Atlanta Braves Announce Gwinnett Opening Night Roster

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – The Atlanta Braves today announced the Gwinnett Stripers’ 30-player roster to open the 2022 International League season. Gwinnett’s 150-game schedule begins Tuesday, April 5 at Memphis.

Gwinnett Stripers Opening Night Roster (*=Braves 40-Man Roster):

Pitchers (18): R.J. Alaniz, Brad Brach, Brandon Brennan, Thomas Burrows, Jasseel De La Cruz, Bryce Elder, Seth Elledge, Connor Johnstone, Nolan Kingham, Dylan Lee, Kyle Muller, Brandyn Sittinger, Jackson Stephens, Michael Tonkin, Touki Toussaint, Nick Vincent, Jacob Webb, Allan Winans

Catchers (3): Ryan Casteel, Arden Pabst, Chadwick Tromp*

Infielders (6): Ryan Goins, Yariel Gonzalez, Phil Gosselin, John Nogowski, Braden Shewmake, Pat Valaika

Outfielders (3): Justin Dean, Travis Demeritte*, Greyson Jenista

Three members of the MLB.com Braves’ Top 30 Prospects list will open the season with Gwinnett: pitchers Kyle Muller (No. 4) and Bryce Elder (No. 5), and shortstop Braden Shewmake (No. 6).

Muller, 24, made 17 starts with the Stripers during his Triple-A debut in 2021, going 5-4 with a 3.39 ERA, .223 BAA, and 93 strikeouts in 79.2 innings. At seasons’ end he was named the recipient of Gwinnett’s “Most Competitive Player” award.

Elder, 22, also made his Triple-A debut with Gwinnett in 2021, going 2-3 with a 2.21 ERA, .143 BAA, and 40 strikeouts in 36.2 innings over seven starts. The Braves awarded Elder their Phil Niekro Award for Minor League Pitcher of the Year after he combined to go 11-5 with a 2.75 ERA in 25 starts between High-A Rome, Double-A Mississippi, and Gwinnett.

Shewmake, 24, was named a MiLB.com Braves Organization All-Star for 2021 after batting .228 with 12 home runs and 40 RBIs in 83 games with Mississippi. Atlanta’s 2019 first-round pick hit .265 over his final 64 regular-season games and was a member of the M-Braves’ Double-A South championship club.

Elder and Muller are two of 13 returnees from Gwinnett’s 2021 club, a list that includes pitchers Thomas Burrows, Jasseel De La Cruz, Connor Johnstone, Nolan Kingham, Dylan Lee, Touki Toussaint, and Jacob Webb, catchers Ryan Casteel and Chadwick Tromp, infielder Ryan Goins, and outfielder Travis Demeritte.

Demeritte led the Stripers with 21 home runs last season (T-7th in the Triple-A East), making him just the third player in Gwinnett history with two 20-homer seasons (hit 20 in 2019). Webb tied for the team lead in saves with six (T-10th in the Triple-A East) last year.

Another returnee to Gwinnett, although not from the 2021 campaign, is infielder/outfielder Phil Gosselin. Named an International League Postseason All-Star in 2014 when he posted a Gwinnett single-season record .344 batting average in 96 games, Gosselin returns for his third stint with the club (2013-14, 2018).

Sixteen first-time Stripers include pitchers R.J. Alaniz, Brad Brach, Brandon Brennan, Seth Elledge, Brandyn Sittinger, Jackson Stephens, Michael Tonkin, Nick Vincent, and Allan Winans, catcher Arden Pabst, infielders Yariel Gonzalez, John Nogowski, Shewmake, and Pat Valaika, and outfielders Justin Dean and Greyson Jenista. Dean, Jenista, Shewmake, and Winans are all set to make their Triple-A debuts.

Eighteen players on the Gwinnett roster have previous Major League experience, including pitchers Alaniz, Brach, Brennan, Elledge, Lee, Muller, Sittinger, Stephens, Tonkin, Toussaint, Vincent, and Webb, catcher Tromp, infielders Goins, Gosselin, Nogowski, and Valaika, and outfielder Demeritte.

Lee, Muller, Toussaint, and Webb all played for Atlanta last season, and both Lee and Webb appeared for the Braves in the MLB Postseason. Lee was the starting pitcher for Game 4 of the 2021 World Series vs. Houston, becoming the second pitcher in Major League history to make his first career start in the Postseason.

There are nine players on the Gwinnett roster under the age of 25, with Elder the youngest at 22. Eight players are over the age of 30, including a pair of 35-year-olds in Brach and Vincent.

The Stripers are led by manager Matt Tuiasosopo (2nd season), pitching coach Mike Maroth (3rd season), hitting coach Carlos Mendez (2nd season), coach Wigberto Nevarez (2nd season), coach Devon Travis (1st season), athletic trainers Drew Garner (1st season) and Dan Gaertner (1st season), and strength and conditioning coach Paul Howey (3rd season).

Stripers’ Opening Night at Coolray Field is set for Tuesday, April 12 vs. Nashville. Single-game tickets for all 2022 home games are on sale now at GoStripers.com.