Woodpeckers Unveil 2023 Opening Day Roster

FAYETTEVILLE, NC – The Fayetteville Woodpeckers, in conjunction with the Houston Astros, are excited to roll out the 2023 Opening Day Roster ahead of their Carolina League opener against the Carolina Mudcats on April 7th at 7:05 pm at Segra Stadium. The 30-man roster features 20 returners and 10 players that will make their Single-A debut in Fayetteville.

The team features the top selection from the Astros 2021 draft in Tyler Whitaker, sixth overall prospect Ryan Clifford, along with top-30 pitching prospects Andrew Taylor, Michael Knorr and Jose Fleury. Overall, the Woodpeckers feature four of the Astros top-30 prospects according to MLB.com.

Taylor, 21, was acquired by the Astros as a 2nd round compensatory pick out of Central Michigan in 2022 and ranks as the #7 pitching prospects in the system. The right-hander twice set the CMU single-season strikeout record with 125 in 2021 followed by 126 in his final season with the Chippewas. Knorr, 22, hails from Princeton, New Jersey and was selected by the Astros in the 3rd round of the 2022 MLB draft out of Coastal Carolina. After transferring from Cal State Fullerton, Knorr led the Sun Belt Conference in K/BB ratio (6.6) and was second in strikeouts per nine innings (11.2).

Returning Woodpeckers arms from the 2022 season include RHP Walker Brockhouse, RHP Nolan DeVos, RHP Ian Foggo, RHP Kasey Ford, RHP Ronny Garcia, RHP Tyler Guilfoil, RHP Zack Matthews, RHP Alimber Santa and RHP Nic Swanson.

LHP Trey Dombroski, RHP Jose Fleury, RHP Joey Mancini, RHP Jose Nodal and RHP Bryan Perez will all make their Single-A debuts in 2023.

Whitaker, the Astros 3rd round draft pick and first selection in 2021, spent the entirety of the 2022 season in a Woodpeckers uniform, hitting 11 home runs and tying for the team high with 54 RBI. The 20-year old played his best baseball late in the season, slashing .253/.343/.453 in August. Clifford, a Raleigh, NC native, returns after a brief 12-game stint with Fayetteville to close out the 2022 regular season. At just 19-years old, Clifford was drafted in the 11th round and was committed to Vanderbilt University prior to signing with Houston. Clifford batted .268 with Fayetteville and showed strong plate discipline, drawing 10 walks in 51 plate appearances.

Other returning position players and catchers include OF Zach Cole, INF Rolando Espinosa, C John Garcia, INF Kobe Kato, INF Jackson Loftin, OF Roilan Machandy, INF Leosdany Molina, INF Justin Williams and C Ryan Wrobleski.

The Woodpeckers will be led by first-year manager Ricky Rivera, along with pitching coach Zack Wilkins, hitting coach Luis Reynoso and development coach Dylan Mazzo. Jennifer Bardales is the athletic trainer and Kevin Rivera is the strength and conditioning coach.

2022 Fayetteville Woodpeckers Roster Breakdown

Pitchers: Walker Brockhouse, Nolan DeVos, Trey Dombroski, Jose Fleury, Ian Foggo, Kasey Ford, Ronny Garcia, Tyler Guilfoil, Michael Knorr, Joey Mancini, Zack Matthews, Jose Nodal, Bryan Perez, Alimber Santa, Nic Swanson, Andrew Taylor

Catchers: John Garcia, Sandro Gaston, Ryan Wrobleski

Position Players: Ryan Clifford, Zach Cole, Narbe Cruz, Rolando Espinosa, Kobe Kato, Jackson Loftin, Dauri Lorenzo, Roilan Machandy, Leosdany Molina, Tyler Whitaker, Justin Williams, Ryan Wrobleski

The Woodpeckers open their season at home Friday, April 7th at 7:05 pm against the Carolina Mudcats at Segra Stadium, and host the High-A affiliate Asheville Tourists for an exhibition game on April 4^th at 7:05 pm. Ticket packages are available at fayettevillewoodpeckers.com or by calling 910-339-1989.