Lake County Captains Announce 2024 Opening Day Roster

EASTLAKE, OH – The Lake County Captains today announced their Opening Day roster for the 2024 season.

To begin its 21st season, the team’s roster will feature four of MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 Cleveland Guardians prospects.

OF Jake Fox (No. 19) returns for his second season with the Captains. The 2021 third-round pick led Lake County in hits (103), runs (61), doubles (23), triples (five), RBI (53), total bases (160), and at-bats (402) last season, while hitting .256 with eight home runs in 101 games. He is also Cleveland’s 24th-ranked prospect according to Baseball America.

INF Jose Devers (No. 20) was named a 2023 Carolina League All-Star with Single-A Lynchburg last season. The 20-year-old ranked among qualified Carolina League players in RBI (66, second), runs (65, tied for fourth), stolen bases (34, fifth), total bases (158, fifth), hits (100, tied for sixth), and OPS (.743, 10th). He is also the Guardians’ 20th-ranked prospect according to Baseball America.

INF Alex Mooney (No. 21) fared well in his professional debut last year. The 2023 seventh-round pick tallied 10 hits, four doubles, four RBI, and four stolen bases in 17 games with Single-A Lynchburg. He is also Cleveland’s 14th-ranked prospect according to The Athletic’s Keith Law.

LHP Parker Messick (No. 22) also returns for his second season with the Captains. After being promoted from Single-A Lynchburg on June 27 of last year, the 2022 second-round pick recorded two wins, 75 strikeouts, and three double-digit strikeout performances in 13 appearances (11 starts) with Lake County. He is also the Guardians’ 27th-ranked prospect by Baseball America, and 12th-ranked prospect by The Athletic’s Keith Law.

While not ranked by MLB Pipeline, INF C.J. Kayfus is Cleveland’s 19th-ranked prospect by The Athletic’s Keith Law. The 2023 third-round pick excelled in his first 17 career professional games with Single-A Lynchburg last year. From his debut through the end of the season, he led the team in home runs (four, tied), RBI (19, tied), and slugging percentage (.542), while hitting .271 with 16 hits, four doubles, 15 walks, five stolen bases, and a .971 OPS.

In all, 14 of the Captains’ 29-man Opening Day roster are returners from last season.

Along with Messick, pitchers Alaska Abney, Trenton Denholm, Magnus Ellerts, Steve Hajjar, Jake Miller, and Josh Wolf come back to Lake County to begin the 2024 campaign. Denholm tallied an impressive 1.14 WHIP in 23 games (six starts) last year, recording three wins, three saves, and 67 strikeouts.

In addition to Fox, catchers Zac Fascia and Cooper Ingle, infielders Nate Furman and Tyresse Turner, and outfielders Justin Boyd and Jorge Burgos all return to the Captains as well. Ingle played his first 17 career professional games with Lake County last season, hitting .288 with 15 hits, five doubles, 10 RBI, 17 walks, and a .464 on-base percentage.

The Captains will also have four inactive players to start the year. Pitchers Elvis Jerez and Reid Johnston, and catcher Richard Paz, will begin the season on the 60-day injured list. Pitcher Shawn Rapp will begin the season on the 7-day injured list.

In addition to Devers, Mooney, and Kayfus, 10 more players have been promoted from Single-A Lynchburg. These include RHP Zach Jacobs, who led the Guardians’ player development system with 10 wins last season, C Johnny Tincher, who was an 11th-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, and OF Guy Lipscomb, who ranked fourth in the Carolina League with 48 stolen bases a season ago. The other seven promotions are INF Maick Collado, OF Angel Zarate, RHP Allan Hernández, RHP Jay Driver, LHP Adam Tulloch, RHP Zane Morehouse, and RHP Austin Peterson.

Finally, two players have been promoted directly from the Arizona Complex League. OF Jonah Advincula, an eighth-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, tallied a 1.082 OPS in his first six career professional games last year. RHP Carter Spivey signed with the Guardians organization as a free agent out of East Carolina University this past January, and has yet to make his professional debut.

The Captains will open their 2024 season with a three-game weekend home series against the West Michigan Whitecaps, which is scheduled to begin on Friday, April 5 at 6:35 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at CaptainsBaseball.com, or by calling (440) 975-8085.

The Lake County Captains are the High-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians, and have been a Class A Affiliate of Cleveland since the team was founded in 2003. To find out more information about the Captains or purchase tickets, visit CaptainsBaseball.com, or call (440) 975-8085.