| STOCKTON, Calif. - The Stockton Ports have announced their 2023 opening day roster. The roster is composed of 17 pitchers and 12 position players.
The outfielders appear to be the Ports’ biggest strength with three players ranked in the Oakland A’s top 30 prospects according to MLB.com. Clark Elliott is the 18th best prospect in the A’s minor league system, making him the highest ranked prospect on the team.
The Illinois native played for three years at the University of Michigan. He broke out in the Cape Cod League in the summer between his sophomore and junior seasons, batting .344 with a .941 OPS.
Elliott continued his stellar play into his final season at Michigan, batting .337, hitting 16 home runs, and stealing 19 bases in 61 games, being named to the All-Big Ten First Team. All this earned him a second round draft selection by the A’s in 2022.
Colby Thomas was the A’s 3rd round selection in 2022 from Mercer University where he had a 1.184 OPS with 17 home runs his junior year. The A’s 19th ranked prospect has yet to make an appearance in a professional game and will more than likely make his debut with the Ports on opening day.
Another outfielder, Brayan Buelvas, is the 25th ranked prospect in the A’s system. He’s a 20-year-old international signing from Monteria, Colombia. Buelvas spent most of 2022 with High A Lansing, but will start this season with the Ports.
One of the higher draft picks on the opening day roster is Brennan Milone, an infielder who started his college career at the University of South Carolina before transferring to the University of Oregon. He was a 6th round pick by the A’s in 2022 and hit .310 in 27 games with the Ports last season.
Another player worth keeping an eye on is left-handed pitcher Garrett Irvin. He was a 40th round draft selection by the Boston Red Sox in 2019 from Riverside City College. He elected not to sign, but rather transfer to the University of Arizona.
In three seasons at Arizona, Irvin had a 3.87 ERA and was the MVP of the 2021 Tucson Regional after pitching a complete game shutout against UC Santa Barbara. He would go undrafted in 2022 and sign with the A’s as a minor league free agent.
His professional career has gotten off to a great start with a 1.50 ERA after playing 9 games for the A’s Arizona Complex League team and the Ports.
The Ports’ Opening Day is Thursday, April 6th at 7:05 PM as they host the Modesto Nuts. Tickets are available at stocktonports.com or by calling 209-644-1900 today.
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