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The weather down in Florida is pretty spectacular when measured against what we’re dealing with in Rochester as March is about to transition into April, and the Rochester Red Wings received a cruel reminder of that Wednesday.
They arrived at Innovative Field with snow falling and the wind whipping at the downtown ballpark, forcing the team to cancel a scheduled on-field batting practice and move it to the impressive new indoor hitting facility.
“I’m a California guy, I went to college in California,” said veteran Darren Baker, who is back for his third season in Rochester and has grown accustomed to our cold springs. “You learn how to deal with it with a couple of tricks. The other team’s playing in it, too; it’s not just you. You still have to deal with it; you still have a job to do.”
Manager Matt LeCroy said Wednesday that no matter how cold it is this weekend when the Red Wings open their 2025 International League season in Buffalo and then the home portion of their schedule Tuesday, his team is just excited to start playing for keeps.
“The (new guys) always say, ‘How cold is it?’ and I say, ‘It’s cold, but it’s a different type of cold, it kind of bites you,’” LeCroy said with a smile. “But the guys are just ready to get out of Florida and play some real baseball and let the games count. I’m excited to get going. We had a long spring, the guys are ready to go. They work extremely hard so I know guys are raring to go and hopefully we can bring a championship to Rochester.”
The Red Wings have not won a Governors’ Cup title since 1997, the debut season at the ballpark which was originally known as Frontier Field. And in the 27 years since it has been a sad state of affairs as there have been only two other playoff appearances - 2006 and 2013 and in those seasons, the Wings won just one of three postseason series.
As LeCroy enters his fifth season at the helm, an unusually long tenure these days for a minor league manager, he sits 11th on the Wings’ all-time wins list with 259. At some point this summer he will leapfrog five men and shoot past Stan Cliburn (300 wins) into sixth place and given his affection for the franchise and the city, that’s exciting for him.
“It’s the front office and the community here, they’re like my family,” he said. “If I’m going to be in the minor leagues, it’s a great place to be with the front office, the ownership, the town, everybody, they treat me very well and they do support our team. Really awesome.”
Here’s a preview of the 2025 team:
Last season when the Wings finished fourth in the IL East with a 77-71 record, the starting pitching severely hampered LeCroy’s team as the cumulative ERA for the starters was 5.57 which ranked 17th in the 20-team IL and the WHIP (walks, hits per innings pitched) of 1.58 was dead last. It was rather amazing that the Wings finished above .500 for the first time under LeCroy with numbers like those.
Andrew Alvarez will get the ball on Opening Day in Buffalo and the 25-year-old Californian will look to build on a 2024 season when he came up to Rochester in early June and made 16 starts, going 4-7 with a 4.58 ERA. “He put on some weight in the offseason, he’s got more velocity,” LeCroy said. “He’ll be in the big leagues at some point. I truly believe that.
Andry Lara is a 22-year-old Nationals amateur signee out of Venezuela who LeCroy thought would start the year in Harrisburg, where he has yet to pitch, but he skipped right over Double-A. “A young prospect for us who I wasn’t quite sure if he’d make our team but some things happened and he had a good spring so he’s a guy that you’ve got to keep an eye on,” LeCroy said. “He’s young, he’s big, he’s got two plus pitches that hopefully he can stay consistent with and put in some good work and be successful and go to the big leagues.”
On the back end, at least early, will be Shinnosuke Ogasawara who the Nationals signed out of Japan over the winter; Chase Solesky who had a 3.02 ERA in 15 Double-A starts; and South Korean Hyun-Il Choi who has been in the Dodgers’ system since 2019 and came to the Nationals as a minor league Rule 5 draft pick this year. In his 2024 Triple-A debut, he had a 4.28 ERA in 14 starts for Oklahoma City.
LeCroy really doesn’t have a set plan on which roles his relievers will play so he’ll be mixing and matching until he gets things sorted. And then of course, as soon as that happens, he’ll deal with the inevitable injuries and call-ups or demotions that will occur. Last year, 32 pitchers made at least one appearance in Rochester.
“It’s kind of a new bunch,” he said. “We got some guys that we signed as free agents that kind of have experience, but really not our (draft picks) so we’ll see.”
One of their draft picks who should get plenty of work is Jack Sinclair, a 2021 16th-rounder who spent all of 2024 at Harrisburg and was excellent with a 2.20 ERA, eight saves, and 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings in 43 appearances. “He’s coming up from Double-A and he had a really good spring,” LeCroy said.
Among the relievers who spent time in Rochester last year who will start the season here are Colin Poche, Orlando Ribalta, and Carlos Romero, while newcomers to the organization Clay Helvey and Patrick Weigel will also provide innings.
Last year, fans in Rochester were able to watch two of the Nationals’ top prospects who have now graduated to Washington, outfielders James Wood and Dylan Crews. This year, there are two players who the Nationals are banking on to someday establish themselves as regulars in Washington, third baseman Brady House and outfielder Robert Hassel.
House is currently the fourth-ranked prospect in the system according to MLB.com. The first-round draft pick in 2021 (No. 11 overall) made his Triple-A debut last year and had a .280 on-base percentage with six homers and 32 RBI in 54 games for the Wings.
“He’s a guy for me that’s coming up, had sort of a short stint here last year - I think he’s got a good chance to get hot and go to the big leagues,” LeCroy said. “He’s a guy that’s going to play a big part for us if we make a run again. He’ll play third every day. If he gets hot, I assume at some point he’ll go up.”
Hassel, the Nats’ 12th-ranked prospect, was one of the five players Washington received from the San Diego Padres in the 2022 Juan Soto trade, a deal that also included Wood, CJ Abrams, and MacKenzie Gore who are all now mainstays in Washington.
Hassel was San Diego’s 2020 first-round pick (No. 8 overall) and his bat is still coming around as he has a career .350 on base with 36 homers and 215 RBI in 428 minor league games. He made it to Rochester at the end of 2024 and in 17 games and 69 plate appearances his on-base was just .188, but he also showed off how pure of a center fielder he is.
“He’s been kind of bugged by the injuries, the little stupid injuries that nag you,” said LeCroy. “This year he came to spring free, had a good fall league and then he had a really good spring.”
One of the new Wings is shortstop Nazim Nunez, a player LeCroy is excited about. The undersized and energetic 165-pound native of the Bronx was a major league Rule 5 draft pick plucked from the Miami Marlins in 2024 and as such, he had to stay in the major leagues all year. He saw minimal playing time - just 78 plate appearances in 51 games - and now that he is eligible to come to the minors, he’s with Rochester and coming off a spring in which he had an on-base of .486 and stole seven bases in 21 games.
Baker, who realized his dream by making his MLB debut last season, is back as a do-everything player for LeCroy. Last year his on-base in Rochester was .348 and he stole 38 bases while splitting time at second base and the outfield.
Trey Lipscomb got his first taste of the big leagues and Triple-A last year and the infielder will start 2025 in Rochester where he had a .346 on-base in 65 games.
The Nationals’ just optioned Juan Yepez to Rochester Wednesday so he’s probably slotted in at first base, and among the other returning players are shortstop Jackson Cluff, catchers Drew Millas and Brady Lindsly, and outfielder Stone Garrett.
Among the standout players who left the organization are Travis Blankenhorn whose 26 homers were third-most in the IL; former Nats’ first-round pick Carter Kieboom who never developed as a hitter; slick-fielding infielder Jack Dunn; and Jake Alu who retired from the game in January.
“Overall we’ve got a good group of athletes, offensively I think we’re gonna be able to steal a lot of bases, be able to score a lot of runs and then the pitching side where we got some youthful guys and some guys with experience so it’s a nice little mix,” LeCroy said.
Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for four decades including 35 years as the full-time beat writer for the D&C, he has written numerous books about the history of the team, and he is also co-host of the BLEAV in Bills podcast/YouTube show. He can be reached at [email protected], and you can follow him on X @salmaiorana and on Bluesky @salmaiorana.bsky.social. Sign up for his Bills Blast newsletter here: https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Washington Nationals prospects headline Rochester Red Wings offense
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They arrived at Innovative Field with snow falling and the wind whipping at the downtown ballpark, forcing the team to cancel a scheduled on-field batting practice and move it to the impressive new indoor hitting facility.
“I’m a California guy, I went to college in California,” said veteran Darren Baker, who is back for his third season in Rochester and has grown accustomed to our cold springs. “You learn how to deal with it with a couple of tricks. The other team’s playing in it, too; it’s not just you. You still have to deal with it; you still have a job to do.”
Manager Matt LeCroy said Wednesday that no matter how cold it is this weekend when the Red Wings open their 2025 International League season in Buffalo and then the home portion of their schedule Tuesday, his team is just excited to start playing for keeps.
“The (new guys) always say, ‘How cold is it?’ and I say, ‘It’s cold, but it’s a different type of cold, it kind of bites you,’” LeCroy said with a smile. “But the guys are just ready to get out of Florida and play some real baseball and let the games count. I’m excited to get going. We had a long spring, the guys are ready to go. They work extremely hard so I know guys are raring to go and hopefully we can bring a championship to Rochester.”
The Red Wings have not won a Governors’ Cup title since 1997, the debut season at the ballpark which was originally known as Frontier Field. And in the 27 years since it has been a sad state of affairs as there have been only two other playoff appearances - 2006 and 2013 and in those seasons, the Wings won just one of three postseason series.
As LeCroy enters his fifth season at the helm, an unusually long tenure these days for a minor league manager, he sits 11th on the Wings’ all-time wins list with 259. At some point this summer he will leapfrog five men and shoot past Stan Cliburn (300 wins) into sixth place and given his affection for the franchise and the city, that’s exciting for him.
“It’s the front office and the community here, they’re like my family,” he said. “If I’m going to be in the minor leagues, it’s a great place to be with the front office, the ownership, the town, everybody, they treat me very well and they do support our team. Really awesome.”
Here’s a preview of the 2025 team:
Rochester Red Wings starting rotation needs to be better
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Last season when the Wings finished fourth in the IL East with a 77-71 record, the starting pitching severely hampered LeCroy’s team as the cumulative ERA for the starters was 5.57 which ranked 17th in the 20-team IL and the WHIP (walks, hits per innings pitched) of 1.58 was dead last. It was rather amazing that the Wings finished above .500 for the first time under LeCroy with numbers like those.
Andrew Alvarez will get the ball on Opening Day in Buffalo and the 25-year-old Californian will look to build on a 2024 season when he came up to Rochester in early June and made 16 starts, going 4-7 with a 4.58 ERA. “He put on some weight in the offseason, he’s got more velocity,” LeCroy said. “He’ll be in the big leagues at some point. I truly believe that.
Andry Lara is a 22-year-old Nationals amateur signee out of Venezuela who LeCroy thought would start the year in Harrisburg, where he has yet to pitch, but he skipped right over Double-A. “A young prospect for us who I wasn’t quite sure if he’d make our team but some things happened and he had a good spring so he’s a guy that you’ve got to keep an eye on,” LeCroy said. “He’s young, he’s big, he’s got two plus pitches that hopefully he can stay consistent with and put in some good work and be successful and go to the big leagues.”
On the back end, at least early, will be Shinnosuke Ogasawara who the Nationals signed out of Japan over the winter; Chase Solesky who had a 3.02 ERA in 15 Double-A starts; and South Korean Hyun-Il Choi who has been in the Dodgers’ system since 2019 and came to the Nationals as a minor league Rule 5 draft pick this year. In his 2024 Triple-A debut, he had a 4.28 ERA in 14 starts for Oklahoma City.
Bullpen still a work in progress
LeCroy really doesn’t have a set plan on which roles his relievers will play so he’ll be mixing and matching until he gets things sorted. And then of course, as soon as that happens, he’ll deal with the inevitable injuries and call-ups or demotions that will occur. Last year, 32 pitchers made at least one appearance in Rochester.
“It’s kind of a new bunch,” he said. “We got some guys that we signed as free agents that kind of have experience, but really not our (draft picks) so we’ll see.”
One of their draft picks who should get plenty of work is Jack Sinclair, a 2021 16th-rounder who spent all of 2024 at Harrisburg and was excellent with a 2.20 ERA, eight saves, and 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings in 43 appearances. “He’s coming up from Double-A and he had a really good spring,” LeCroy said.
Among the relievers who spent time in Rochester last year who will start the season here are Colin Poche, Orlando Ribalta, and Carlos Romero, while newcomers to the organization Clay Helvey and Patrick Weigel will also provide innings.
Two exciting Washington Nationals prospects to watch
Last year, fans in Rochester were able to watch two of the Nationals’ top prospects who have now graduated to Washington, outfielders James Wood and Dylan Crews. This year, there are two players who the Nationals are banking on to someday establish themselves as regulars in Washington, third baseman Brady House and outfielder Robert Hassel.
House is currently the fourth-ranked prospect in the system according to MLB.com. The first-round draft pick in 2021 (No. 11 overall) made his Triple-A debut last year and had a .280 on-base percentage with six homers and 32 RBI in 54 games for the Wings.
“He’s a guy for me that’s coming up, had sort of a short stint here last year - I think he’s got a good chance to get hot and go to the big leagues,” LeCroy said. “He’s a guy that’s going to play a big part for us if we make a run again. He’ll play third every day. If he gets hot, I assume at some point he’ll go up.”
Hassel, the Nats’ 12th-ranked prospect, was one of the five players Washington received from the San Diego Padres in the 2022 Juan Soto trade, a deal that also included Wood, CJ Abrams, and MacKenzie Gore who are all now mainstays in Washington.
Hassel was San Diego’s 2020 first-round pick (No. 8 overall) and his bat is still coming around as he has a career .350 on base with 36 homers and 215 RBI in 428 minor league games. He made it to Rochester at the end of 2024 and in 17 games and 69 plate appearances his on-base was just .188, but he also showed off how pure of a center fielder he is.
“He’s been kind of bugged by the injuries, the little stupid injuries that nag you,” said LeCroy. “This year he came to spring free, had a good fall league and then he had a really good spring.”
Lineup has mix of youth, experience
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One of the new Wings is shortstop Nazim Nunez, a player LeCroy is excited about. The undersized and energetic 165-pound native of the Bronx was a major league Rule 5 draft pick plucked from the Miami Marlins in 2024 and as such, he had to stay in the major leagues all year. He saw minimal playing time - just 78 plate appearances in 51 games - and now that he is eligible to come to the minors, he’s with Rochester and coming off a spring in which he had an on-base of .486 and stole seven bases in 21 games.
Baker, who realized his dream by making his MLB debut last season, is back as a do-everything player for LeCroy. Last year his on-base in Rochester was .348 and he stole 38 bases while splitting time at second base and the outfield.
Trey Lipscomb got his first taste of the big leagues and Triple-A last year and the infielder will start 2025 in Rochester where he had a .346 on-base in 65 games.
The Nationals’ just optioned Juan Yepez to Rochester Wednesday so he’s probably slotted in at first base, and among the other returning players are shortstop Jackson Cluff, catchers Drew Millas and Brady Lindsly, and outfielder Stone Garrett.
Among the standout players who left the organization are Travis Blankenhorn whose 26 homers were third-most in the IL; former Nats’ first-round pick Carter Kieboom who never developed as a hitter; slick-fielding infielder Jack Dunn; and Jake Alu who retired from the game in January.
“Overall we’ve got a good group of athletes, offensively I think we’re gonna be able to steal a lot of bases, be able to score a lot of runs and then the pitching side where we got some youthful guys and some guys with experience so it’s a nice little mix,” LeCroy said.
Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for four decades including 35 years as the full-time beat writer for the D&C, he has written numerous books about the history of the team, and he is also co-host of the BLEAV in Bills podcast/YouTube show. He can be reached at [email protected], and you can follow him on X @salmaiorana and on Bluesky @salmaiorana.bsky.social. Sign up for his Bills Blast newsletter here: https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Washington Nationals prospects headline Rochester Red Wings offense
Continue reading...
