April 1, 2014 at 10:21 AM
Stankiewicz and Margot headline 2014 Greenville roster
The Greenville Drive announced their roster to start the 2014 season which will begin Thursday, April 3rd against the Kannapolis Intimidators before returning to Greenville for the home opener on April 10th.
Ranked 14th on the SoxProspects.com rankings to begin the season, Manuel Margot (pictured, left) is the highest ranked player to make the Greenville roster after spending all of the 2013 season with the Lowell Spinners, his first stateside assignment. He hit .270/.346/.351 with 18 stolen bases over 216 plate appearances after missing time due to injury. The quick twitch athlete is known for his speed and defense, but the 19-year old will need to continue to work on his physical development and pitch recognition.
Right-hander Teddy Stankiewicz is the other highlight from the roster after being taken in the 2nd round of the 2013 draft out of Seminole State, and is currently ranked 15th in the SoxProspects.com rankings, one spot behind Margot. After being drafted, Stankiewicz made only 9 starts for Lowell but impressed during his short stint, finishing with a 2.29 ERA and 0.97 WHIP over 19 2/3 innings. At 6-feet-4 and 200 pounds, he has an ideal frame for a starting pitcher, and will work to develop his three pitch mix.
Cody Kukuk has been very impressive in spring training and will look to build on that for Greenville. Last year for Greenville, Kukuk threw 107 innings and struck out 113, but his control was extremely poor leading to 81 walks and a 4.63 ERA. However, SoxProspects.com Managing Editor Matt Huegel writes that the left-hander did not walk anyone this spring, and is working on turning that weakness into a strength.
It was somewhat surprising that pitchers Trey Ball and Ty Buttrey did not make the Greenville roster. Ball was the seventh overall pick in the 2013 draft, and a two-way player in high school. The Red Sox have him pitching full time now, but when SoxProspects.com staff was able to scout him in spring training, his athleticism stood out but he was still very raw. Buttrey on the other hand only began throwing to live batters about two weeks ago, and needs more time before he is game ready.
It was somewhat surprising that pitchers Trey Ball and Ty Buttrey did not make the Greenville roster. Ball was the seventh overall pick in the 2013 draft, and a two-way player in high school. The Red Sox have him pitching full time now, but when SoxProspects.com staff was able to scout him in spring training, his athleticism stood out but he was still very raw. Buttrey on the other hand only began throwing to live batters about two weeks ago, and needs more time before he is game ready.
The team listed 28 players on the opening day roster, which means three players will have to start on the disabled list. Right-hander Jason Garcia will be one after undergoing Tommy John surgery last year, and one of the three catchers listed on the roster is very likely to be one of the others.
Complete Greenville Roster
Pitchers: Mario Alcantara, Jonathan Aro, Jamie Callahan, Jacob Dahlstrand, Jason Garcia, Sergio Gomez, Joe Gunkel, Pat Light, Myles Smith, Teddy Stankiewicz, Raynel Velette, Mike Adams and Cody Kukuk
Catchers: Carlos Coste, Jake Romanski and Jordan Weems
Infielders: Carlos Asuaje, Tzu-Wei Lin, Kevin Mager, Mike Miller, Jimmy Rider, Wendell Rijo, Tim Roberson and Jantzen Witte
Outfielders: Zach Kapstein, Aaron King, Jesus Loya, and Manuel Margot
Photo Credit: Manuel Margot by Kelly O'Connor
Will Woodward is a Staff Writer for SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter @SPWill.