sox.

To purchase season tickets, group packages or party decks for the upcoming 2012 season, please call (253) 752-7707 or email [email protected]. Up-to-date news and notes leading up to the season can be found at www.tacomarainiers.com and by following the Rainiers on Twitter or liking the team on Facebook.