Press release
from the Asheville Tourists
The Asheville Tourists Opening Day Roster has been set by the Colorado Rockies. The 25 players who will be wearing the Tourists uniform on opening day will arrive to Asheville in time for Monday evening’s first workout at McCormick Field.
Headlining the Roster are two first round draft picks from the 2012 June draft; David Dahl and Eddie Butler. Dahl has been tabbed the number one prospect in the Colorado Rockies organization by MLB.com and is coming off a scorching 2012 campaign with Grand Junction where he was named the Pioneer League Player of the Year. Dahl batted .379, hit nine Home Runs, and had 57 runs batted in through 67 games. While Dahl paced the offense, Butler held down the opposition with his pitching. The 22-year old right hander posted a league best 2.13 ERA while posting a record of seven wins to just one defeat. Baseball America has rated Butler as the sixth best prospect in the Rockies organization.
This year’s Tourists team is made up of players from all across the United States; along with players from the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico. The make-up of the roster has 13 pitchers, six infielders, four outfielders, and two catchers.
Two members of last season’s South Atlantic League championship team, Rosell Herrera and Drew Beuerlein, will once again put on a Tourists uniform to help lead this year’s team. Also returning to the Tourists are pitchers Josh Slaats (2011) and Jonathan Vargas (2010).
“We are delighted to welcome all of the players to Asheville and excited to begin another season of Tourists baseball” said Tourists President Brian DeWine. “These young men are now a part of the Asheville community and the Tourists family.”
First year Tourists Manager Fred Ocasio managed several of this year’s Tourists team in the Northwest League last season. Ocasio returns to Asheville for the first time since he took the field as a Tourists player in 1995.
The Tourists open the 2013 season on the road at West Virginia on April 4 before debuting at McCormick Field on Thursday, April 11, at 7:05 p.m. against the Power, the first contest in a seven-game home stand. Single game tickets are currently available at the McCormick Field box office. For more information, contact the Tourists’ front office at 258-0428.
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