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Photos from the Indianapolis Indians opening night game on Friday, April 6, 2018, at Victory Field.
INDIANAPOLIS – The Indianapolis Indians, in conjunction with the Pittsburgh Pirates, today announced their Opening Day roster for the 2018 season. Outfielder Austin Meadows – ranked by Baseball America as the second-best prospect in Pittsburgh’s farm system and No. 44 overall in professional baseball – headlines the group.
First-year manager Brian Esposito, the club’s 61st skipper in team history, returns 13 players from Indy’s 2017 division championship squad. Like the ’17 team, the roster has a blend of up-and-coming prospects and veterans with major league experience. Joining Meadows as top 10 Pirates prospects, according to Baseball America, is infielder Kevin Newman (No. 5) and Indy’s Opening Day starter, Nick Kingham (No. 8). Infielder Kevin Kramer (No. 12), Pirates 2017 Minor League Player of the Year, Jordan Luplow (No. 13), infielder Max Moroff (No. 16) and right-hander Tyler Eppler (No. 29) round out Indy’s top prospects.
Following Kingham in the rotation are four right-handers – Eppler, Alex McRae, Austin Coley and Casey Sadler – with McRae and Coley both having pitched for Double-A Altoona during its 2017 Eastern League Championship run. The bullpen is right-handed heavy and welcomes one returner, Ohio State University product Brett McKinney, who is joined by Tanner Anderson, Johnny Hellweg, Tyler Jones, Damien Magnifico and Richard Rodriguez. Hellweg, Magnifico and Rodriguez have each had brief big-league stints in their respective careers.
Returning catcher Jacob Stallings headlines backstop duo after finishing his 2017 campaign with a Triple-A batting average north of .300. Ryan Lavarnway, 30, a veteran with 140 major league appearances under his belt, will share duties with Stallings.
Five of the Tribe’s seven listed infielders played for Indy last season. Two newcomers, Kramer and first baseman/outfielder Jerrick Suiter, join Moroff, Newman, Jose Osuna, Erich Weiss and Eric Wood. Moroff belted a career-high 13 home runs for the Tribe in 2017, while Wood pounded a career-high-tying 16 dingers.
The Tribe outfield features Meadows and Luplow, 2017 Indy Indians MVP Christopher Bostick and 29-year-old Todd Cunningham. Last year, Bostick finished fourth in the International League in batting (.294) and was an IL midseason All-Star.
Overall, eight of the Indians’ 25 active players are currently members of Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster.
| # | Name | Pos | Bat | Thw | Ht | Wt | DOB | Status | MLB 40-man |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Tanner Anderson | P | R | R | 6′ 2″ | 195 | 05-27-1993 | Active | No |
| 10 | Austin Coley | P | R | R | 6′ 2″ | 203 | 07-14-1992 | Active | No |
| 19 | Kyle Crick | P | L | R | 6′ 4″ | 220 | 11-30-1992 | Active | Yes |
| Montana DuRapau | P | R | R | 5′ 11″ | 175 | 03-27-1992 | Restricted | No | |
| 36 | Tyler Eppler | P | R | R | 6′ 5″ | 230 | 01-05-1993 | Active | No |
| 22 | Johnny Hellweg | P | R | R | 6′ 7″ | 235 | 10-29-1988 | Active | No |
| 30 | Tyler Jones | P | R | R | 6′ 4″ | 240 | 09-05-1989 | Active | No |
| 49 | Nick Kingham | P | R | R | 6′ 5″ | 225 | 11-08-1991 | Active | Yes |
| 44 | Damien Magnifico | P | R | R | 6′ 1″ | 205 | 05-24-1991 | Active | No |
| 38 | Brett McKinney | P | R | R | 6′ 0″ | 225 | 11-19-1990 | Active | No |
| 28 | Alex McRae | P | R | R | 6′ 2″ | 220 | 04-06-1993 | Active | No |
| 31 | Richard Rodriguez | P | R | R | 6′ 4″ | 205 | 03-04-1990 | Active | No |
| 37 | Casey Sadler | P | R | R | 6′ 3″ | 220 | 07-13-1990 | Active | No |
| Kevin Siegrist | P | L | L | 6′ 5″ | 230 | 07-20-1989 | Suspended | No |
| # | Name | Pos | Bat | Thw | Ht | Wt | DOB | Status | MLB 40-man |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | Ryan Lavarnway | C | R | R | 6′ 4″ | 240 | 08-07-1987 | Active | No |
| 32 | Jacob Stallings | C | R | R | 6′ 5″ | 220 | 12-22-1989 | Active | Yes |
| # | Name | Pos | Bat | Thw | Ht | Wt | DOB | Status | MLB 40-man |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | Kevin Kramer | 2B | L | R | 6′ 0″ | 200 | 10-03-1993 | Active | No |
| 2 | Max Moroff | 2B | S | R | 5′ 10″ | 185 | 05-13-1993 | Active | Yes |
| 3 | Kevin Newman | SS | R | R | 6′ 1″ | 180 | 08-04-1993 | Active | No |
| 13 | Jose Osuna | 1B | R | R | 6′ 3″ | 240 | 12-12-1992 | Active | Yes |
| 45 | Jerrick Suiter | 1B | R | R | 6′ 4″ | 230 | 03-04-1993 | Active | No |
| 6 | Erich Weiss | 2B | L | R | 6′ 2″ | 200 | 09-11-1991 | Active | No |
| 14 | Eric Wood | 3B | R | R | 6′ 1″ | 210 | 11-22-1992 | Active | No |
| # | Name | Pos | Bat | Thw | Ht | Wt | DOB | Status | MLB 40-man |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Christopher Bostick | LF | R | R | 5′ 10″ | 200 | 03-24-1993 | Active | Yes |
| 27 | Todd Cunningham | CF | S | R | 6′ 0″ | 205 | 03-20-1989 | Active | No |
| 24 | Jordan Luplow | RF | R | R | 6′ 1″ | 195 | 09-26-1993 | Active | Yes |
| 15 | Austin Meadows | CF | L | L | 6′ 3″ | 210 | 05-03-1995 | Active | Yes |
| Daniel Nava | OF | S | L | 5′ 10″ | 195 | 02-22-1983 | 7-day DL | No |
SOURCE: Indianapolis Indians
The Indians open their 2018 season and 117th in franchise history tonight against the Columbus Clippers.
Location: Victory Field
First Pitch: 7:15 p.m. ET
Game #1/Home #1: Indianapolis Indians (0-0) vs. Columbus Clippers (0-0)
Probables: RHP Nick Kingham vs. LHP Shawn Morimando
Radio: Fox Sports 97.5 / AM 1260
TV: Comcast 90 / MiLB TV
WELCOME BACK: The Indianapolis Indians, in continuous operation since 1902, open the 117th season in franchise history tonight, welcoming a division foe and recent rival, Columbus, to Circle City. The Indians have been part of the International League since 1998, in addition to a one-year showing in 1963 when Indy secured its first of two Governors’ Cup Championships (also: 2000).
DRESS APPROPRIATELY: First pitch temperatures this evening are expected to hover around 40 degrees. Last year, Indy’s home opener against Toledo was a somewhat chilly affair as well, with the first pitch temperature being 48 degrees. Indy won that game by a 7-4 final, thanks to a five-run seventh inning that featured home runs by Jason Rogers and Max Moroff.
SPEAKING OF OPENING DAY: The Indians snapped a two-game Opening Day slide last year with their win over the Mud Hens. Tonight, the Tribe will seek its first winning streak on Opening Day since the early 2000s. Indianapolis last won consecutive games on Opening Day from 2003-05, winning 8-2 at Columbus, 2-1 at Norfolk and 7-5 vs. Pawtucket. Indy also reeled off four straight Opening Day wins from 1998-2001. They blanked Toledo 3-0 in ’98 and won again over the Mud Hens at Victory Field in ’99 by a 9-7 score. In 2000, Indy won 5-2 at Richmond before earning a 6-5 win over Toledo again at The Vic in 2001.
INDY VS. COLUMBUS, OPENING DAY: The Indians and Clippers have met on Opening Day nine times since 1997. Indy is just 3-6 against Columbus, including a 1-4 mark at Victory Field. Indy’s only win over Columbus at The Vic came in 2007 when the Tribe picked up a 6-1 victory behind five shutout innings from southpaw Sean Burnett.
NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN: Brian Esposito, announced as the 61st manager in franchise history in January 2018, is his sixth season of coaching and fifth as a manager in the Pirates farm system. He served as a player/coach for the Tribe under manager Dean Treanor in 2013, a squad that went 80-64 en route to a second straight IL West Division title. Esposito, 38, owns a career managerial record of 233-195 (.544). His best season came in 2015 with Low-A West Virginia, a team that went 87-52 (.626), good for the third-highest winning percentage among all full-season teams in Minor League Baseball.
FAMILIAR FACES: The Indians’ roster carries plenty of familiar faces into the first homestand. Thirteen players (four pitchers, nine position players) return from the 2017 division championship team. Returning pitchers include tonight’s starter Nick Kingham, along with Tyler Eppler, Brett McKinney, and Casey Sadler. Catcher Jacob Stallings and infielders Max Moroff, Kevin Newman, Jose Osuna, Erich Weiss and Eric Wood also return. In the outfield, 2017 Team MVP Christopher Bostick is joined by Pirates 2017 MiLB Player of the Year Jordan Luplow and Austin Meadows, the No. 2 prospect in Pittsburgh’s farm system according to Baseball America.
THE NEW GUYS: Twelve of Indy’s 25 active players are new to Indianapolis. Pitchers Tanner Anderson, Austin Coley, and Alex McRae all will get their first taste of Triple-A, with each having played a prominent role in Double-A Altoona’s run to the 2017 Eastern League title. New pitchers already with Triple-A experience include Kyle Crick, Johnny Hellweg, Tyler Jones, Damien Magnifico and Richard Rodriguez. Just four position players are new to Indy, including infielders Kevin Kramer and Jerrick Suiter who spent most of their 2017 seasons in Altoona. Veteran catcher Ryan Lavarnway and 29-year-old outfielder Todd Cunningham finish out the roster.
SOURCE: Indianapolis Indians
The 2018 Indianapolis Indians season gets underway NEXT FRIDAY NIGHT, so get your tickets today, Friday, March 30, 2018, with NO FEES!
If you purchase Tribe tickets online today at http://www.milb.com/tickets/singlegame.jsp?sid=t484 the $1.50 processing fee will be waived!
Ticket prices range from $10-19. And if you have a child 14 and under, sign them up for the Indianapolis Indians Knot Hole Kids Club for only $17 which gets them a ticket to EVERY home game!
Wake up, drink your coffee, don't panic.
It's FEE FREE FRIDAY!
Purchase Tribe tix online today only and have your $1.50 processing fee waived!
Buy here: https://t.co/3vCKmJeA4p pic.twitter.com/oQxlUZVoK8
— Indianapolis Indians (@indyindians) March 30, 2018
Photos from the 2017 Governors’ Cup Semifinal Game 3 at Victory Field in Indianapolis on Friday, September 8, 2017
The Indianapolis Indians, in conjunction with the International League, announced that left-hander Steven Brault was named the IL Pitcher of the Week (Aug. 7-13). The weekly honor is Brault’s second of the season (also: May 15-21) and is the fifth overall for the Tribe in 2017. Right-hander Tyler Glasnow (July 24-30), first baseman/right fielder Joey Terdoslavich (July 13-16) and first baseman Jason Rogers (May 15-21) have all received weekly honors as well.
Brault, 25, did not allow a run while earning two wins for the Tribe this past week at home. On Monday, Aug. 7, the southpaw fired seven shutout innings against Buffalo in a 4-0 victory. He allowed three hits, walked two and struck out two on 86 total pitches. His second seven-inning, no-run performance of the week came on Saturday in front of Victory Field’s fifth sellout crowd of 2017. The La Mesa, Calif. native surrendered just two hits and three walks with five punchouts against Syracuse in an 8-2 triumph.
Brault’s 14.0 innings pitched and perfect 0.00 ERA led the IL, and his .106 average against (5-for-47) was third among IL pitchers to have thrown eight-plus frames during the week. On the season, Brault is 10-5 with a league-best 1.94 ERA (26 ER in 120.1 IP) and .199 average against (85-for-428). His two victories at the Vic made him 5-3 with a 0.84 ERA (6 ER in 64.0 IP) in 11 games (10 starts) in the Circle City this season.
His win on Saturday made him the fifth Tribe left-hander since 2005 to win 10 or more games in a single season.
The weekly award is the fourth of Brault’s career.
Earlier this season Indianapolis Indians players Gift Ngoepe & Dovydas Neverauskas made their Major League Baseball debuts with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
On April 24, 2017, Neverauskas became the first Lithuanian born player to make the majors.
Then on April 26, 2017, Ngoepe became the first South African born player to make the majors.
The hats both players wore in their respective debuts are currently on display in the “Whole New Ballgame” exhibit in Cooperstown, New York.
The caps from the debuts of Gift Ngoepe & Dovydas Neverauskas are both on display in the “Whole New Ballgame” exhibit in Cooperstown. pic.twitter.com/1ECVY9MfPh
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) July 14, 2017
Ngoepe & Neverauskas are currently on the Indianapolis Indians roster, so head to Victory Field to catch them in action before their permanent move to the big leagues.
Indianapolis and Gwinnett play the final game of a three-game series today at Victory Field. Indianapolis is 59-38 against the Braves’ Triple-A affiliate since 1998 in the Circle City.
Location: Victory Field
First Pitch: 1:35 p.m. ET
Game #55/Home #32: Indianapolis Indians (30-24) vs. Gwinnett Braves (28-26)
Probables: RHP Clay Holmes (3-1, 3.20) vs. RHP Matt Wisler (1-3, 5.20)
Radio: Fox Sports 97.5 and AM 1260
TV: MiLB TV and Comcast channel 90
Indianapolis Indians
Gwinnett Braves
EXTRA-INNING BITS: The Indians rallied to force extras last night, but ultimately fell in 11 innings in game two of the series to Gwinnett, 6-4. The loss dropped Indy to 3-6 in extra-inning games, while Gwinnett improved to 3-2.
WORK THE COUNT: The Indians had 18 three-ball counts yesterday against Gwinnett, but they went just 1-for-11 with a double, seven walks and five strikeouts in those at-bats.
EXTRA EFFORT: After hitting just .217 (13-for-60) in April, Danny Ortiz has batted .299 (20-for-67) since, raising his average to .260 (33-for-127). He has totaled eight extra-base hits (seven doubles, one triple) on the season. In his first 30 games, he notched four doubles — over his last five games, he has doubled three times and tripled once.
FOURTEEN AND COUNTING: Over the first seven starts for catcher Jacob Stallings, the Indians went just 1-6 as a team. Over his last 14 starts, the Tribe is a remarkable 14-0. Stallings hit .286 (6-for-21) through his first seven contests and threw out 33% of base stealers (2-for-6). In his last 14 games, he’s hit .275 (14-for-51) and thrown out 50% of base stealers (5-for-10).
UNFAMILIAR EDGAR: After recording a 21.2 scoreless streak earlier this season, Edgar Santana has seen his 0.36 ERA rise to 1.80 over his last four appearances. In his last four outings, he has yielded five earned runs on 11 hits (two home runs) over 4.2 frames, equating to a 9.64 ERA. The two-run shot he gave up last night to Ozzie Albies was just the 11th home run he has surrendered in 171.2 career innings pitched.
Indianapolis and Gwinnett play the middle game of a three-game series tonight at Victory Field. Indianapolis is 59-37 against the Braves’ Triple-A affiliate since 1998 in the Circle City.
Location: Victory Field
First Pitch: 7:05 p.m. ET
Game #54/Home #31: Indianapolis Indians (30-23) vs. Gwinnett Braves (27-26)
Probables: RHP Nick Kingham (2-1, 3.00) vs. RHP Patrick Weigel (1-1, 6.41)
Radio: Fox Sports 97.5 and AM 1260
TV: MiLB TV and Comcast channel 90
Indianapolis Indians
Gwinnett Braves
SAME JAMESON: Jameson Taillon allowed one unearned run over five innings with six strikeouts in a no-decision last night. The 25-year-old was locked in from the start, mixing and matching his fastball, changeup and devastating curve throughout the night. In seven career starts at Victory Field dating back to 2013, Taillon is 1-2 with a 2.23 ERA (10 ER in 40.1 IP).
FOUR-RUN SEVENTH: The Indians mounted their comeback in the seventh last night, turning a 1-0 deficit into a 4-1 lead and eventual victory. In the seventh, Erich Weiss singled and advanced to second on an error by former Tribe member Mel Rojas Jr. Weiss’ knock was the only hit in the frame as a wild pitch, walk, hit batsmen, throwing error, wild pitch and two sacrifice flies followed.
TRAILING AFTER SIX: The Indians have the best winning percentage among International League teams when trailing after six innings this season. Indy has trailed after six full frames in 18 contests, and they’ve come back to win five of those games, good for a .278 winning percentage. Toledo has the second-mark winning percentage when trailing after six, going 7-21 (.250) in 28 such affairs this season.
LEADING AFTER SIX: While the Indians own the best winning percentage when trailing through six innings, they have the second-worst percentage when leading after six frames at .724 (21-8). Toledo is the only other IL team with a lower winning percentage when leading through six, going just 13-6 (.684) in those contests.
PITCHING IN THE CIRCLE CITY: All three of Nick Kingham’s starts this year for the Tribe have come away from Victory Field. Between the 2014 and 2015 seasons, Kingham went 2-5 with a 4.40 ERA (35 ER in 71.2 IP) in 12 home starts for Indy. Including this years three road outings, Kingham is 6-2 with a 2.88 ERA (21 ER in 65.2 IP) away from home.
GIFT RETURNS: Gift Ngoepe returned to Indy yesterday but was not in the starting lineup. The South African was recalled by Pittsburgh in late April and made his MLB debut on April 26 against the Cubs. He recorded a single in his first major league at-bat, grounding a single into center off Jon Lester. Ngoepe became the first player from the continent of Africa to play in the majors. With the Pirates, Ngoepe hit .222 (12-for-54) with two doubles, one triple, and six RBI in 28 games. Known for his glovework, Ngoepe did not commit an error in 77 total chances.
Indianapolis and Gwinnett play game one of a three-game series tonight at Victory Field. This is the first meeting between the two clubs in 2017.
Location: Victory Field
First Pitch: 7:15 p.m. ET
Game #53/Home #30: Indianapolis Indians (29-23) vs. Gwinnett Braves (27-25)
Probables: RHP Jameson Taillon (MLB Rehab) vs. LHP Sean Newcomb (3-2, 2.96)
Radio: Fox Sports 97.5 and AM 1260
TV: MiLB TV and Comcast channel 90
Indianapolis Indians
Gwinnett Braves
ADIOS MAY, HELLO JUNE: After a 7-15 April, the Indians posted a 21-8 record in the month of May, their first 21-win month since Aug. 1998, when they went 21-7. That year, the Tribe also went 21-9 in the month of June. The Tribe entered play on May 6 in fourth place in the IL West, five games back of Toledo. Entering play tonight, Indy has a 5.5-game lead in its division. Indy opened June with a 5-0 shutout of Lehigh Valley to take the three-game set, 2-1.
TAILLON’S BACK: Jameson Taillon underwent testicular cancer surgery May 8 but is already near a return to the big leagues. The 25-year-old right-hander tossed three scoreless innings with Double-A Altoona on Sunday at Erie, and he gets the nod tonight for the Tribe. Taillon had made six starts for Pittsburgh before being placed on the disabled list, going 2-1 with a 3.31 ERA (13 ER in 35.1 IP) and 30 strikeouts against 13 walks. In 16 career starts for Indianapolis during the 2013 and 2016 campaigns, Taillon is a combined 5-5 with a 2.74 ERA (30 ER in 98.2 IP). He was the second overall pick by the Pirates in the 2010 MLB Amateur Draft, being selected after Washington took Bryce Harper.
RETURNING THE FAVOR: The Indians were blanked for a fifth time this season in Wednesday night’s 6-0 loss to the IronPigs, only to return the favor with a 5-0 shutout win in the series finale last night. Last year, Indy followed shutout losses with a shutout victory on two occasions. They opened the season by splitting a doubleheader at Columbus on April 10, losing Game 1, 1-0, before winning the nightcap, 4-0. The Indians followed a shutout defeat with a shutout win again on July 20 and July 21, losing 2-0 to Lehigh Valley before blanking Charlotte, 1-0.
TWO TRIPS: Eric Wood and Erich Weiss both tripled in last night’s game, the third time Indy has collected two triples in a single game this season. The Indians also accomplished the feat on April 28 at Scranton/W-B and April 12 vs. Columbus.