Top Cleveland Indians pitching prospect begins in Lynchburg

Though the uniforms have changed, many of the players wearing them will look the same to begin the 2017 Hillcats season, as Lynchburg’s Opening Day roster features 16 players who appeared for the team at some point last year.

Of the nine newcomers, right-handed pitcher Triston McKenzie arrives to the Hill City as both the youngest and the most highly-touted. The 19-year-old phenom is the top-rated pitching prospect in the Cleveland Indians system according to Baseball America. Drafted 42nd overall in 2015 out of Royal Palm Beach HS, the 6-foot-5 righty has a fastball that can reach the mid-90s supplemented by a curveball and changeup.

McKenzie headlines a list of 13 pitchers that includes eight who pitched for the Hillcats a season ago, including Thomas Pannone. The left-hander started Game 1 of the 2016 Mills Cup Championship Series and had three different starts with at least six innings and no runs allowed over his final seven outings of the regular season. He finished 2016 with a 3-0 record and 1.65 ERA in eight appearances for the Hillcats.

Dominic DeMasi, Matt Esparza, Justin Garcia, Brock Hartson, Leandro Linares, Jared Robinson and Billy Strode also return to the Hillcats pitching staff. Linares did not allow a run and struck out three in his 2 1/3 innings after joining the roster late last year, while Strode fanned 24 batters in 26 innings of relief for Lynchburg.

Lynchburg will carry 12 position players on its roster to begin 2016. All three catchers on the Opening Day roster played for Lynchburg last year, including Carolina League Midseason All-Star Daniel Salters. The 13th-round pick out of Dallas Baptist in 2015 hit .281 with seven doubles and four home runs in 48 games before being promoted to Double-A Akron for the second half of the season. Sicnarf Loopstok returns for his third season in Lynchburg, and Martin Cervenka will suit up for the Hillcats again after a brief four-game that saw him belt two doubles and a home run with the squad last year.

Willi Castro, Baseball America’s 15th-rated prospect in the Indians organization, went 2-for-9 at the end of the season for Lynchburg after spending the majority of the season in Lake County and batting .259 for the Captains. Castro will not turn 20-years-old until April 24 and has high potential as a switch-hitting shortstop. Joining Castro on the infield will be returners Claudio Bautista and Yonathan Mendoza. New faces on the diamond will be Anthony Miller and Sam Haggerty, who were both drafted in 2015 in the 18th and 24th rounds, respectively.

Of Lynchburg’s four outfielders, Connor Marabell logged the most time at the Advanced-A level last year, hitting .266 with 13 doubles and 19 RBIs in 35 games. Jodd Carter, Andrew Calica and Ka’ai Tom round out the Hillcats’ Opening Day 25-man team. Calica was tabbed by Baseball America as Cleveland’s best late-round pick last summer when the Indians selected him in the 11th round.

Lynchburg’s 2017 season begins at home on Thursday, April 6. The Hillcats will square off against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans in a rematch of the 2016 Mills Cup Championship Series at 6:30 p.m. Tickets start at just $6. All 140 Hillcats games this season will be streamed online at www.lynchburg-hillcats.com.