The 2010 Lansing Lugnuts Roster

As most of us hope that the majority of future Jays players will come from the minors, it is very important to keep an eye on the minor leagues and to be aware of the players coming up through the system. This season has a ton of talent in LoA Lansing with the arrival of many high end prospects and a new Coach to lead and bring them along in ex-Jays catcher Sal Fasano.

Here is the just announced roster for the Lansing Lugnuts in 2010. I have placed their ages and BA ranking for Jays prospects if they made the top 31 this year:

Pitching Crew:

SP Chad Jenkins (22 yrs old, #3 BA rank), SP Ryan Shopshire (24 years old), SP Dave Sever (23 years old), SP Scott Gracey (23 years old), SP Matt Fields (23 years old), SP Evan Crawford (23 years old), RP Dustin Antolin (20 years old), SP Ryan Tepera (22 years old), RP Aaron Loup (22 years old), RP Nestor Molina (21 years old), RP Steve Turnbull (23 years old)

Catchers:

Sean Ochinko (22 years old), Jon Talley (21 years old), Karim Turkamani (23 years old) (A.J. Jimenez on D.L.)

1B:

Balbino Fuenmayor (20 years old), Sean Ochinko (22 years old)

2B:

Ryan Schimpf (22 years old, #16 BA rank), Oliver Dominguez (20 years old), Kevin Nolan (22 years old)

SS:

Ryan Goins (22 years old, #24 BA rank), Oliver Dominguez (20 years old), Kevin Nolan (22 years old)

3B:

Mark Sobolewski (23 years old), Balbino Fuenmayor (20 years old), Sean Ochinko (22 years old)

LF:

Eric Eiland (21 years old)

CF:

Kenneth Wilson (20 years old, #28 BA rank)

RF:

Bradley Glenn (22 years old), Chris Hopkins (22 years old)

DH:

All – Kevin Nolan, Jon Talley, Oliver Dominguez ect..

Looking at the names on this list, I am very impressed by the amount of talent the team will have to begin the season. Chad Jenkins is the most obvious name on this list and may not be on the team for too long, but he leads a very deep staff. Matt Fields, Dustin Antolin, Dave Sever, and Ryan Tepera in particular are very interesting prospects that could jump a level or two this season. Aaron Loup impressed right away after being selected in the ’09 draft with 19 Ks in only 16 IP and should build on that this season. Offensively, the additions of Sean Ochinko, Ryan Schimpf, and Ryan Goins to this team immediately make it a very potent squad. With Kenny Wilson (37 SBs in 321 ABs) leading things off and the firecracker that is Oliver Dominguez (13 SB in 142 AB) included, this team will not be lacking any speed or energy.

Chad Jenkins will most likely be the first pitcher to throw for Lansing, and here is the likely lineup to begin the year:

1. CF Kenny Wilson
2. SS Ryan Goins
3. C Sean Ochinko
4. 1B Balbino Fuenmayor
5. 2B Ryan Schimpf
6. LF Bradley Glenn
7. 3B Mark Sobolewski
8. RF Eric Eiland
9. DH Oliver Dominguez

Very nice looking lineup even if it does lack a lineup power in the middle.

I encourage anyone in the Lansing area to go see these guys play live. They’re the players that play all out for the full season and are trying to get noticed, so you know that every game you see the players are putting out 100% effort. If you can’t make it out there, you’ll get all of the information you need about these players here, as i intend to stay on top of things as I go along. I received the following information for anyone interested in going out to the games.

The Lugnuts open “their 15^th season on Wednesday, April 14, at 7:05 p.m. with an Opening Day Eat-a-Palooza. For $15, fans can purchase a ticket to see the Lugnuts battle the Lake County Captains and enjoy unlimited food inside the ballpark. Tickets to all 70 of the Lugnuts’ regular season home games at Cooley Law School Stadium as well as to Wednesday’s Crosstown Showdown against Michigan State University, presented by Auto-Owners Insurance, are available for purchase online at www.lansinglugnuts.com, at the stadium box office, and by calling 517-485-4500.”

Enjoy if you can make it, and go get’em Lugnuts!