Snappers Announce 2021 Opening Day Roster

BELOIT, WI -- The Beloit Snappers will open the 2021 season, their first as an affiliate of the Miami Marlins, with a roster loaded with top prospects. Every night will feature high-quality matchups on the mound, playmakers in the outfield, and players who can swing for the fences. Miami’s farm system is ranked fourth in the MLB. The roster consists of 16 pitches, three catchers, five infielders, and five outfielders.

The Snappers pitching staff will be led by the Marlins 17th and 23rd ranked prospects Kyle Nicolas and Zach McCambley, respectively. Nicolas was selected in the second round of the 2020 draft (61stoverall) from Ball State. During his junior season, he struck out 37 and only walked seven. Over his 23 innings, Nicolas recorded an ERA of 2.74.

The Marlins selected McCambley in the third round of the 2020 draft (75th overall) from Coastal Carolina. In four starts with the Chanticleers, McCambley went 3-1 with a 1.80 ERA striking out 32 in 25 innings pitched. McCambley led Coastal Carolina in strikeouts and was tied for fifth in the Sun Belt.

Both players will make their professional debut with the Snappers this season.

Beloit will carry three players with experience behind the plate to open the season piloted by Will Banfield. Banfield spent the 2019 season in the Midwest League with former Marlins’ affiliate, the Clinton LumberKings. He has a career batting avg of .209 with 12 home runs and 73 RBI in three seasons. The former 2nd round pick from 2018 enters this season as the #28 prospect in the Marlins system.

Three more Top-30 prospects will fill three of the five outfield spots. Kameron Misner ranked 15th in the Marlins system, Connor Scott - 16th, and Griffin Conine – 18th, will start in Beloit to begin the 2021 season. Scott and Misner both highlight the team being first-round draft picks in the 2018 and 2019 draft, respectively. Conine follows suit as a 2nd round draft pick in the 2018 draft by the Toronto Blue Jays.

Misner played in eight games with the Marlins’ rookie affiliate and 34 games with Clinton in 2019 after being draft from the University of Missouri. In 42 total games, he collected 44 hits and hit .270/.388/362. During spring training with the Marlins, Misner went 2-for-9 with a .697 OPS over his eight-game stretch.

The Marlins drafted Scott 13th overall in the 2018 draft out of H. B. Plant High School in Tampa, FL. He hit .251/.311/.368 with four home runs, 36 RBI, and 23 stolen bases in 95 games with the LumberKings. In five games during spring training, Scott went 2-for-5 with a triple and four RBI.

Conine rounds out the trio of top prospects with power from the left side of the plate. The lefty hit a season-high 22 home runs and 64 RBI with the Lansing Lugnuts in 2019. In 80 games played, Conine slashed .283/.371/.576 with an OPS of .946, and he also stole a couple of bases. Originally, a 31st round pick in 2015 by the Marlins, Conine found his way back into the farm system when the Marlins acquired him from the Blue Jays for Jonathan Villar.

Another notable outfielder for the Snappers is Thomas Jones. A third-round draft pick in 2016, Jones has a career slash line of .220/.312/.342 with 21 home runs and 114 RBI. In 2019, Jones played in 114 games with Clinton, joining teammates Scott and Misner in the outfield. He hit .239 with a season-best 10 home runs and 54 RBI. While Jones is a power platoon for Conine, don’t sleep on him on the basepaths. Jones stole 39 bases over the last two seasons played.

Beloit’s top-tiered outfield coupled with Misner’s ability to play first base means the Snappers lineup has the potential to play six top-round draft picks on any given night. Six of the Marlins Top-30 Prospects to start the season in a Snappers uniform. With the Snappers moving to the High-A Central, this is the highest level of competition Beloit fans will have ever seen.

The full roster of players is listed below under their positions

Catchers – Will Banfield, David Martinez, Dustin Skelton

Infielders - Marcus Chiu, Bubba Hollins, Devin Hairston, Nic Ready, Marcos Rivera

Outfielders - Griffin Conine, Thomas Jones, Kameron Misner, Tevin Mitchell, Connor Scott

RHP Pitchers - Dylan Bice, Evan Brabrand, Alberto Guerrero, Bryan Hoeing, Tyler Jones, Zack Leban, Zach McCambley, Tyler Mitzel, Kyle Nicolas, Brady Puckett, Cason Sherrod, Joey Steele, Jake Walters

LHP Pitchers - Zach King, Josh Simpson, Antonio Velez

The Beloit Snappers will open the 2021 season on Tuesday, May 4 in Appleton against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers before welcoming home the players and fans on Tuesday, May 11 against the South Bend Cubs. For more information and tickets or group outings, please call our front office at 608.362.2272 or visit SnappersBaseball.com