Giants Set Flying Squirrels' Initial 2025 Roster
April 1, 2025 - Eastern League (EL)
Richmond Flying Squirrels News Release
RICHMOND, Va. - The Richmond Flying Squirrels announced their initial 2025 season-opening roster on Tuesday as set by the San Francisco Giants.
The Flying Squirrels' season-opening roster includes 22 returning players from previous seasons and six newcomers.
The roster includes pitchers Will Bednar, John Michael Bertrand, Jack Choate, Cameron Cotter, Dylan Cumming, Nick Garcia, Evan Gates, Trent Harris, Seth Lonsway, Manuel Mercedes, Nick Morreale, Tyler Myrick, Braxton Roxby, Nick Sinacola, Michael Stryffeler and Joe Whitman, catchers Zach Morgan and Adrián Sugastey, infielders Aeverson Arteaga, Victor Bericoto, Sabin Ceballos, Matt Higgins, Diego Velasquez and Justin Wishkoski and outfielders Vaun Brown, Carter Howell, Rodolfo Nolasco and Jairo Pomares.
Arteaga, Ceballos, Mercedes, Nolasco, Roxby and Whitman are all set to play their first season with the Flying Squirrels.
Six players are ranked in Baseball America's top-30 Giants prospects, including Whitman (No. 10), Velasquez (No. 13), Ceballos (No. 16), Harris (No. 26), Arteaga (No. 27) and Choate (No. 28). There are also six players ranked in MLB.com's top-30 Giants prospects list, including Whitman (No. 7), Harris (No. 11), Velasquez (No. 15), Arteaga (No. 16), Ceballos (No. 23) and Choate (No. 27).
Aeverson Arteaga joins the Flying Squirrels for the first time in his career and will make his Double-A debut. He missed most of 2024 while recovering from thoracic outlet surgery, playing 24 games between the rookie-level ACL Giants and High-A Eugene at the end of the year. In his most recent full season in 2023 with the Emeralds, Arteaga led the Northwest League in extra-base hits. He was named an ACL Post-Season All-Star in 2021 and a 2022 MiLB.com Giants Organization All-Star Arteaga is a native of Chirgua, Venezuela and enters the 2025 rated by Baseball America as the No. 27 Giants prospect and No. 16 by MLB.com. He is also rated by Baseball America as the best defensive infielder and best infield arm in the Giants organization.
Will Bednar returns after pitching 21 games with the Flying Squirrels last year and 32 total games including his time with Low-A San Jose and High-A Eugene. After missing most of 2023 with injuries, he set career highs in games and innings pitched (54) last year. A Pittsburgh native, Bednar was selected by the Giants in the first round (14 th overall) of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Mississippi State, where he was named the Most Outstanding Player of the College World Series that year while leading the Bulldogs to a national championship.
Victor Bericoto is back for his third season with the Flying Squirrels. He first arrived halfway through the 2023 season and led the Giants organization in homers (27) and RBIs (86) that year. In 2024, he spent the entire season with the Flying Squirrels and led the team in RBIs (60), which with ninth in the Eastern League. He also ranked fifth in the EL in hits (116). Bericoto is a native of Maracay, Venezuela. He was named a Dominican Summer League Post-Season All-Star in n2019 and a 2023 MiLB.com Giants Organization All-Star.
John Michael Bertrand returns for a third season in Richmond. Last year, he was named the Flying Squirrels' Pitcher of the Year and also received the team's Community Service Award. In 2024, he tied the league lead in games started (27), ranked third in innings pitched (146) and tied for ninth in strikeouts (119). He also led the league with 10 scoreless starts on the year, all at least five innings. Defensively, Bertrand led all MiLB pitchers in assists (31) and ranked second in total chances (38). He first joined Richmond in July 2023. Born in Raleigh and raised in Alpharetta, Ga., Bertrand was selected by the Giants in the 10 th round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Notre Dame.
Vaun Brown embarks on his fourth overall season with the Flying Squirrels. He briefly appeared with Richmond in 2022, a year where he won the MiLB batting title, posting a .346 batting average for the year. He was selected as an MiLB.com Giants Organization All-Star that year. He played 47 games for the Flying Squirrels last year along with six games with the ACL Giants and 10 with High-A Eugene. Brown, a native of Sarasota, Fla., was selected in the 10 th round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Florida Southern College.
Sabin Ceballos is slated to make his Double-A debut with the Flying Squirrels. A native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, he was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 2023 out of the University of Oregon. Last July, he was traded to the Giants as part of a deal that sent Jorge Soler and Luke Jackson to the Braves. Following the trade, he joined High-A Eugene, which plays its home games in his college ballpark, and batted .295 with seven homer and 30 Ris in 32 games. Ceballos enters 2025 rated by Baseball America as the No. 16 Giants prospect and No. 23 by MLB.com.
Jack Choate returns to the Flying Squirrels after joining the team for the final month of the 2024 season. Last year, he led qualified Giants MiLB pitchers in opponents' batting average (.231) and WHIP (1.21), spending most of the year with High-A Eugene, where he went 1-3 with a 2.90 ERA in 19 games (18 starts). He made eight starts for the Flying Squirrels to close the year. Choate was born in Miami and grew up in Massachusetts. He was selected by the Giants in the ninth round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Assumption University.
Cameron Cotter is back with the Flying Squirrels after working eight relief outings last year, closing three saves. Cotter spent most of the year with High-A Eugene, going 6-4 with a 2.27 ERA in 35 outings. He also pitched one game with Triple-A Sacramento. Cotter signed with Giants in 2023 from the independent High Point Rockers. A native of Greensboro, N.C., he spent his college career at NC State, where he was teammates with former Flying Squirrels Patrick Bailey, Will Wilson and Nick Swiney.
Dylan Cumming returns for a second season with the Flying Squirrels. He joined the team last May and made 18 appearances (13 starts) with Richmond, striking out 88 batters. He also made nine appearances (seven starts) for High-A Eugene, going 3-0 with a 1.87 ERA. He finished the year ranked third in the Giants organization in strikeouts (138). Cumming is a native of Grand Blanc, Mich., and signed with the Giants as a non-drafted free agent out of Liberty in 2023.
Nick Garcia returns for his second season with the Flying Squirrels. In 2024, he worked 26 relief outings for Richmond and posted a 1.54 ERA with five saves. He also pitched 16 games for Triple-A Sacramento in his first year with the Giants organization. A native of Redwood City, Calif., Garcia was originally drafted by the Pirates in 2020 out of Chapman University, traded to the Rockies in 2022 and selected by the Giants in the minor league phase of the 2023 Rule 5 Draft.
Evan Gates begins his fourth season with the Flying Squirrels. He pitched 19 games out of the Richmond bullpen last year and went 2-1 with a 1.27 ERA before a mid-season promotion to Triple-A Sacramento. Dating back to 2022, he has worked 68 relief outings for the Flying Squirrels with a 3.16 ERA and nine saves. A native of Roseville, Mich., Gates was signed by the Giants in 2021 out of North Carolina A&T. He was named an MiLB.com Giants Organization All-Star in 2022, going 5-2 with a 1.95 ERA over 42 games between Low-A San Jose, High-A Eugene and Richmond in his first full professional season.
Trent Harris is back with the Flying Squirrels after closing the 2024 season in Double-A for two outings. He split most of the season with Low-A San Jose and High-A Euguene, going 9-3 with a 1.81 ERA over 36 games in his three stops during his first full professional season. Harris, a native of Cary, N.C., was signed by the Giants in 2023 out of UNC Pembroke. He enters this year rated by Baseball America as the No. 26 Giants prospect and No. 11 by MLB.com. He is also rated by Baseball America as having the best fastball in the Giants system.
Matt Higgins returns to the Flying Squirrels after joining the team last July. He split the 2024 season between High-A Eugene and Double-A Richmond, ranking third in the Giants organization in slugging percentage (.442) and fifth in batting average (.276). Higgins is from Louisville, Ky., and was signed by the Giants in 2022 out of Bellarmine University in his hometown.
Carter Howell is back with the Flying Squirrels after winning the team's Player of the Year award in 2024. He spent all of last year in the Eastern League and led the circuit in doubles (30) and triples (7). He also led the Flying Squirrels in batting average (.272), on-base percentage (.347), slugging percentage (.391), OPS (.738), hits (121), walks (47), extra-base hits (40), total bases (174), runs (64) and stolen bases (15). Howell was born in Fargo, N.D. and grew up in Moorhead, Minn. He was signed by the Giants in 2022 out of Augustana University.
Seth Lonsway returns to the Flying Squirrels after splitting last year between Richmond and High-A Eugene. With Richmond, he went 2-1 with a 1.38 ERA in six games (five starts) before an injury shut down his season in early-August. All five of the runs he allowed at Double-A came in the third inning of his July 3 start at Bowie, holding teams scoreless in his other 31 innings in the Eastern League. Lonsway is from St. Mary's, Ohio and was drafted by the Giants in the sixth round in 2021 out of Ohio State.
Manuel Mercedes, a newcomer with the Flying Squirrels in 2025, spent all of last year with High-A Eugene, going 4-9 with a 5.28 ERA in 26 games (25 starts). For the year, he ranked fifth in the Northwest League in innings pitched (116). In 2023, he was named Co-Pitcher of the Year for Low-A San Jose, posting a 3.64 ERA in 25 outings. Mercedes is a native of Monte Plata, Dominican Republic and signed with the Giants in 2019.
Zach Morgan begins his second year with the Flying Squirrels after joining the team last August. In 2024, he played 59 games with High-A Eugene and 24 games with Richmond. A native of Stockton, Calif., Morgan was a Buster Posey National Catcher of the Year finalist in 2022 at Fresno State and was drafted by the Giants that year in the seventh round.
Nick Morreale returns to the Flying Squirrels after joining the team last July. He made nine appearances (eight starts) with Richmond and went 1-1 with a 1.70 ERA to close the 2024 season. He also pitched 44 games with High-A Eugene last year, his fourth season with that club. Morreale is from Minneapolis and was selected by the Giants in the 14 th round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Georgetown.
Tyler Myrick rejoins the Flying Squirrels for his third-overall season in Richmond. He first came to Richmond for the second half of the 2023 season and closed six saves in 20 outings, going 2-0 with a 1.44 ERA. Last year, he pitched 21 games and closed six saves before a mid-season promotion to Triple-A Sacramento. Myrick is a native of Gainesville, Fla., and was selected by the Giants in the 14 th round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Florida International.
Rodolfo Nolasco joined the Giants organization last May in a trade from the Pirates. He spent most of the year with High-A Eugene and finished the season with 12 homers. He will make his Double-A debut with the Flying Squirrels. Nolasco is a native of Santo Domingo, D.R. and was a Florida Complex League Post-Season All-Star in 2021 with the Pirates.
Jairo Pomares is back with the Flying Squirrels after leading the team in homers (12) last year. He joined the Flying Squirrels last May and played 82 games on the season after missing nearly all of 2023. He was an Arizona League All-Star in 2019 and an MiLB.com Giants Organization All-Star in 2021 despite missing about half of the season with an injury. Pomares is a native of Sancti Spiritus, Cuba and signed with the Giants in their 2018 international class.
Braxton Roxby is set to make his Giants organization debut with the Flying Squirrels. Originally signed by the Cincinnati Reds out of Pitt-Johnstown in 2020, he was traded to the Giants in January for Taylor Rogers. Roxby has split his entire professional career between High-A Dayton and Double-A Chattanooga over the last four seasons, including parts of three seasons in the Southern League.
Nick Sinacola returns to the Flying Squirrels after joining the team last June. With Richmond in 2024, he made 15 starts, going 5-2 with a 4.08 ERA. He returned to High-A Eugene for the first half of the 2024 season, going 4-1 with a 2.60 ERA in 10 outings (two starts). Sinacola was born in Providence, R.I. and grew up in North Attleboro, Mass. He was selected by the Giants in the seventh round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of the University of Maine.
Michael Stryffeler rejoins Richmond after missing most of the last two years following Tommy John surgery. He pitched four games for the Flying Squirrels at the beginning of the 2023 season before the injury. Stryffeler, a native of Sagamore Hills, Ohio, played at Lake Erie College and with the independent Lake Erie Crushers before signing with the Seattle Mariners in 2019. He was traded to the Giants in August 2022 along with former Flying Squirrels catcher Andy Thomas for Matthew Boyd and Curt Casali.
Adrián Sugastey is back with the Flying Squirrels after playing the first half of last year in Richmond before an injury ended his season. He appeared in 52 games before being hit by a pitch in late-June. Entering 2025, he is rated by Baseball America as the top defensive catcher in the Giants organization. Sugastey is a native of Panama City, Panama and was signed by the Giants in their 2019 international class.
Diego Velasquez returns to the Flying Squirrels for his second Double-A season. He joined the team last July from High-A Eugene. Between his two stops in 2024, he ranked third in the Giants organization in hits (12) and fourth in batting average (.288). He was named a Northwest League Post-Season All-Star last year after being selected as a California League Post-Season All-Star and an MiLB.com Giants Organization All-Star in 2023. Velasquez is from Maracay, Venezuela and signed with the Giants in 2021. He enters this season ranked by Baseball America as the No. 13 Giants prospect and No. 15 by MLB.com.
Joe Whitman is set to make his Double-A debut after splitting his first full professional season last year between Low-A San Jose and High-A Eugene. He made 23 total starts between the two levels last year and ranked ninth in the Giants system in strikeouts (108). Whitman is from Akron, Ohio and was selected by the Giants in the second round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Kent State. He is ranked by Baseball America as the No. 10 Giants prospect and No. 7 by MLB.com.
Justin Wishkoski returns to the Flying Squirrels after joining the team last August to close out his first full professional season. He played 113 games between High-A Eugene and Richmond last year, batting .256 with seven homers and 49 RBIs. Wishkoski was born in Houston and crew up in nearby Cypress, Texas. He was selected by the Giants in the 16 th round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Sam Houston.
The Flying Squirrels open the final season at The Diamond on Friday night against the Akron RubberDucks. Hall of Fame inductee and former Richmond Braves pitcher John Smoltz will be on hand to throw out a ceremonial first pitch. Tickets for all 2025 Flying Squirrels games are on sale now at SquirrelsBaseball.com/Tickets, by phone at 804-359-3866 or in person at the Flying Squirrels ticket office.
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