Ready to Go in Clearwater

CLEARWATER, FL – With the start of the season just around the corner, the Philadelphia Phillies have released the projected Opening Day roster for the Single-A Clearwater Threshers. The 2023 squad features 17 pitchers and 13 position players.

Eight of the Phillies’ Top 30 Prospects (MLB Pipeline) are included on the Opening Day roster, consisting of four outfield prospects (#4 Justin Crawford, #7 Gabriel Rincones Jr., #12 Emaarion Boyd and #13 Jordan Viars), the Phillies number two catching prospect (#26 Caleb Ricketts) and three pitching prospects (#8 Alex McFarlane, #21 Orion Kerkering, and #27 Jaydenn Estanista).

Gabriel Rincones Jr. Was selected by the Phillies in the third round of the 2022 MLB Draft and is set to make his professional debut this year. A Florida native, Rincones Jr. Finished his collegiate career with the Florida Atlantic Owls, where he was named First-team All-Conference and Conference USA Newcomer of the Year after hitting .346 with 19 homers and 69 RBI in his sophomore season. He joined FAU after a two-year stint at St. Petersburg College, where he finished with a career batting average over .400 and was named the top Florida Junior College player after the 2021 season.

Rincones Jr. will be joined in the outfield by 2022 first-round draft pick Justin Crawford, the son of 15-year MLB veteran Carl Crawford. Justin made his professional debut with the Threshers last season, recording three hits and stealing two bases in five games. He improved after being sent down to the FCL, slashing a solid .297/.395/.351 with a triple and eight steals in 11 games.

Caleb Ricketts returns to Clearwater for his first full season as a pro after being drafted by the Phillies in the seventh round of the MLB draft last year. He hit three home runs and drove in ten runs in 22 games with the Threshers as a catcher and designated hitter.

A Phillies organizational all-star in 2021, Erick Brito is set to return to the infield at BayCare Ballpark for his second-straight season with the Threshers. The 20-year-old featured as a middle infielder for Clearwater last season, playing 94 of 97 games at short. Throughout his three-year minor league career, he has played every position in the infield and outfield at least once.

Former Miami Hurricane Alex McFarlane is expected to feature as a starter for the Threshers this season. The 21-year-old made three starts for Clearwater last season, fanning 12 batters in 8.0 innings after being drafted by the Phillies in the fourth round of last year’s draft. He averaged over one strikeout per inning throughout his collegiate career in Miami and his two years with the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod League.

Orion Kerkering is another Florida collegiate arm who will begin the season with the Threshers, likely out of the bullpen. The 2022 fifth-rounder out of USF made three saves and finished third in his conference with 91 strikeouts in his final year with the Bulls. He struck out six in 6.0 innings with Clearwater in his debut season. All six appearances he made between the Threshers and the FCL were out of the bullpen.

Marty Malloy rejoins the Threshers for his second straight year as manager. His staff consists of pitching coach Matt Hockenberry, hitting coach Chris Heintz, and position coach Mycal Jones. Rounding out the field staff is Samantha Myers as the Athletic Trainer and Strength and Conditioning Coach Joseph Miranda.

Roster Breakdown (subject to change):

Pitchers (17): Samuel Aldegheri, Josh Bortka, Jean Cabrera, Starlyn Castillo, Jack Dallas, Jaydenn Estanista, Braeden Fausnaught, Jonh Henriquez, Orion Kerkering, Alex McFarlane, Wesley Moore, Yoniel Ramirez, Alex Rao, Mason Ronan, Eduar Segovia, Andrew Walling, Danny Wilkinson.

Catchers (3): Jordan Dissin, Adony Mejía, Caleb Ricketts.

Infield (5): Erick Brito, Chad Castillo, Otto Kemp, Freylin Minyety, Bryan Rincon.

Outfield (5): Emaarion Boyd, Justin Crawford, Cade Fergus, Gabriel Rincones Jr., Jordan Viars

You can purchase tickets for the Threshers season, with the Home Opener on Tuesday, April 11th, at ThreshersBaseball.com/tickets or by calling 727-467-4457…The Box Office at BayCare Ballpark is also open daily to purchase Threshers tickets…The hours are 10 AM-5 PM Monday through Friday and 10 AM-3 PM on Saturdays.