1st-rounders Muncy, Susac headline 2023 roster

LANSING, Mich. – The Oakland Athletics’ last two first-round selections, shortstop Max Muncy and catcher Daniel Susac, head up the Lansing Lugnuts’ 2023 Opening Day roster for first-year manager Craig Conklin, the Nuts announced today.

Download the 2023 Opening Day roster

The Lugnuts’ roster hails from 13 states and five countries, and it includes 17 returning players and 13 newcomers, exemplified by top Oakland Athletics prospects Muncy and Susac and Muncy.

20-year-old Max Muncy was drafted 25th overall in 2021 from Thousand Oaks High School (CA) and enters 2023 as MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 A’s shortstop prospect and No. 10 overall prospect. Muncy crushed 16 homers amid 33 extra-base hits as a teenager in Stockton to open 2022, moving up to Lansing and notching 17 extra-base hits and 13 stolen bases in 14 attempts in 42 games to end the year.

21-year-old Daniel Susac was taken 19th overall in 2022 out of the University of Arizona and enters the 2023 season as MLB Pipeline’s No. 2 A’s catching prospect (behind 2022 Lansing star Tyler Soderstrom) and No. 8 overall prospect. In his professional debut, he slugged seven doubles and a homer for Single-A Stockton in 25 games last summer after hitting .366 and posting a 1.012 OPS as a draft-eligible sophomore.

Joe Ritzo: "One of the most outstanding plate appearances we'll see all season."

Daniel Susac's first professional home run. pic.twitter.com/DgLkvCRG0P

— Jesse Goldberg-Strassler (@jgoldstrass) August 14, 2022

In addition to Muncy’s name, Lugnuts fan will recognize the whole of the 2023 Opening Day infield, each of whom spent time in Lansing in 2022: Euribiel Ángeles (MLB Pipeline’s No. 28 prospect), Alexander Campos, Drew Swift (who begins the season on the Injured List), Sahid Valenzuela, Jack Winkler and Joshwan Wright. In the outfield, Lazaro Armenteros and Jonny Butler saw time for Lansing in each of the last two seasons. And 2021 Lugnut catcher Cooper Uhl, who spent 2022 in Stockton, returns to the Midwest League for 2023.

Position players entering their first MWL season comprise catcher CJ Rodriguez, who worked in the same battery at Vanderbilt with decorated prospects Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker; outfielder Danny Bautista, Jr., whose father played from 1993-96 for the Detroit Tigers amid a 12-year MLB career; outfielder Junior Pérez, who was acquired via trade with San Diego and hit 15 homers while stealing 32 bases for Stockton in 2022; and outfielder Caeden Trenkle, who was drafted in the ninth round in 2022 from Oklahoma State and batted .306 for the Ports in a promising pro debut.

First-rounder Susac and ninth-rounder Trenkle constitute two of the four members of Oakland’s 2022 draft class represented on the Lugnuts’ roster. The other half resides in the starting rotation: fourth-rounder Jacob Watters (MLB Pipeline's No. 30 A's prospect) from West Virginia and fifth-rounder Jack Perkins from Indiana, a pair of vaunted fireballers.

The all right-handed rotation is filled out by University of Michigan product Blake Beers, who struck out 11 Beloit Sky Carp in the first of 10 starts made for the Lugnuts in 2022; Christian Fernandez, who made eight appearances for the Nuts in 2022 after being acquired via trade with the Tampa Bay Rays for Christian Bethancourt; Joelvis Del Rosario, a Rule 5 pickup from the Pittsburgh Pirates; and Mitch Myers, a 12th-round selection in 2021 from the Pitt Panthers.

The Nuts’ three southpaws on the roster each enjoyed great success in 2022 in Lansing: Kumar Nambiar led the team with 44 relief appearances, Mac Lardner pitched six scoreless innings to help beat Great Lakes on the 4th of July and Jack Owen was named Midwest League Pitcher of the Week for his own six scoreless innings against the Loons on July 8th.

Returning right-handed relievers Brock Whittlesey and Jorge Juan each saw action for Lansing the last two summers. The 6-foot-9 Juan memorably tossed the first four innings of a 2-1 Lugnuts no-hitter at league champion South Bend on September 4, 2022, only the third no-hitter in franchise hitter.

The remainder of the Lugnuts’ bullpen will be handled by a quartet of newcomers to the league: 2019 second-rounder Tyler Baum, a standout for the North Carolina Tar Heels; Serafino Brito, who finished his college career tied for second in Rutgers Scarlet Knights history in appearances; Hunter Breault, a stalwart in the Oregon Ducks’ bullpen; and Luke Anderson, the 2016 Kansas Player and Pitcher of the Year, who transferred from Missouri to become an ace for the Central Oklahoma Bronchos.

The Lugnuts, the Oakland Athletics’ High-A Midwest League affiliate, host the Michigan State Spartans at Jackson® Field™ at 7:05 p.m. tonight in the 15th Crosstown Showdown presented by Delta Dental. Tickets are available at lansinglugnuts.com and by calling (517) 485-4500. The Midwest League season then begins Friday, April 7, with a three-game series at the Great Lakes Loons before the home schedule commences Tuesday, April 11, with a six-game homestand against the West Michigan Whitecaps.

Overview of the 2023 Lugnuts roster:- pitchers: Luke Anderson, Tyler Baum, Blake Beers, Hunter Breault, Serafino Brito, Joelvis Del Rosario, Christian Fernandez, Jorge Juan, Mac Lardner, Mitch Myers, Kumar Nambiar, Jack Owen, Jack Perkins, Jacob Watters, Brock Whittlesey_- catchers:_ CJ Rodriguez, Daniel Susac, Cooper Uhl
- infielders: Euribiel Ángeles, Alexander Campos, Max Muncy, Drew Swift (I.L.), Sahid Valenzuela, Jack Winkler
- outfielders: Lazaro Armenteros, Danny Bautista, Jonny Butler, Junior Pérez, Caeden Trenkle
- coaches: manager Craig Conklin, pitching coach Don Schulze, hitting coach Ron Witmeyer, assistant hitting coach Luis Báez, head athletic trainer Eric Fasth, sport performance coach Steven Thayer, video assistant Clayton Bell

For more information on the Lugnuts, visit lansinglugnuts.com or call (517) 485-4500.

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