NOTE: This event was held Wednesday. The Generals open the season at the Ballpark at Jackson at 6:05 p.m., today.
The Jackson Generals will meet the public at 6 p.m., at Englewood Baptist Church, 2339 N. Highland Ave., today.
The public is welcome to meet the 2017 squad – the Double A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks – and there will be ample opportunities for kids to get photographs and autographs.
Additionally, Sarge the mascot will be in attendance and kids will have the chance to win tickets to see a game along with baseball memorabilia.
The new affiliate of the Generals assigned three of its top 10 prospects – according to Baseball America – to its Double A club, which begins the season as the defending Southern League champions.
Infielder Dawel Lugo is the most highly-acclaimed prospect scheduled to open the season with the Generals.
He is ranked second in the organization by Baseball America. The 22-year-old hit .311 last year between Visalia and Mobile, and was named a Mid-Season All-Star in the California League.
The Mobile Bay Bears were the Southern League affiliate of the Diamondbacks from 2007-to-2016.
Two of Arizona’s top pitching prospects – Taylor Clarke and Brad Keller – figure to anchor Jackson’s rotation this season.
Clarke reached Double-A Mobile in 2016 after starting the season with Class A Kane County in the Mid-West League.
Keller will be the youngest player on the roster at 21. Clarke and Keller are widely considered two of the top three pitchers in Arizona’s system.
Jared Miller will be a force in the bullpen. The tall southpaw starred for Vanderbilt in college, helping the Commodores win a College World Series in 2014.
“I’m playing close to Nashville, and looking for an opportunity to get better, compete and win games,” Miller said.
Southpaw Alex Young is also considered one of the team’s best pitching prospects. Brooks Hall was a Southern League Mid-Season All-Star with Biloxi two years ago, while lefty Eric Jokisch threw a no-hitter in the circuit for Tennessee as a Cubs’ farmhand in 2013.
Joey Krehbiel, Gabriel Moya, Drew Muren, Yuhei Nakaushiro, Grant Sides, Gabe Speier and Josh Taylor round out the staff for the Generals.
Joining Lugo on the infield is Kevin Cron, the only Southern League player to hit more home runs than 2016 General and Southern League MVP Tyler O’Neill in 2016.
Cron, who’s older brother C.J. plays for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, has hit 53 minor league home runs over the past two seasons.
Rudy Flores adds some pop, having accounted for 19 homers over two levels last season. Jamie Westbrook and Kevin Medrano both return to Double-A after spending much of last year with Mobile.
Both Travis Denker and Colin Walsh have Major League experience.
Catcher Óscar Hernández played in four big league games last year. He’ll be joined behind the plate by Jamie Westbrook, José Queliz and Michael Pérez, Arizona’s top defensive catcher according to Baseball America.
VÃctor Reyes headlines the outfielders coming to West Tennessee. Reyes hit .303 while leading the California League with 12 triples last year and adding 20 stolen bases for Visalia. Stewart Ijames, Evan Marzilli and Kelly Dugan all bring Double-A experience into 2017.
Four of the players to start 2017 with the Generals have played in the majors. Fifteen of the 27 on the squad spent at least part of last year with Arizona’s Double-A affiliate in Mobile. Only four have not played at the Double-A level before this season. In addition to boasting a number of Baseball America’s top prospects, the Generals feature six of Arizona’s top 15 farmhands per the MLB Pipeline.
David Thomas, Twitter – @DavidThomasWNWS
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