Previewing the 2019 Lansing Lugnuts - Position Players
(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.
Nationals prospect King joins MiLB podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Here are the 2025 All-Spring Breakout Teams
Fifteen games, several jersey swaps and countless highlights later, the second edition of Spring Breakout has officially concluded – and it lived up to its billing. Of the 16 contests sprinkled across four days, only one game (Dodgers vs. Cubs) was rained out. Coincidentally, the Cubs were one of two
Rox young sluggers aim to bring pop back to Coors Field
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Coors Field may provide the best run-scoring environment in Major League Baseball, but the Rockies haven’t taken advantage of it in recent years. Even without adjusting for Coors, they have fielded offenses worse than the league average the past three seasons, and they scored the fewest runs
Astros brass sees potential in consistently 'underranked' farm system
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The last time the Astros landed in the top 10 of MLB Pipeline’s farm system rankings was before the 2019 season. Since those rankings expanded to all 30 teams ahead of the 2020 season -- 11 lists in total -- they’ve never ranked higher than
Complete results and highlights from Spring Breakout
The second edition of MLB Spring Breakout is complete, and there was no shortage of highlights from the future stars of Major League Baseball over the four-day showcase. Here's a complete breakdown of the 16-game exhibition:
Southpaw Spring Breakout: White Sox future on display with Schultz, Smith
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- If all goes as planned for the White Sox, left-handers Hagen Smith and Noah Schultz won’t spend much time following each other to the mound in a single game. Schultz, the No. 1 White Sox prospect and No. 16 overall, per MLB Pipeline, and Smith, who is
In first pro game, Rainer offers pop, promise to Tigers fans
NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Bryce Rainer’s pro career consisted of workouts and batting practice until Sunday.
'Me and Brady on the dirt again': House, King reunite at Spring Breakout
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The 2025 Spring Breakout was a flashback for Brady House and Seaver King. Over 10 years ago, the infielders were travel ball teammates in Georgia who shared the dream of making it to the Major Leagues. Now, they are top prospects in the same organization,
Lambert -- 'an adrenaline guy' -- hoping to be next Mets bullpen gem
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Ryan Lambert loves throwing hard. He relishes the idea of getting to two strikes and blowing hitters away. “Get me in a game,” Lambert said, “cool things will happen.”
Stewart embraces Spring Breakout: 'What's not to love?'
PHOENIX -- Sal Stewart was one fired-up Reds prospect. On Sunday in the first inning during the organization's 9-7 Spring Breakout win over Brewers prospects, Stewart lifted a 2-2 pitch that sailed over the center fielder's head to the wall. Already not known as a speedster, he stumbled running between
Prospect Peña quietly drawing raves in Brewers' farm system
PHOENIX – Jesús Made was at the top of the Brewers’ lineup for Sunday’s 9-7 loss to the Reds in the finale of MLB’s four-day Spring Breakout, a fitting perch when you consider that the 17-year-old infielder is under a bright spotlight as MLB Pipeline’s No. 55 prospect. Made could
Brecht -- in 1st outing since '24 Draft -- wows at Spring Breakout
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Sunday's Spring Breakout showcase was the perfect unveiling for Rockies No. 5 prospect Brody Brecht. A right-handed pitcher from the University of Iowa whom the Rockies selected 38th overall last summer, Brecht had a nice collegiate resume, an interesting backstory as a former wide receiver for the
Braves prospects show promise in Spring Breakout
NORTH PORT, Fla. -- As Terry Pendleton prepared to serve as the manager of the Braves prospect team that played the Tigers prospect team in a Spring Breakout game on Sunday afternoon, he said fans should be patient with John Gil and Luis Guanipa, a pair of teenagers who have
Yanks' Lagrange flashes triple-digit heat in Spring Breakout
SARASOTA, Fla. -- There was an audible “Ooh” from the crowd at Ed Smith Stadium, and Carlos Lagrange quickly glanced beyond the right-field wall, checking the velocity of the pitch he’d just thrown in Saturday’s 5-4 Spring Breakout loss to the Orioles. It had registered in the triple digits, and
Bradfield dedicates Spring Breakout performance to late friend
SARASOTA, Fla. -- It was about more than playing in the national spotlight. More than the dinner bet placed with an old college teammate earlier in the month. More than a game. As Enrique Bradfield Jr. slid home to score a run during the first inning of Saturday night’s Spring
'Hungry' Alcántara hoping to pounce on big league prey in '25
MESA, Ariz. -- The thing about jaguars is, you don’t want to see one when it’s hungry. So when Cubs legend Sammy Sosa spoke to the organization’s No. 6 prospect per MLB Pipeline -- and the No. 89 prospect overall -- the former slugger gave him some apt advice. “His
Rainiers broadcaster Pay talks historic role on MiLB podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Prospect Santos 'electric' in Spring Breakout start
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Malcolm Moore knew Winston Santos was locked in before he even threw a pitch. In the second annual Spring Breakout game, Santos -- the Rangers’ No. 5 prospect, per MLB Pipeline -- was throwing to Moore, the Rangers’ No. 4 prospect and highest-ranked catcher. The battery more
Switch-pitcher Cijntje deals from both sides in Spring Breakout
GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Jurrangelo Cijntje knew who’d be waiting for him in the batter’s box when he emerged from the visiting bullpen on Friday evening. The Mariners’ switch-pitcher had seen Guardians infielder Travis Bazzana recently at a card-signing event, to which they each joked, “I’m going to see you soon,”
Fans in this Minor League town are hungry for ... the Spicy Meatballs?!?
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Chandler adds mix to upper-90s heat in stellar Spring Breakout start
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- In the inaugural Spring Breakout game a year ago, as he was coming out to pitch the ninth inning, Bubba Chandler slammed a Red Bull and declared “let’s do this” before pumping upper-90s heat.