2011 Las Vegas 51s Projected Opening Day Roster

Ladies and Gentlemen, your 2011 projected opening day roster for the Las Vegas 51s is listed below!

This projected roster was obtained from the LV website, available here, and some minor adjustments (such as adding Lawrie to the roster).

Manager – Marty Brown / Batting Coach – Chad Mottola / Pitching Coach – Tom Signore

C – Brian Jeroloman, Ryan Budde

1B – David Cooper, Ryan Shealy (DL), Al Quintana

2B – Ivan Contreras

SS – Chris Woodward, Manny Mayorson

3B – Brett Lawrie, Niuman Romero

OF – RF Adam Loewen, CF Darin Mastroianni, LF Eric Thames, 4th OF/DH Jason Lane, 5th OF Danny Perales

SP (1) Brad Mills

SP (2) Scott Richmond

SP(3) Luis Perez

SP (4) Robert Ray

SP (5) Randy Boone

RP – Chad Cordero, Josh Roenicke, Mike MacDonald, Rommie Lewis, Wil Ledezma, Winston Abreu, Mike Hinckley, Sean Henn

Currently on the 7-Day DL – 1B Ryan Shealy, OF Scott Podsednik, SP Robert Ray

This is not as talented a group as what we will see in New Hampshire in 2011, but it is a team that provides better MLB-ready depth for the Jays than we’ve seen in quite a while. From Ryan Shealy and Brett Lawrie in the infield, to Eric Thames and Darin Mastroianni in the outfield, the Jays can call on some key players from AAA without having to rush their AA players to The Show.

The pitching on this squad also has some key depth pieces in Richmond and Mills, as well as the many relievers who can earn a spot if injuries or trades occur. Having The Chief find his old form would go a long way to making this club competitive, and Josh Roenicke could get a look as the closer of the squad if that doesn’t happen, something that would help him prepare for the pressure of MLB.

When you build the lineup, you see some potential in it. The majority of it is brand new, blending some of the 2010 roster with 4 promotions (Mastroianni, Loewen, Thames, Lawrie) and 2 new additions (Shealy and Woodward), blending an interesting mix of veterans and rookies. Based on what we know, a lineup like the following seems about right:

• Darin Mastroianni (CF)
• Chris Woodward (SS)
• Brett Lawrie (3B)
• Eric Thames (LF)
• Ryan Shealy / David Cooper (1B)
• Jason Lane/Perales (DH)
• Adam Loewen (RF)
• Brian Jeroloman (C)
• Ivan Contreras (2B)

That’s not a bad lineup all of the way through, and one that could be called on very quickly.

Some other notes about the LV lineup and roster:

• Scott Podsednik is currently listed on the roster and is on the DL, but he is likely to take the place of Mike McCoy or Corey Patterson on the Jays bench once he proves healthy.
• There will be a pitcher added to this roster from the current Jays roster once Brandon Morrow returns. Whether it’s a reliever or one of Jo-Jo Reyes or Jesse Litsch has yet to be determined, but there will be 1 more addition to the pitchers listed above either way.

– MG

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