B-Mets Announce Opening Day Roster

BINGHAMTON, NY – Binghamton Mets are proud to announce their 2014 Opening Day roster, the 100^th season of professional baseball in the Southern Tier. The B-Mets welcome twelve new players to the Triple Cities, nine of whom will be making their Double-A debuts. Fourteen members of last year’s record-setting 86-win team return to Binghamton. One player will start the season on the disabled list.

Starting Pitchers:

The B-Mets will start the season employing a six-man rotation, split evenly between new players and returning hurlers. Third-year B-Met LHP Darin Gorski will take the hill on Thursday night as the club’s Opening Day starter. The southpaw went 6-1 with a 1.83 ERA in 13 starts with the B-Mets last year. Familiar faces RHP Greg Peavey and RHP Tyler Pill will be joined by newcomers RHP Rainy Lara, RHP Hansel Robles and RHP Matt Bowman.

Relievers:

Binghamton opens the season with an even mix of experienced relievers and Double-A rookies in the bullpen. LHP Jack Leathersich and RHP John Church return to the B-Mets after ending last season in Triple-A with the Las Vegas 51’s. RHP Chasen Bradford and LHP Adam Kolarek both look to pick up where they left off with the B-Mets last season. Bradford posted an 0.71 ERA in 20 Double-A appearances while Kolarek held opponents to a .204 batting average over 44 games. LHP TJ Chism will make his Double-A debut after locking down 20 saves with the St. Lucie Mets last year. RHP Cody Satterwhite, a former Tigers farmhand, and RHP Jon Velasquez, a former Phillies Minor Leaguer, will both be making their B-Mets debuts.

Catchers:

Kevin Plawecki, recipient of the Sterling Organizational Co-Player of the Year award in 2013, will be the B-Mets starting catcher. The Indiana native hit .305 and racked up 38 doubles and 80 RBI between Savannah and St. Lucie last year. Xorge Carrillo, coming off a strong finish with the B-Mets in 2013, will serve as the B-Mets secondary catcher. Blake Forsythe, also a 2013 B-Met, will start the season on the disabled list.

Infielders:

The B-Mets infield will be comprised of some familiar faces, a pair of Double-A newcomers and two veterans. Defensive wizard Wilfredo Tovar returns to Binghamton to add to his highlight reel. Tovar led all Eastern League shortstops in fielding percentage last year and made his Major League debut in September. Jayce Boyd, a sixth-round pick in 2012, will make his Double-A debut and hitting .330 with 83 RBI between Savannah and St. Lucie last year. Matt Reynolds got a taste of Double-A playing one game with Binghamton last season and will start the season with the B-Mets. Brian Burgamy, a veteran of 12 professional seasons, and Matt Clark, a power-hitting first-baseman, round out the B-Mets infield.

Outfield:

The B-Mets welcome three members of the 2013 team back to the Southern Tier. Darrell Ceciliani, Cory Vaughn and Travis Taijeron will compete for playing time with newcomers Dustin Lawley and Kyle Johnson. Lawley crushed 26 home runs last season en route to earning Florida State League Most Valuable Player honors. Johnson, acquired from the Angels last season, hit .289, stole 44 bases and scored 84 runs with three different teams in 2013.

The B-Mets kick off their 23^rd season on Thursday, April 3 against the Akron RubberDucks at NYSEG Stadium at 6:35 PM. Tickets for the 2014 season are on sale now. Visit the B-Mets Box Office during regular business hours or call (607)723-METS to order yours today.