Rangers Release RoughRiders 2022 Break Camp Roster

FRISCO, Texas (March 31, 2022)– In conjunction with the Texas Rangers, the Frisco RoughRiders are thrilled to announce their 2022 Break Camp Roster, which features five top-30 Rangers prospects (according to MLB.com) and 15 returning players from 2021.

Rangers No. 1 prospect (No. 17 in baseball) Jack Leiter headlines the five top-30 prospects in Frisco. Leiter was the No. 2 overall selection by Texas in the 2021 MLB draft and will make his professional baseball debut for the RoughRiders. The Rangers No. 4 prospect, infielder Ezequiel Duran, who came over to the Rangers in the 2021 Joey Gallo trade with the Yankees, is the highest position player prospect of the bunch. Utility-man Dustin Harris, who slots in as the No. 6 prospect for the Rangers and took home Rangers Minor League Player of the Year honors in 2021, will fill multiple roles defensively for the Riders.

On the mound, a pair of returners from 2021 round out the top-30 talent. Aledo, Texas native LHP Cody Bradford is the No. 20 prospect and made seven starts with the RoughRiders toward the end of 2021. RHP Zak Kent falls right behind Bradford at the No. 21 position and also came up to join the Riders late in the 2021 campaign, making six starts.

Outside of Bradford and Kent, the pitching staff will feature many familiar names to Riders fans. Former first-round pick LHP Cole Ragans and 2021 Opening Day-starter RHP Tim Brennan return as likely starters. In the bullpen, LHP Tyler Thomas, RHP Chase Lee, RHP Fernery Ozuna, RHP Grant Anderson and RHP Tai Tiedemann are all back as Riders as well.

Catchers Matt Whatley and Jordan Procyshen also make their return to Frisco while UTL Blaine Crim, INF Diosbel Arias, OF J.P. Martinez and OF Josh Stowers round out the rest of the position players who are slated for their sophomore campaigns at Riders Field.

The talented newcomers who will most likely be on the starting staff include LHP Avery Weems, who came over to the Rangers from the White Sox as part of the Lance Lynn trade in 2020, and RHP Justin Slaten, who hails from Longview, Texas, and is a former third-round selection. Other arms include LHP Grant Wolfram, who owned a 33 percent strikeout rate with High-A Hickory in 2021; RHP Seth Nordlin, who was third on Hickory with 83.0 innings pitched last season; RHP Nick Starr, who threw a total of 29 games out of the pen in 2021 between Low-A Down East and Hickory; and LHP Lucas Jacobsen, who missed all of 2021 with a left lat strain.

The RoughRiders will welcome seven other new position players as well. Catcher David Garcia, who threw out 35 percent of base runners with Hickory in 2021, will split time with Whatley behind the plate. The infield newcomers include Nick Tanielu, who was signed as a minor-league free agent in the offseason after eight seasons in the Astros organization; Jonathan Ornelas, who finished fourth in hits (71) in the High-A East last year; Trey Hair, who was signed as a free agent in 2021 and had an .893 OPS with Hickory; and Nash Knight, a free agent signee this offseason who was in the Toronto system with Triple-A Buffalo in 2021.

The outfield will feature two other new faces as well in Sandro Fabian, a new Rangers player after spending 2021 in the Giants organization, and Kellen Strahm, who finished seventh in the High-A East in OBP (.388) among those with at least 200 plate appearances.

For the entire Break Camp Roster, CLICK HERE.

The roster contains 31 players (teams are allotted 28 player spots) and is subject to change before Opening Day on April 8th.

The RoughRiders will begin the 2022 season with Opening Day on April 8th at Riders Field. For tickets and more information about the Frisco RoughRiders, visit RidersBaseball.com or call 972.731.9200.

About the RoughRiders

The Frisco RoughRiders are the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. The team was founded in 2003 and has finished first among all Double-A franchises in attendance for 15 consecutive seasons (2005-2019). In August 2014, the RoughRiders were purchased by an ownership group led by Chuck Greenberg. Since then, the new ownership group, together with the City of Frisco, has spearheaded numerous major franchise enhancements, investing over $8 million in a wide array of facility upgrades and improvements, including a state-of-the-art HD video board, sound system, Bull Moose Saloon, InTouch Grille, Riders Outpost Team Store and the world's largest water feature in a sports facility, the massive Lazy River. These enhancements earned the Riders and the City of Frisco Ballpark Digest's prestigious "Best Ballpark Renovation" award for two consecutive years (2015 and 2016). More than 170 former RoughRiders players have gone on to play Major League Baseball. For more information on the Frisco RoughRiders, please visit RidersBaseball.com or contact [email protected].