RICHMOND, Va. – The Richmond Flying Squirrels announced their 2024 initial roster, as set by the San Francisco Giants, on Tuesday afternoon.

Third-year manager Dennis Pelfrey and the 2024 Flying Squirrels open the season on Friday night at Somerset before returning to Richmond for their home opener next Tuesday night.

Eighteen players return from last year’s Flying Squirrels team, including Brett Auerbach, Victor Bericoto, John Michael Bertrand, Hayden Birdsong, Vaun Brown, José Cruz, Matt Frisbee, Evan Gates, Jimmy Glowenke, Clay Helvey, Wil Jensen, Ryan Murphy, Tyler Myrick, Mat Olsen, Nick Swiney, Andy Thomas, Will Wilson and Logan Wyatt.

Six of Baseball America’s top-30 Giants prospects are on the roster, including Birdsong (6), Grant McCray (10), Brown (11), Eric Silva (22), Adrián Sugastey (25) and Murphy (28). Five players landed on MLB.com’s top-30 Giants prospects list, including Birdsong (7), McCray (14), Brown (16), Victor Bericoto (21) and Sugastey (25).

2024 FLYING SQUIRRELS BREAK CAMP ROSTER

Pitchers: John Michael Bertrand, Hayden Birdsong, José Cruz, Matt Frisbee, Nick Garcia, Evan Gates, Clay Helvey, Wil Jensen, Tanner Kiest, Ryan Murphy, Tyler Myrick, Mat Olsen, Carson Ragsdale, Eric Silva, Nick Swiney

Catchers: Brett Auerbach, Adrián Sugastey, Andy Thomas

Infielders: Damon Dues, Jimmy Glowenke, Christian Koss, Dilan Rosario, Luis Toribio, Will Wilson, Logan Wyatt

Outfielders: Victor Bericoto, Hunter Bishop, Vaun Brown, Carter Howell, Grant McCray

Brett Auerbach returns for a third season with the Flying Squirrels. He played 99 games with Richmond in 2022, clubbing 17 homers. That August, he landed the top spot on ESPN’s SportsCenter Top-10 Plays for a diving catch into the protective netting behind home plate during a road series in Akron. Last year, he split the season between Richmond and High-A Eugene. Auerbach signed with the Giants out of the University of Alabama in 2020.

Victor Bericoto is back in Richmond after playing the second half of the season with the Flying Squirrels last year. Between Richmond and High-A Eugene, Bericoto hit 27 homers and collected 86 RBIs, leading the Giants organization in both categories. He enters the 2024 season rated by MLB.com as the No. 22 Giants prospect. Bericoto signed with the Giants as an international free agent in 2018.

John Michael Bertrand rejoins the Flying Squirrels after first coming to Richmond last July. In his first full professional season in 2023, Bertrand pitched at three levels in the Giants system. He finished the year with the second-best ERA (3.65) among qualified full-season pitchers in the Giants organization. Bertrand was selected by the Giants in the 10^th round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of the University of Notre Dame.

Hayden Birdsong returns after earning a promotion to Double-A last August. Working his first full professional season, Birdsong pitched at three levels in the Giants system. His 149 strikeouts were the third-most among Giants minor league pitchers. He enters 2024 rated by Baseball America as the No. 6 Giants prospect and No. 7 by MLB.com. Birdsong was selected by the Giants in the sixth round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Eastern Illinois University.

Hunter Bishop joins the Flying Squirrels for the first time in his career after missing the 2023 season due to injury. He spent most of the 2022 season with High-A Eugene. Bishop was selected by the Giants in the first round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Arizona State University. In 2021, he was named to the Arizona Fall League’s Fall Stars Game.

Vaun Brown is back for his third overall season with the Flying Squirrels. In his first full professional season in 2022, Brown led the minors in batting average (.346) and OPS (1.060), reaching Double-A near the end of the season. Last year, he played 50 games for the Flying Squirrels before suffering a season-ending injury in August. Brown is rated by MLB.com as the No. 16 Giants prospect and No. 11 by Baseball America. He was selected by the Giants in the 10^th round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Florida Southern College.

José Cruz returns for a second season after joining the Flying Squirrels last June. He was named a California League Post-Season All-Star in 2022 with Low-A San Jose. In 2023, he pitched 36 games between Richmond and High-A Eugene. This year, he received a non-roster invitation to Giants spring training. Cruz was originally signed by the Giants as an international free agent in 2017.

Damon Dues joins the Flying Squirrels after spending most of 2023 with High-A Eugene. Despite playing just 67 games in the Northwest League, Dues ranked sixth in the circuit with 25 stolen bases. Dues signed with the Giants as a non-drafted free agent in 2021 out of Wright State University.

Matt Frisbee returns for his fourth season in Richmond. He split last season between Richmond and Triple-A Sacramento, his first year working primarily as a reliever. In 2021, Frisbee started and worked six perfect innings in the Flying Squirrels’ first-ever nine-inning no-hitter that May in Harrisburg. In 2022, he set the single-game record with 13 strikeouts in a start at Portland. Frisbee was drafted by the Giants in the 15^th round in 2018 out of UNC Greensboro.

Nick Garcia returns to the Eastern League for his first season with the Flying Squirrels. Last year, he pitched for Hartford as a member of the Colorado Rockies organization. Garcia was originally drafted by the Pirates in the third round in 2020 before being traded to the Rockies in 2022. He was selected by the Giants in the minor-league phase of the Rule 5 Draft in December.

Evan Gates returns for his third season with the Flying Squirrels. He spent all of last season in Richmond, making 42 appearances out of the Flying Squirrels bullpen. In 2022, he was selected as an MiLB.com Giants Organization All-Star, going 5-2 with a 1.95 ERA between Low-A San Jose, High-A Eugene and Richmond. Gates was signed by the Giants as a non-drafted free agent in 2021 out of North Carolina A&T University.

Jimmy Glowenke is back for his second season with the Flying Squirrels after being promoted to Double-A last May. For the year between Richmond and High-A Eugene, he ranked fourth in the Giants organization with a .371 on-base percentage. He closed the year hitting .290 over his final 54 regular-season games. Glowenke was selected by the Giants in the second round of the 2020 MLB Draft out of Dallas Baptist University.

Clay Helvey returns for a third season with the Flying Squirrels. Last year, he split most of the season between Richmond and Triple-A Sacramento. In 2022, he posted a 2.63 ERA over 44 games between High-A Eugene and Richmond. Helvey was selected by the Giants in the 22^nd round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of the University of Tampa.

Carter Howell joins the Flying Squirrels for the first time in his career after splitting 2023 between Low-A San Jose and High-A Eugene, his first full professional season. He led all Giants minor leaguers in hits (144) and triples (8) while ranking second in batting average (.294). Howell was signed by the Giants as a non-drafted free agent in 2022 out of Augustana University.

Wil Jensen returns for a third season in Richmond. Last year, he went 7-0 with a 2.53 ERA over 34 games, including four starts. He also ranked second in the minors (min. 85 IP) in runners left on base (86.8%). Jensen signed with the Giants as a non-drafted free agent in 2020 out of Pepperdine University.

Tanner Kiest joins the Flying Squirrels for the first time. He spent most of last season with High-A Eugene, making 25 appearances out of the Emeralds’ bullpen. Originally drafted by the Phillies in 2013, Kiest has also spent time with the Twins organization as well as several independent teams. He signed with the Giants as a free agent last May.

Christian Koss returns to the Eastern League after spending parts of the last two seasons with Portland as a member of the Red Sox organization. He was traded to the Giants on March 27. Koss was originally drafted by the Rockies in 2019 and spent that summer with Grand Junction, earning a Pioneer League All-Star nod. He was named the Sea Dogs’ Most Valuable Player in 2022.

Grant McCray heads to Richmond for the first time in his career after picking up selections as an MiLB.com Giants Organization All-Star each of the last two seasons. Last year with High-A Eugene, McCray led the Northwest League in hits (126), total bases (206), runs (101) and stolen bases (52). He was also selected as a 2022 California League Post-Season All-Star with Low-A San Jose. McCray was selected by the Giants in the third round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Lakewood Ranch High School in Florida. He is rated by MLB.com as the No. 14 Giants prospect and No. 10 by Baseball America entering the 2024 season.

Ryan Murphy is back for his third season with the Flying Squirrels. Last year, he made 29 appearances, including 27 starts. He ranked sixth among Giants minor leagues with 107 strikeouts for the season. In 2021, Murphy was an MiLB.com Giants Organization All-Star and a California League Post-Season All-Star. Murphy was selected by the Giants in the fifth round of the 2020 MLB Draft out of Le Moyne College. Entering 2024, he is ranked by Baseball America as the No. 28 Giants prospect.

Tyler Myrick returns to the Flying Squirrels after earning a promotion to Double-A last July. With Richmond in 2023, he posted a 1.44 ERA in 20 appearances and closed six saves. For the year, he went 15-for-15 in save attempts, the only pitcher in the minors to go perfect in save opportunities with at least 12 attempts. Myrick was selected by the Giants in the 14^th round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Florida International University.

Mat Olsen is back with the Flying Squirrels after splitting last season between Richmond and High-A Eugene. For the year, he ranked tied for second in the Giants organization (min. 50 IP) in K/9 (13.5). Olsen was selected by the Giants in the ninth round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Central Arizona College.

Carson Ragsdale joins the Flying Squirrels for the first time in his career. Last year, he made seven starts for High-A Eugene and posted a 2.93 ERA. Ragsdale was traded to the Giants by the Phillies in 2021 for pitcher Sam Coonrod. He was originally selected by the Phillies in the fourth round of the 2020 MLB Draft out of the University of South Florida.

Dilan Rosario heads to Richmond after playing at three levels in the Giants organization last year. Between Low-A San Jose, High-A Eugene and Triple-A Sacramento, Rosario played 66 games last season. He was drafted by the Giants in the sixth round in 2019 out of Leadership Christian Academy in Puerto Rico.

Eric Silva joins the Flying Squirrels for the first time after spending most of last season with High-A Eugene. Splitting time between starting and relieving, he pitched 28 games for the Emeralds last season. Silva was selected in the fourth round of the 2021 MLB Draft by the Giants out of JSerra Catholic High School in California. He enters 2024 rated by Baseball America as the No. 22 Giants prospect.

Adrián Sugastey reaches Double-A for the first time in his career with the Flying Squirrels. Last year, he played 63 games with High-A Eugene. Entering 2024, Sugastey is rated by MLB.com as the No. 25 Giants prospect and No. 25 by Baseball America. He is also rated by Baseball America as the best defensive catcher in the Giants system.

Nick Swiney returns to the Flying Squirrels after splitting last season between Richmond and Triple-A Sacramento. He made six appearances for the Flying Squirrels in 2023, going 3-0 with a 1.15 ERA before being promoted to Triple-A in May. Swiney was selected by the Giants in the second round of the 2020 MLB Draft out of NC State.

Andy Thomas is back after spending all of last season in Richmond. In 2023, he led the Flying Squirrels in hits (86) and ranked ninth in the Eastern League in RBIs (63), which also led the team. Thomas was selected by the Mariners in the fifth round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Baylor before being traded to the Giants in 2022.

Luis Toribio joins the Flying Squirrels for the first time. Last year with High-A Eugene, he ranked fifth in the Northwest League with 17 homers, which was also tied for fifth among Giants minor leaguers. He was second in the Northwest League with 21 home runs in 2022. Toribio signed with the Giants as an international free agent in 2017.

Will Wilson is back for a fourth season with the Flying Squirrels. He split last season between Richmond and Triple-A Sacramento, hitting 18 homers over 128 games, which was tied for third in the Giants system. Wilson was selected by the Angels in the first round of the 2019 MLB Draft and traded to the Giants that December.

Logan Wyatt returns after splitting last season between Richmond and High-A Eugene. For the year, he hit 17 home runs, which was tied for fifth in the Giants organization. Following the season, he was named an MiLB.com Giants Organization All-Star. Wyatt was selected by the Giants in the second round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of the University of Louisville.

The Flying Squirrels open the 2024 season on the road at Somerset on Friday night. They return to The Diamond for their home opener on Tuesday, April 9 at 6:35 p.m. to face the Akron RubberDucks. Limited tickets remain online at SquirrelsBaseball.com/Tickets, by phone at 804-359-FUNN (3866) or in person at the Flying Squirrels ticket office.