TAGERT PROVIDES VALLEYCATS WITH NEW, YET FAMILIAR BALL CLUB HEADING INTO THE SEASON
TROY, NY — The Tri-City ValleyCats have plenty to look forward to ahead of the 2024 campaign. They just completed their second day of Spring Training, and have one of the biggest camps out of any team in the Frontier League. A "competitive" Spring Training was always the plan for new field manager Greg Tagert, who has built a roster around speed, defense, plate discipline, control pitchers, and versatility.
The brand new coaching staff includes Japanese hitting coach Ken Matsuzaka, who met Tagert at a camp in Arizona, pitching coach Tom Thornton, who has both played and coached with the 'Cats skipper, and assistant coach Joe Torre, who was a scouting consultant for Tagert for five years before joining the ValleyCats. Tom McManus rounds out the coaching staff, and is the first Tri-City fundamentals coach since joining the Frontier League in 2021.
Tri-City has plenty of stars returning from last season. Fourth-year ValleyCat C Oscar Campos, and the franchise single-season stolen base leader CF Jaxon Hallmark headline the offense along with 3B Ian Walters, who was one of the best midseason pickups in the league last season. On the pitching side, Tri-City features a one-two punch of RHP Jhon Vargas and RHP Dan Beebe, who have a knack for pitching deep into games, and have demonstrated ace-like dominance.
Meanwhile, Tagert brought plenty of his former players including OF Javeyan Williams, OF Alec Olund, and OF Demais Jimerson who are among the 11 outfielders on the Spring Training roster. C Chris Burgess could be a nice backup to Campos behind the plate, while RHP Chas Cywin and RHP Josh Vincent add experience to the pitching staff.
Several names that have stood out include the 6-foot-8 local product RHP Arlo Marynczak who played five years at Siena College, and grew up in Delmar. RHP Jose Felix is 21 years old and is the youngest player on the roster; the former minor leaguer is converting from a position player to a pitcher.
Tri-City selected a franchise-record seven players from the Frontier League Draft on Tuesday. Jolon Zhao is the first player born in China to suit up for the ValleyCats, and Brandt Broussard was with the club in 2021.
"We're excited to get Spring Training underway, and head toward Opening Day here in Tri-City," said ValleyCats Vice President and General Manager, Matt Callahan. "It's going to be a competitive Spring Training here, and we can't wait to get going with the 2024 Frontier League season."
Season 22 of ValleyCats baseball and entertainment continues as single game tickets, ticket plans and group outings are available to purchase. The 'Cats return to Joseph L. Bruno Stadium for their home opener on Friday, May 17 for a 6:30 PM start against the Washington Wild Things. You can be a part of the excitement by logging on to tcvalleycats.com or by calling 518-629-CATS (2287).
