ROCHESTER, NY - When the Rochester Red Wings and Washington Nationals began their association in 2021, the man Washington put in charge of the Wings was Matt LeCroy. "I'm beginning my fifth year in Rochester. I also played here when I was a catcher in the Twins' organization," LeCroy said on Media Day. "The front office here is great, and the community supports us with fantastic fans. They're like family. I want to win a championship for our team and the fans of Rochester."

When talking about his team, a usually calm LeCroy had a hard time containing his excitement for this roster. He said, "I am excited to get going. It's been a long spring, and the guys are ready to go and have worked really hard. The players have put in a lot of effort, and they were raring to go every day. Hopefully, we can bring a championship to Rochester."

The roster this year has some returning players who are still young. Darren Baker, voted Most Popular Player on the team for two years in a row, is back, along with first baseman Juan Yepez, third baseman and #4 Nationals Prospect Brady House, outfielder and #12 Nationals Prospect Rob Hassell III, another outfielder and #26 Nationals Prospect Andrew Pinckney, and two starting pitchers who make the top #30 Prospects list: Tyler Stuart and young Andry Lara, who will be making his AAA debut soon. LeCroy added, "We have a nice mix of AAA veterans, but we also have a lot of young players. We have gotten younger, and that's a good thing.

When you're young at AAA, that bodes well for your organization." Andrew Alvarez will be starting the season opener in Buffalo. "Andry Lara is young, big, and needs to be consistent." You could tell that the skipper is very happy with his starting rotation, and Jackson Rutledge has just been added to the pitching roster, along with Shinnosuke Ogasawara from Japan, to help round out the rotation. The infield positions have all returning players, and only four outfielders are listed on the roster, but Baker and Jackson Cluff have also logged time in the outfield under Matt LeCroy's tutelage. LeCroy was excited to add, "We have #4 prospect Brady House, who played third base in Rochester last year, and Washington's Rule #5 pick Naseem Nunez to play shortstop. He is an exciting player to watch on defense, brings a lot of energy, and should steal many bases." 

Robert Hassell III and Andrew Pinckney both played for the Wings in the outfield and are returning. Another player who signed a minor league contract with the Nationals is Franchy Cordero. In the last few years, Franchy has played for Worcester and Scranton and has hit some mammoth home runs over the right field fence against the Wings. It will be nice to have him with the Wings.

It's now time to see how this roster of players will perform on the field. On paper, it looks like a good roster. Matt LeCroy said, "I tell players the team is getting better in Washington. You want to be a piece of that puzzle with the Nationals, and we have people here who could be a big piece! Work hard, be consistent, get good at-bats, and make them throw strikes."

The Wings play three games in Buffalo this weekend. Friday's game starts at 2:05, and Saturday and Sunday's games start at 1:05. The Red Wings' Home Opener is Tuesday night at 4:00, and the gates open at 2:30. GO WINGS!