The Los Angeles Dodgers’ Double-A affiliate Tulsa Drillers announced their 2019 Opening Day roster, and it features some of the top prospects in the organization.
Anchoring the Drillers’ starting rotation is right-hander Dustin May, who is the Dodgers’ top pitching prospect. May split time between Tulsa and High-A Rancho Cucamonga a season ago, going 9-5 with a 3.39 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 122 strikeouts and 29 walks in 132.2 total innings.
May posted a 3.67 ERA in six starts with the Drillers to close out the season. He spent all of Spring Training in Major League camp and was very impressive, leading to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to deem him the ‘biggest standout.’
Joining May on the Drillers pitching staff staff are prospects Yadier Alvarez and Mitchell White, as well as left-hander Adam McCreery, who the Dodgers acquired from the Atlanta Braves this past offseason.
Getting a majority of the time behind the plate for Tulsa will be Keibert Ruiz, who is one of the top catching prospects in all of baseball. In 101 games for the Drillers in 2018, Ruiz hit .268/.328/.401 with 12 home runs and 47 RBI.
Dodgers top infield prospect Gavin Lux should be the team’s everyday shortstop, although he and Omar Estevez may switch off between both middle infield positions.
Lux is coming off a breakout 2018 season with Rancho Cucamonga and Tulsa in which he batted .324/.399/.514 with 27 doubles, 15 home runs, 85 runs scored, 57 RBI and 13 stolen bases in 116 total games.
The Drillers are coming off an extremely successful season that saw them win the Texas League Championship for the first time since 1998. Eighteen of the players on the Opening Day roster spent time with Tulsa at some point last year.
They will once again be managed by Scott Hennessey, who is entering his second season with the club.
Tulsa’s title defense will begin on Thursday when they host Arkansas at ONEOK Field.
Pitchers (13): Yadier Alvarez, Michael Boyle, Parker Curry, Justin De Fratus, Marshall Kasowski, Nolan Long, J.D. Martin, Dustin May, Adam McCreery, Andre Scrubb, Layne Somsen, Shea Spitzbarth, Mitchell White
Catchers (2): Keibert Ruiz, Josh Thole
Infielders (7): Omar Estevez, Gavin Lux, Zach McKinstry, Chris Parmelee, Eric Peterson, Christian Santana, Jared Walker
Outfielders (4): Logan Landon, D.J. Peters, Zach Reks, Cody Thomas
