The Charleston RiverDogs, in conjunction with the Tampa Bay Rays, announced their opening night roster on Tuesday afternoon in advance of the team’s April 5 season-opener against the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers. The RiverDogs initial group of 29 active players includes 16 pitchers and 13 position players.
Sean Smedley’s second season as manager will begin with a team that includes 11 returning players from the 2023 season, a campaign that ended with a third consecutive league championship. 23 of the prospects who will open the season in the Holy City spent at least some time in the Florida Complex League in 2023. The FCL Rays closed the regular season with a 25-29 record. The pitching staff posted a 3.82 earned run average, the best in the circuit by 40 points.
Shortstop Adrian Santana, who the Rays selected in Competitive Balance Round A (31st overall) of the 2023 MLB Draft, is the highest drafted player on the roster. He will be joined on the infield by third round pick Tre’ Morgan who starred at LSU and briefly appeared in Charleston toward the end of last season. The team’s pitching staff features six arms that were selected in the first 10 rounds of their respective draft class.
Experience should be a plus early in the season for the 2024 RiverDogs. 16 of the 29 players on the initial roster played college baseball, 13 of them at the Division 1 level. Of the 14 players that were drafted, five of them were selected in the fifth round or earlier.
The infield is dripping with youthful talent as four of the seven primary infielders are 20 years old or younger. Carlos Colmenarez returns to the Lowcountry after playing in 83 games for the RiverDogs last season as the primary shortstop. The switch-hitting Santana, who won’t turn 19 until mid-July, is revered for his speed and defensive abilities.
The outfield will return Christopher Barete, as the native of the Dominican Republic attempts to build upon his 2023 campaign when he hit .252 and stole 25 bases in 103 games. He will be joined by Angel Mateo, who played in 12 games late in the RiverDogs 2023 campaign, and Noah Myers, a star in the independent Frontier League last season.
The pitching staff will feature a pair of key contributors from last season’s playoff run.
Santiago Suarez started the decisive game of the South Division Championship Series in Myrtle Beach and was impressive in five regular season starts. Meanwhile, reliever Gerlin Rosario will look to regain his role as a late-inning option out of the bullpen. The 22-year-old went 1-0 with a 1.96 ERA and earned three saves in 13 appearances. College arms Drew Dowd of Stanford, Chandler Murphy of Missouri and T.J. Nichols from Arizona figure to compete for roles in the starting rotation.
Behind the plate, postseason standout Raudelis Martinez and 13th round pick Bryan Broecker return to Charleston for a second go-around. Martinez started the final three games of the playoffs and blasted a two-run home run in the first inning of last season’s championship-clinching win over Down East. That duo will be joined by newcomer Joshuan Sandoval.
In total, the opening day roster features four players that are ranked by MLB Pipeline as Top 30 Rays prospects. Sanchez (#7) is the highest rated player in the initial group with Suarez (#10) right behind him. Morgan (#15) and former Tennessee standout Andrew Lindsey (#30) round out the quarter.
Once again, all Single-A clubs are permitted to carry 30 players on the active roster. The full roster can be viewed here.
The RiverDogs will aim for a fourth-consecutive championship when the 2024 season commences in April. The full schedule is available here.
