The tentative opening day roster was released Thursday afternoon for the Tri-City ValleyCats, the Capital Region’s own minor league baseball team! The roster features 24 players who will begin their summer with Tri-City for the 2012 season.
The roster includes five players returning from the 2011 season and thirteen making their pro debut.
Of the five players returning three of them are pitchers including Jamaine Cotton, Juri Perez and Tommy Shirley. Shirley was also a member of the ValleyCats 2010 championship team.
Neiko Johnson and Chase Davidson are position players that are also making their return to the lineup this season.
Thirteen college players selected in the 2012 MLB Draft will make their professional debuts with the ValleyCats. Third-round pick Brady Rodgers, a starting pitcher, and fifth-round selection Andrew Aplin, an outfielder, were teammates with Arizona State, and will join each other in Tri-City to begin their professional baseball careers.
There are three international players on the tentative Opening Day roster, two from Puerto Rico and one from Venezuela.
The ValleyCats begin their 2012 season against the Lake Monsters in Vermont on Monday, June 18. The team will return to ” The Joe” on Wednesday, June 20 for their home opener against the same Lake Monsters.
