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PCL1 New Orleans Baby Cakes

Zephyrs Announce 2012 Opening Day Roster

April 3, 2012 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
New Orleans Baby Cakes News Release


Metairie, LA - The New Orleans Zephyrs released the team's preliminary Opening Day roster for the 2012 season on Tuesday, which includes 11 players currently on the Miami Marlins 40-man roster, 14 players with previous experience as a Zephyr, and three Louisiana natives.

Of the top 30 prospects in the Marlins organization (as ranked by Baseball America ), seven will open the season in New Orleans . Third baseman Matt Dominguez, ranked among the top 100 prospects in baseball, will return to New Orleans after making his Major League debut last September.

Dominguez will be joined in the infield by veterans Nick Green and Gil Velazquez, who both have Major League experience, and Louisiana-Lafayette alum Chase Lambin . Ben Lasater, a .296 hitter at Class AA Jacksonville in 2011, moves up to Triple- A for the first time, and Donovan Solano joins the Marins after seven years in the Cardinals organization.

The outfield will feature three players on the 40-man roster, including Bryan Petersen and Scott Cousins, who each saw extensive time with the Marlins last season. Petersen hit .351 in New Orleans before a July promotion to Miami, while Cousins spent the first two months with the Marlins before having his season cut short in the controversial home plate collision with Giants catcher Buster Posey. Manning center field will be speedster Kevin Mattison, who has swiped 142 bases over his first four professional seasons, and is coming off a stellar Arizona Fall League. Chris Aguila continues his pursuit of the Zephyrs' career home run record, beginning the season three behind the mark of 56 set by J.R. Phillips.

Four of the five members of the starting pitching rotation are included on the Marlins' 40-man roster, with right-handers Tom Koehler and Alex Sanabia being joined by left-handers Wade LeBlanc and Brad Hand. Koehler was an anchor of the Zephyrs' 2011 staff, tying for third in the Pacific Coast League with 12 victories. Sanabia missed most of the 2011 campaign with an elbow injury, but posted a 3.27 ERA in three September games with the Marlins. LeBlanc, a Lake Charles native, spent parts of the last four seasons with the San Diego Padres, and Hand recorded a 4.20 ERA in 12 starts as a rookie with the Marlins last year. Right-hander J.D. Martin is expected to round out the rotation.

The bullpen includes Destrehan High graduate Beau Jones, who was named Louisiana 's Mr. Baseball in 2005. He will be joined in the bullpen by Elih Villanueva, Gary Glover, Robert Ray, Chris Hatcher, Sandy Rosario, Rob Delaney and Dan Jennings. The battery mates for the pitching staff will be catchers Clint Sammons, Cole Armstrong, and Lafayette native and ULL graduate Luke Montz .

The Zephyrs open their 20 th season in New Orleans on Thursday at 7 p.m. against the Nashville Sounds. Tickets are available by calling (504) 734-5155, by visiting the Zephyr Field box office or any Ticketmaster location, or by visiting www.zephyrsbaseball.com.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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