The break camp roster consists of 17 pitches, 3 catchers, 6 infielders and 5 outfielders.
The starting rotation is expected to be Mick Abel, Nasbil Crismatt, Seth Johnson, Kyle Tyler and Angel Rangel. Mick Abel is the only member of the pitching staff who is under the age of 25, he’s just 23 years old. The bullpen crew is stocked with both veterans and power arms, John McMillon, Emmanuel Mejia, Joel Kuhnel, Guillo Zuniga and Michael Mercado are all mid to upper nineties hurlers. Sidearm pitchers Koyo Aoyagi and Jose Cuas will provide different looks out of the pen while Nicholas Padilla, Austin Schulfer, Max Lazar, Devin Sweet and Nick Vespi rely more on mix to produce outs. Vespi is the only left hander on the initial roster.
The catching crew will be led by Garrett Stubbs who has spent the most recent three seasons in the show as the backup with the Phillies. Josh Breaux was signed last summer after being released by the Yankees, he had a strong showing this spring in big league camp. Payton Henry showed off both pop and defensive prowess this spring.
The starting infield most nights would seemingly be Carson Taylor at first, Christian Arroyo at second, Rodolfo Castro at shortstop and professional hitter Otto Kemp at third base. Twenty-two year old Erick Brito is on the initial roster, I’ve always liked his game, solid middle infield defender and good bat - he may be just a temporary assignment with the Pigs however until another veteran backup is obtained. Rafael Lantigua is a veteran and completes the infield crew, the 26 year old impressed this spring in big league camp with his baseball IQ, versatility and the ability to drive the baseball.
Justin Crawford (21 years old) will be certainly amongst the youngest players in the International League - the mercurial young man will see the brunt of duty in center field, he had a great spring camp coming off a strong off-season playing for Team USA. He’s destined for the big leagues at some point. Gabriel Rincones Jr also makes his AAA level debut, the power is legit as he displayed this spring reflecting for the masses what we’ve previously seen as he’s climbed the ladder, the young man has the tools to be a big league contributor and will see plenty of action in one of the corner outfield spots. Veterans Cal Stevenson and Oscar Mercado are slick fielders who can play any of the outfield positions - they will provide ample back up to Crawford in center field. Matt Kroon always plays with all out abandon - he can also fill in at third base if needed, is very capable in all three outfield spots, the young man in times past has went on offensive streaks where he can carry teams for a week or so, old school, hard nosed player.
That’s the camp breakout roster - best wishes for a successful year all around.
Happy Day, Hapoy Baseball ⚾️
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