(Note from Lugnuts Radio Broadcaster Jesse Goldberg-Strassler: This is the first piece for lansinglugnuts.com from Hayden Godfrey, a student in Toronto, who will be contributing to our coverage of Lugnuts baseball this year. Today, a preview of the Lugnuts' position players. Tomorrow, a preview of the Lugnuts' pitchers.) LANSING, Mich. via
(Note from Lugnuts Radio Broadcaster Jesse Goldberg-Strassler: This is the first piece for lansinglugnuts.com from Hayden Godfrey, a student in Toronto, who will be contributing to our coverage of Lugnuts baseball this year. Today, a preview of the Lugnuts' position players. Tomorrow, a preview of the Lugnuts' pitchers.)
LANSING, Mich. via TORONTO, Ont. - After posting a record of 80-60 in 2018 and falling to the Bowling Green Hot Rods in the first round of the Midwest League playoffs, the Lansing Lugnuts will look to return to minor-league dominance with a roster full of new and fresh faces in 2019.
With 2018 anchors Samad Taylor, Kevin Smith, Kevin Vicuña, and Chavez Young all moving up in the organization, this year's roster features 22 new names. Here are the list of position players that new manager Dallas McPherson will manage this season:
Catchers
Hagen Danner, who spent the 2018 season with the Rookie-level Bluefield Blue Jays of the Appalachian League, is one of the Lugs' most exciting new names. Having slashed .279/.409/.432 in 32 games last season, the Huntington Beach High School product is a sound defensive catcher who has also appeared as a designated hitter.
Alejandro Kirk, the Blue Jays' No. 29 prospect entering the 2019 season, is among those to make the jump to Class-A ball in 2019. Last season with Bluefield, Kirk, 20, posted a 1.001 OPS, adding 10 home runs and 57 RBI across 206 at-bats.
Ryan Gold (.665 OPS, 56 G, 26 RBI) and Javier Hernandez (.334 OPS, 14 G, 5 RBI) are both returning to the Lugnuts, the latter beginning the season on the injured list. Gold, in particular, figures to be an impact bat this season, especially considering his strong finish (.333/.370/.438) during the last 13 games of the 2018 season.
Infielders
Infielder Nick Podkul, 21, joins the Lugnuts in just his second professional season. The native of Schererville, Indiana, spent the 2018 season with Vancouver and slashed .222/.347/.364 with three homers and 10 doubles. The University of Notre Dame product went 13-for-48 in his last 13 games of the season, with an OPS of .901 to match.
Utilityman Otto Lopez, who started games last season at every position besides pitcher, catcher, and first base, joins the Lugnuts after spending the 2018 season with Bluefield and Vancouver. Lopez, 20, slashed .308/.389/.466 in 58 games, adding six triples, 12 doubles, and 14 stolen bases in 20 attempts. Lopez was notably named a Northwest League Postseason All-Star in 2018.
Jake Brodt, 23, and Johnny Aiello, 22, both of whom were drafted in the 2018 draft, will also be making their Lugnuts debuts this season. Brodt, a first baseman who struggled offensively last season in Vancouver, will hope to regain some power in 2019. Aiello, a third baseman who was drafted out of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, appeared in 12 games for Bluefield, striking out 12 times in 44 at-bats.
Last, but certainly not least, is top prospect Jordan Groshans, who makes the jump from Rookie-ball to join the Lugs in Lansing. Groshans, 19, slashed .296/.353/.446 in 2018 with Bluefield and the Gulf Coast Blue Jays, adding five homers, 13 doubles, and 21 runs scored in 207 plate appearances. A strong shortstop with an athletic build, the Blue Jays' 2018 first round draft pick (12th overall) is currently ranked as the team's No. 6 prospect after occupying the No. 8 spot last season.
Outfielders
The speedy Reggie Pruitt returns to the Lugs after a stellar 2018 campaign in which he stole 37 bases and drove in 25 runs in 89 games. The native of Kennesaw, Georgia, was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 24th round of the 2015 draft. Last season, he finished sixth in the Midwest League in stolen bases, helping the Lugnuts rise to the top of the MiLB with an astounding 203 bags.
Joining him will be former Bluefield Blue Jays DJ Neal (.691 OPS) and Dominic Abbadessa (.787 OPS), both of whom appeared in 59 games in the Appalachian League, stealing 15 and 18 bases, respectively. Abbadessa got off to a hot start with Bluefield last year, slugging .477 through his first 19 games.
Finally, Mc Gregory Contreras, who spent the 2018 season with the Vancouver Canadians of the Northwest League, will round out the outfielders heading to Michigan to start the season. Contreras, 20, hails from Tucacas, Venezuela, and slashed .260/.318/.460 in 59 games with Vancouver, adding eight home runs and four triples in 215 at-bats.
