Clearwater Threshers Announce 2025 Projected Opening Day Roster
April 1, 2025 - Florida State League (FSL)
Clearwater Threshers News Release
The Clearwater Threshers look to make it three seasons in a row as a Florida State League Playoff team and begin 2025 with two-thirds of their roster returning from the two-time defending First Half Champions. 19 of the 30 players on Clearwater's 2025 roster were part of last year's playoff team, and right-hander Cameron Brown is back from the 2023 squad that made the Florida State League Championship. Players will come and go between other levels of the Phillies farm system, but here are five players from the Threshers' 2025 Projected Opening Day roster that should make a lasting impact on the upcoming season at BayCare Ballpark:
Aroon Escobar: One of the breakout players for the Phillies in March's Spring Breakout game will man the infield for the Threshers to start the season after starting at third and going 1-2 with an RBI double in the Spring Breakout Game win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Escobar will make his debut in full-season and affiliated ball in Clearwater, where he spent last season in the Florida Complex League. Escobar finished second among all qualified Phillies in OPS (.976), ahead of even Rookie-League All-Star Eduardo Tait, hitting three home runs and 17 RBIs in 24 games with the FCL Phillies. Escobar's power impressed in the Spring Breakout game, roping a double off the left-field wall that was clocked at 110 miles per hour, one of the hardest hit balls in the entire Spring Breakout Series. His solid fielding and great arm projects him mainly at third base, but Escobar has the ability to play anywhere in the infield for the Threshers this season. At 20 years old, Escobar seems primed for a breakout season as he hopes to build off a great spring in Thresherville.
Dante Nori: After joining the Threshers in August of last season, the 2024 first-round pick of the Phillies will begin the season leading a talented outfield in Clearwater. Dante Nori played 14 games and started both playoff games for the Threshers last season, stealing four bases and scoring ten runs while going 12-50 from the top of the Threshers' order in the final month of the 2024 season. His contact skills were impressive, as was his speed, showcasing elite range in left and center field. Though Nori had one extra-base hit with the Threshers, he has been hitting the ball harder in Spring Training than he did last season, with a much higher barrel rate than his first season. Dante finished his High School Baseball career as the top player in the state of Michigan, and the reigning Mr. Baseball seems set on new heights in his first full year in the Phillies organization. Nori is expected to be a staple of the Threshers' outfield this season, and his hard work and win-first attitude could make him a star in no time.
Jose Peña Jr.: One of three Threshers returning from Opening Day 2024, Jose Peña led all Threshers relievers in appearances (32) and innings pitched (51.0), which was fifth overall among all Threshers hurlers last season. His four wins were tied for third among 2024 Threshers pitchers, and the former sixth-round pick's 71 strikeouts were fourth on the team and first among relievers, 15 more than any other Thresher who primarily came out of the bullpen. The 21-year-old out of Tampa Prep could be seeing an increased role out of the back end of Clearwater's bullpen this season and will bring some hard throws and stability to Clearwater's pitching staff in 2025. Peña grew up roughly one hour from BayCare Ballpark and grew up attending Florida State League games before he began his career in the Florida Complex League next door in 2021.
Enrique Segura: After leaving the FCL with a combined no-hitter under his belt, Enrique Segura became a staple of the Threshers' starting rotation to end 2024. At just 20 years old and still one of the youngest hurlers on the roster, Segura is set to anchor the starting rotation in Clearwater to begin the 2025 season. Segura's strikeout numbers have jumped off the stat sheet since signing with the Phillies as a teenager in 2022. Enrique has averaged almost one strikeout per inning across three different levels over his first three seasons, including 73 in 75.0 innings with Clearwater. Segura has pitched mostly as a starter but has turned in some long relief appearances over the course of his career. His fastball speed has steadily improved throughout his professional career, though it is the control and craftiness that will set Segura apart from the rest of the Florida State League in 2025. He was shut down early in 2024 because Segura topped 100.0 innings pitched for the first time in his professional career last season, but he is expected to eat innings and start in a leadership role in his first full season in Clearwater and affiliated ball.
Eduardo Tait: One of the youngest and top-ranked hitting prospects in all of the minor leagues returns to Clearwater as Eduardo Tait begins his first year in full-season affiliated baseball with the Threshers. Tait debuted with the Threshers over a month before his 18th birthday and homered in each of his first two series with the Threshers. Already a standout in the Phillies system, the All-Complex League catcher made waves with his impressive power-hitting ability and strong throwing arm in his first season in the United States. During the offseason, Tait excelled in the Panamanian Winter League and hit nearly .400 throughout his winter ball campaign. Tait's bat was one of the best in the Florida State League after he debuted in July, finishing with five home runs and 24 RBIs in 28 games with the Threshers last season. With his defense already showing improvement heading into his first full season in Clearwater, Tait is expected to feature as an elite hitter in the FSL in 2025 from the middle of the Threshers' batting order.
Marty Malloy returns for his fourth consecutive season as the Threshers' manager, looking for a third-consecutive First Half Championship and/or playoff berth. Chris Heintz and Gustavo Armas are the only returners from the 2024 staff, with Heintz returning as hitting coach and Armas as the pitching coach. Tyler Higgins joins from Lehigh Valley as another pitching coach, and Nerluis Martinez (Position Coach) and former Tampa Bay Ray Desmond Jennings (Development/Assistant Hitting Coach) round out the field staff as newcomers to the Threshers dugout. After serving as the Assistant Athletic Trainer in 2023, Marissa VanHassel returns as the Head Trainer for 2025, joined by Aaron Carver as the Video and Technology Associate and John Sweeney as the Strength and Conditioning Coach in their first seasons with the Threshers.
Roster Breakdown (Subject to Change):
Pitchers (18): Gabriel Barbosa, Cam Brown, Ryan Degges, Ryan Dromboski, Reese Dutton, Jake Eddington, Luke Gabrysh, Marty Gair, Titan Hayes, Sam Highfill, Marcus Morgan, Jose Peña, Erik Ritchie, Enrique Segura, Saul Teran, Eli Trop, Zack Tukis, AJ Wilson
Catchers (4): Lou Albrecht, Kehden Hettiger, Kodey Shojinaga, Eduardo Tait
Infielders (5): Nolan Beltran, Brady Day, Aroon Escobar, Diego González, Raider Tello
Outfielders (3): Carter Mathison, Dante Nori, Avery Owusu-Asiedu
If you want to meet the 2025 Clearwater Threshers team, come by BayCare Ballpark for our first happy hour of the season! Meet the team and take advantage of our delicious food and drink deals from 5 - 9 pm on Wednesday, April 2nd...You can purchase Threshers tickets for the upcoming season at ThreshersBaseball.com/tickets or by calling 727-467-4457...The Box Office at BayCare Ballpark is also open daily to purchase tickets...The hours are 10 AM-5 PM Monday through Friday and 10 AM-3 PM on Saturdays.
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