Roster set for Thursday opener

FORT WAYNE — Once again, some of the best prospects in all of baseball will be in Northeast Indiana.

The Fort Wayne TinCaps, the Class A affiliate of the San Diego Padres, announced their Opening Day roster for the 2019 season on Monday.

It’s again loaded with potential, as four of the Padres’ top 30 prospects will begin the season in Fort Wayne. The 25-man lineup features almost a dozen who saw time in a TinCap uniform last season, including three 2018 MLB draft picks.

Multiple outlets, including MLB.com, ESPN and Baseball America, have the San Diego farm system listed as tops in the sport.

“I’m extremely excited,” Anthony Contreras, fourth-year TinCaps manager, said in a release. “We have a well-rounded group in terms of speed, power and pitching. After spring training, it’s going to be nice to see them play some real baseball under the lights. I know they’re chomping at the bit to get going and I think it’ll be fun for the fans to watch these guys.”

The TinCaps, who were 64-74 last year and one game away from earning a playoff berth for the ninth time in 10 seasons, open the 2019 campaign at 7:05 p.m. Thursday at Parkview Field against the Lansing Lugnuts (Toronto Blue Jays).

Fort Wayne returns all of its coaching staff from the 2018 season. Contreras, 35, is the first manager in TinCaps history to lead the team for more than three years. Jonathan Matthews is the hitting coach and Jhonny Carvajal is the fielding coach. Matt Williams was added to the staff to be the pitching coach, replacing Burt Hooton, who is expected to miss the year following off-season knee surgery. 

Ryan Weathers, MLB.com’s 10th-ranked Padres prospect and 91st overall, is among 11 who played in Fort Wayne last year. The 6-foot, 1-inch, 200-pound lefty was the seventh overall pick in the 2018 draft, and signed for a $5.2 million bonus in July.

In three games for the TinCaps, Weathers had a 3.00 ERA in nine innings. He walked one and struck out nine with a 1.33 WHIP.

Other top prospects include infielders Xavier Edwards (No. 14) and Tucupita Marcano (No. 21) and catcher Blake Hunt (No. 30). Outfielder Grant Little (second round) and Edwards (first round – 38th overall) were 2018 draft picks.

Returning TinCaps include right-handed pitchers Carlos Belen, Henry Henry, Gabe Mosser and Jose Quezada. Belen was converted from an infielder midway through the 2018 season after he hit .219 with five home runs and 24 RBIs in 45 games.

Dan Dallas and Joey Cantillo are left-handed hurlers with TinCap experience.

Infielders Luiz Almanzar and Justin Lopez, catcher Juan Fernandez and outfielder Agustin Ruiz round out the group of 11 who were TinCaps a year ago. Lopez, who was the youngest player in the Midwest League last year, batted .224 with nine doubles, three triples and six home runs while driving in 25 runs. He is one of nine teenage TinCaps and the lone 18-year-old.

Angel Acevedo, Tom Colletti and Efrain Contreras — all righties — as well as Southpaws Ramon Perez, Hazahel Quijada and Trent Sheldon make up the remainder of the 13-man pitching staff.

Infielder Lee Solomon, a native of Columbus, Ohio, catcher Nick Gatewood and outfielders Jawuan Harris and Dwanya Williams-Sutton complete the TinCaps’ position players.

Fort Wayne hosts Lansing for a two-game home-and-home series to open the season. The TinCaps and Lugnuts meet at Parkview Field on Thursday and Friday — first pitch slated for 7:05 p.m. both days — before traveling up I-69 to Lansing for games on Saturday (6:05 p.m.) and Sunday (1:05 p.m.).

The TinCaps then host the Dayton Dragons for a four-game set beginning April 8 ahead of a six-game road trip to Bowling Green and Dayton April 12 through 17.

To purchase tickets for home games, visit TinCapsTickets.com, call (260) 482-6400 or visit the Parkview Field Ticket Office.