Alum Report: Three RailRiders on Premier12™ roster

MOOSIC, Pa. (October 10, 2019) - USA Baseball has announced its roster for the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12™. Erik Kratz , J.P. Feyereisen and Mark Payton are on the 28-man roster, which features 15 pitchers and 13 position players currently not on a Major League Baseball 40-man roster. the roster includes six former national team alumni and seven of the MLB Pipeline top-100 prospects.

Kratz has appeared in 63 games for the RailRiders over the last two seasons. Initially drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays, Kratz signed with the Yankees in 2018, was traded to Milwaukee to help the Brewers reach the postseason last year and rejoined the Yankees this past June. A veteran of 18 seasons, the catcher has appeared in 1,376 games professionally.

Feyereisen was initially drafted by the Cleveland Indians in 2014 and acquired by the Yankees in the Andrew Miller trade in July of 2016. He reached NEPA in 2018 and turned in an All-Star performance for the RailRiders this past season, leading the team with 10 wins and 94 strikeouts out of the bullpen. Feyereisen was traded to the Brewers just before the regular season ended.

Payton was the Yankees seventh round pick in 2014 and reached Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2016 for two games before being a key factor in the Governor's Cup win over Gwinnett. Over 2017 and 2018, the outfielder played 142 games for the RailRiders, hitting 12 home runs and driving in 47. The Oakland A's took Payton in the Minor League phase of the 2018 Rule 5 Draft and he spent an impressive campaign playing for the Las Vegas Aviators, batting .334 with 30 home runs and 97 runs batted in.

The U.S. will begin the WBSC Premier12™ in Guadalajara, Mexico, from November 2-4 as a member of Group A with the Dominican Republic, Mexico and the Netherlands. The top two nations from Group A will advance to the Super Round in Tokyo from November 11-16. Former Yankees manager Joe Girardi will skipper the club.
The complete roster along with tournament details are available at USABaseball.com. For more information on the upcoming RailRiders 2020 season, including tickets for the Keystone Mid Summer Classic featuring the Triple-A All-Star Game presented by the Lackawanna County Visitor's Bureau, visit swbrailriders.com.