Tacoma Rainiers 2017 roster breakdown
STARTING PITCHERS
No. | Name | B-T | Ht. | Wt. | Age |
21 | Sam Gaviglio | R-R | 6-2 | 200 | 26 |
33 | Chris Heston | R-R | 6-3 | 195 | 28 |
23 | Dylan Unsworth | R-R | 6-1 | 175 | 24 |
34 | Christian Bergman | R-R | 6-1 | 195 | 28 |
NA | Chase De Jong | R-R | 6-4 | 205 | 23 |
The skinny: A good mixture of youth and experience in this all right-handed staff. Returner Sam Gaviglio got the opening day (and home opener) nod after Cody Martin (elbow) stayed behind in Arizona for extended work for a few weeks. Behind him are Chris Heston, who became the 22nd rookie in major-league history to throw a no-hitter with San Francisco in 2015, and Christian Bergman, who pitched the past three seasons with Colorado. The intriguing name in the rotation is Chase De Jong, an efficient strike thrower who had one of the best seasons in Double-A last year (14-5, 2.86 ERA; .207 batting average against) for Tulsa.
RELIEF PITCHERS
No. | Name | B-T | Ht. | Wt. | Age |
38 | Jean Machi | R-R | 6-0 | 235 | 35 |
17 | Mark Lowe | L-R | 6-3 | 210 | 33 |
15 | Ryan Weber | R-R | 6-1 | 180 | 26 |
13 | Emilio Pagan | R-R | 6-3 | 205 | 25 |
22 | Nick Hagadone | L-L | 6-5 | 230 | 31 |
10 | Paul Fry | L-L | 6-0 | 205 | 24 |
12 | Ryne Harper | R-R | 6-3 | 210 | 28 |
18 | Dean Kiekhefer | L-L | 6-0 | 175 | 27 |
NA | Evan Marshall | R-R | 6-2 | 220 | 26 |
The skinny: It isn’t very often a minor league team obtains a closer with a World Series ring. That is what Jean Machi has with his stint in 2014 with San Francisco, and has also played for Boston. Last season, Machi pitched for both Iowa and Sacramento of the Pacific Coast League, saving 13 games combined. Right now, he will be the Rainiers’ primary choice in the ninth inning. ... The team has other options to save games, including Mark Lowe, Ryan Weber and Emilio Pagan, who had nine saves in 2016 with Double-A Jackson. ... It will be worth monitoring how Sumner product Nick Hagadone returns to regular-season action. He suffered a serious elbow injury in July of 2015 while a Cleveland farmhand.
CATCHERS
No. | Name | B-T | Ht. | Wt. | Age |
19 | Tuffy Gosewisch | R-R | 5-11 | 200 | 33 |
18 | Steven Baron | R-R | 6-0 | 205 | 26 |
The skinny: Seattle needed a seasoned emergency option to stash in its high minor-league system - and got one in late January when Atlanta released Tuffy Gosewisch. A career .199 hitter in 126 games with Arizona, Gosewisch should be a steady veteran presence in the Rainiers’ clubhouse. He did hit .342 with Triple-A Reno last season.
INFIELDERS
No. | Name | B-T | Ht. | Wt. | Age |
20 | Daniel Vogelbach | L-R | 6-0 | 250 | 24 |
11 | D.J. Peterson | R-R | 6-1 | 205 | 25 |
06 | Mike Freeman | L-R | 6-0 | 195 | 29 |
07 | Tyler Smith | R-R | 6-0 | 195 | 25 |
14 | Zach Shank | R-R | 6-1 | 180 | 26 |
05 | Gordon Beckham | R-R | 6-0 | 190 | 30 |
The skinny: Every player in this group except recent addition Gordon Beckham was with the Rainiers a season ago. Daniel Vogelbach, who lost the M’s starting first-base job to Danny Valencia during spring training, will share that position with D.J. Peterson. Expect Vogelbach to get the majority of starts there while Peterson is expected to move around to third base and both corner outfield spots. ... Mike Freeman played both with the Mariners and Arizona last season, and can move all over. He will start at second base. ... Tyler Smith is easily the team’s best option at shortstop after hitting .268 last season. ... Once a heralded prospect with the Chicago White Sox, Beckham should see time at all four infield positions.
OUTFIELDERS
No. | Name | B-T | Ht. | Wt. | Age |
02 | Ben Gamel | L-L | 5-11 | 187 | 24 |
03 | Tyler O’Neill | R-R | 5-11 | 205 | 21 |
NA | Boog Powell | L-L | 5-10 | 185 | 24 |
08 | James Ramsey | L-R | 6-0 | 200 | 27 |
09 | Dario Pizzano | L-R | 5-11 | 200 | 25 |
The skinny: This should be a fun, offensive-minded group. It all starts with Tyler O’Neill, the Mariners’ reigning minor league player of the year from Canada. He hit .293 with 24 home runs and 102 RBI last season in Double-A Jackson. O’Neill will play both corner outfield spots. ... Before the Mariners acquired Ben Gamel, he was the Internationa League MVP for Triple-A Scranton (.308 average, league-leading 78 runs) in the New York Yankees’ organization. ... Boog Powell should be immediately added to the roster after he completes his 80-game suspension for testing positive for an anabolic steroid. He is expected to be the starting centerfielder for the Rainiers’ home opener.
COACHING STAFF
Manager: Pat Listach, third season.
Hitting coach: Dave Berg, first season.
Pitching coach: Lance Painter, first season.
Bench coach: Denny Hocking, first season.
Todd Milles: tmilles@thenewstribune.com
This story was originally published April 5, 2017 at 7:02 PM with the headline "Tacoma Rainiers 2017 roster breakdown."