By Bill Moriarity / A’s Farm Editor
April 5, 2022
The opening day 28-man roster for the A’s Double-A affiliate Midland RockHounds has now been set. The team includes 15 pitchers and 13 position players and will be guided by former A’s shortstop Bobby Crosby, who returns for his second season as the Midland manager.
On the offensive side of the roster, most of the team’s more prominent prospects appear in the infield. 2019’s 1st-round pick for the A’s, 24-year-old Logan Davidson, will return for his second year as the RockHounds’ starting shortstop. 2018 supplemental 1st-round pick Jeremy Eierman is likely to see plenty of time at second base in his second season in Midland. Last year’s 2nd-round draft pick for the A’s, 22-year-old Zack Gelof, who is the A’s 3rd-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline, should see most of the playing time at the hot corner for the Hounds. The A’s 16th-ranked prospect, 21-year-old Colombian corner infielder Jordan Diaz, is set to be the youngest player on the squad, and though he’s mainly manned third base in his minor league career, it looks like he may now have to spend more time handling first base for the Hounds in 2022.
Other notable position players on the RockHounds roster include versatile speedster Max Schuemann, who led all A’s minor leaguers with 52 stolen bases last year and is capable of playing any position in the infield or outfield. 2020’s 3rd-round pick, 22-year-old Michael Guldberg, represents the most high-profile prospect in Midland’s outfield mix. Meanwhile, Jonah Bride, who posted a team-best .407 on-base percentage while mainly manning both corner infield positions for Midland in 2021, will be making the move behind the plate this year and is expected to start the season as the RockHounds’ regular receiver. And 2019’s 4th-round pick, 24-year-old Kyle McCann, is set to join him in the team’s catching corps.
A number of promising prospects are set to appear in the 2022 starting rotation for the RockHounds, and a pair of recent acquisitions lead the way. Acquired from the Mets in the Chris Bassitt trade, 22-year-old right-hander J.T. Ginn was the Mets’ 2nd-round draft pick in 2020 and is currently the A’s 8th-ranked prospect. 22-year-old righty Ryan Cusick, who came over from Atlanta in the Matt Olson deal, was the Braves’ 1st-round draft pick last year and is the A’s 9th-ranked prospect. Also on the starting staff is the A’s 9th-round pick from 2019, 23-year-old right-hander Colin Peluse, who put up a 3.39 ERA while leading all A’s minor leaguers with 9 wins in 2021, along with 25-year-old righty Jack Cushing, who posted a 3.22 ERA while notching the second-most strikeouts among A’s minor leaguers last year. Meanwhile, Midland’s bullpen will be anchored by 6-foot-4, 263-pound flamethrower Wandisson Charles, who’s been known to frequently hit triple digits on the radar gun.
Midland’s season is set to open on Friday, April 8. You can find the team’s complete opening day roster here… Midland RockHounds
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