Tri-City Riding High In Mid-July

Four weeks into the 2018 season, the Tri-City ValleyCats have established themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the New York-Penn League.

Entering their six-game road trip in Pennsylvania, the ValleyCats ripped off five wins in a row, toting a record of 14-10.
The ValleyCats' currently lead the Stedler Division standings by one game over the Vermont Lake Monsters, whom they've already played nine times in the first month of the season.
As a consequence of their early success, the ValleyCats have already seen five players get promoted Class A-Quad Cities.
Outfielder Marty Costes, who started four games for the ValleyCats, was the first to be promoted on July 24.
Outfielder Seth Beer, the Houston Astros' first round pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, led the New York-Penn League with four home runs throughout the 11 games he played for the ValleyCats prior to his June 26th promotion.
Right-handed pitcher Chad Donato was also promoted on the 26th of June. Donato pitched in three games for the ValleyCats, going 3-0 in 16.0 IP, giving up zero earned runs, with a team-leading 21 strikeouts.
On July 10th, right-handed pitchers Luis Garcia and Bryan Abreu were both promoted to Quad Cities. The two of them combined to go 2-0 in 32.1 IP, while giving up only two earned runs (0.55 ERA), 18 hits, 14 walks and 50 strikeouts.
Even despite all of this individual success that has led to these promotions, the ValleyCats have nonetheless continued to click off wins.
This is due much in part to the leadership of first-year manager Jason Bell.
Bell has helped lead the ValleyCats to a NYPL-leading 18 home runs, 43 stolen bases and a 3.04 staff ERA.
At the epicenter of the ValleyCats' offensive success has been Gilberto Celestino. 
The Astros' No. 22-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline bursted onto the scene for Tri-City when he homered in three straight games on July 4th, 5th and 6th.
In his last 10 games entering the road trip, Celestino has gone 19-for-42 (.452 average) with 9 stolen bases, 13 runs batted in, 11 runs scored and 3 home runs.
In addition to Celestino's recent dominance at the plate, he has also proven to be the ValleyCats' most consistent player all season.
Coming out of the ValleyCats' six-game home stand, Celestino ranks second in the league with 30 hits and a .366 batting average, while leading the league with 13 stolen bases and a .973 OPS.
While the ValleyCats have seen numerous players depart from the team due to their early success, they have also welcomed in several new players.
Just over a week ago, the ValleyCats welcomed right-handed pitcher Cody Deason (Astros' 2018 fifth round pick) and catcher Cesar Salazar (Astros' 2018 seventh round pick) to Troy.
Deason and Salazar were roommates together in college, when they attended the University of Arizona.
Salazar gave the ValleyCats their first walk-off win of the season on July 7, when he used a single to bring home two runs in a 5-4 win over Aberdeen.
On July 10, the ValleyCats welcomed another pair of college teammates, from Mississippi State.
Right-handed pitcher JP France (Astros' 2018 14th round pick) and right-handed pitcher Jacob Billingsley (Astros' 2018 32nd round pick) both joined the team prior to their six-game road trip.
France and Billingsley will become the 19th and 20th members of the Houston Astros' 2018 Draft class to make their professional debut with the ValleyCats this season.
Heading into their three-game series with the Williamsport Crosscutters, the ValleyCats had the longest active win streak in the New York-Penn League, before losing the series-opener 14-6.
The ValleyCats and Crosscutters will face off again on Thursday night and Friday night, with first pitch for both games slated for 7:05 p.m.
They will try to remain hot, ending their road trip with three games at State College from July 14-16. 
The ValleyCats will return home on July 17, when they throw off a three-game series with the New York Mets-affiliated Brooklyn Cyclones.
Tuesday, July 17 will also be Irish Night at the ballpark, when the ValleyCats will be giving away copies of the 2018 team poster, presented by TD Bank.
Wednesday, July 18 will be Harry Potter Night at The Joe. The ValleyCats will be wearing "Ravenclaw" jerseys during this game, which will be raffled off during the game.
Thursday, July 19 will be Community Heroes / Superhero Night presented by Community Resource Federal Credit Union, with postgame fireworks to follow.