Rome Braves Program Vol. 08

Rome Braves Program Vol. 08

JULY 12-17, 2022

A Slew of Roster Changes Shakes Up Rome Roster

Featured Story: Baseball Bridges Gap Between Latin Players and America

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FEATURED STORY

Baseball: The Universal Language

8 Bowling Green Roster

9 Rome Braves Roster

10 Rome Braves Photo Roster

12 Group Tickets

13 Tradin’ Post Item of the Homestand

PLAY ALONG DURING THE GAME Answers revealed in the 5th inning

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2022 SCHEDULE

HOME

AWAY

Times, dates, and opponents are subject to change.

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Baseball: The Universal Language by Justin Franklin

Baseball is a hard enough venture on its own. However, for Rome Braves Latin players Luis De Avila and Isrrael De La Cruz the path to the pros has an added hurdle. Both De Avila and De La Cruz were born outside of the United States in Spanish speaking countries. De Avila is a San Estanislao, Colombia native, while De La Cruz was born in Fantino, Dominican Republic. While their baseball origin stories are not anything out of the ordinary, their ef- fort and journey to the big leagues is what sets them apart. Luis De Avila began playing baseball when he was six years old. De Avila is now 21 years old, and believes that he

carries the same passion with him now that he did when he first began play- ing. De Avila knows that the game of baseball is a grind, and has dedicated himself to it. De Avila plans on playing the game of baseball until he physical- ly can’t anymore. De Avila was originally signed by the Colorado Rockies in July of 2017 as a sixteen year old pitcher. The young left hander would not advance any higher than the Rockies Dominican Summer League, and would ultimately be re- leased from the organization in 2019. The Kansas City Royals would be the next team to ink De Avila to a contract, signing him to a minor league deal in

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November of 2019. De Avila would be assigned to the Royals’ Arizona Com- plex League team, but multiple stints on the injured list would sideline De Avila until the 2021 season when he made his debut with the Columbia Fireflies. In twenty-four games with the FireFlies, De Avila would post an earned run average over five and notch fifty-nine strikeouts while giv- ing up thirty-eight runs. After more battles with injuries and extended stays on the injured list De Avila would be placed on waivers by Kansas City, marking the end of his time with the Royals. In December of 2021, the Atlanta Braves would claim the Colombian left hander off of waivers from Kansas City. After going through two organizations’ farm systems and battening injury af- ter injury, Luis De Avila had earned another chance. When he could have easily given up, De Avila persisted. For him, playing baseball was the platform he needed to represent his family and home country. He sees it as a blessing to be able to represent his family and country in the way that he does. He takes in every opportunity he can and capitalizes on the big moments. On July 2nd, 2022, Luis De Avila threw a no-hitter for the Rome Braves against the Greenville Drive in game one of a double header. Although it was only a seven-inning contest, De Avila had done something no pitcher for Rome had done before. Since the Rome Braves franchise’s genesis in 2003, no individual pitcher had thrown a sev- en-inning no-hitter for the Braves. But Luis De Avila did, and now his name and legacy are attached to that mo- ment forever. Luis De Avila says he is proud of where he is at in his career,

and the young left hander shows lots of promise and a lot of road left to travel. Isrrael De La Cruz was born on June 15th, 1997 in Fantino, Dominican Re- public. Despite where he is now, base- ball was not always at the forefront of De La Cruz’s life. Isrrael did not pick up a baseball until he was nine years old, and even then he did not have high aspirations. Right now, Isrrael De La Cruz stands at nearly six feet tall and weighs one hundred and seventy-five pounds. In the early days of his career, De La Cruz was written off due to how skinny he was. But his physical limita- tions did not stop his aspirations and dreams. De La Cruz’s goal was to be able to travel the country and play the game that he loved, and he has done just that. In July of 2013, the Detroit Tigers signed a sixteen year old Isrrael De La Cruz as a shortstop. De La Cruz would spend six years in the Detroit farm system before ever gaining some real traction in moving up. De La Cruz had to convert from a middle infielder to a pitcher, but that was the change he had to make to be successful. De La Cruz would spend the 2021 season in Lakeland with the Tiger’s Single-A affiliate before electing free agency at the end of the season. For De La Cruz, it is a huge honor to represent the flag of the Dominican Republic and his family. De La Cruz views himself as a humble member of the Latin community, and aspires to carry that humility throughout his professional journey. Much like De Avi- la, De La Cruz takes great pride in the opportunity to represent his country and family on a professional stage day in and day out and is very grateful for

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the opportunities he has been provid- ed. De La Cruz was once an infielder at the bottom of the Detroit system, but he has now put himself in contention as one of the more reliable relief op- tions on the Rome pitching staff. De Avila and De La Cruz are not the only Latin players on the Rome Braves roster. Pitcher Jose Montilla was born in Neybar, Dominican Republic, pitch- er Roddery Munoz was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, pitcher Royber Salinas was born in Guare- nas, Venezuela, and pitcher Lisandro Santos was born in Santiago, Domini- can Republic. These Spanish speaking players see themselves as a tight-knit brotherhood that make it a point to include one another in the things that they do. Catcher Javier Valdes is an essential part of their brotherhood as

B

A

C

D

E

A. Jose Montilla Neyba, DR B. Isrrael De La Cruz Fantino, DR C. Roddery Muñoz

D. Royber Salinas

Guarenas, Venezuela

E. Luis De Avila

San Estanislao, Columbia

Santo Domingo, DR

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well. Valdes is fluent in both Spanish and English and takes pride in being the bridge of communi- cation and connection for the Spanish speaking players. He knows the challenge of being some- where where you do not speak the language, so Valdes makes it a priority to be available for the guys when they need him. Because once the final out is recorded, the players have to go back out into the community. They have to go buy grocer- ies, shop, and eat just like everyone else. There is an added challenge for the Spanish speaking guys, as they interact with people who do not speak the same language as them, and Valdes is there to help them. Rome hitting coach Danny Santieste- ban also speaks Spanish and helps translate in the clubhouse. But as for when the lights come on and it is time to play, the game of baseball becomes the univer- sal language. For years, baseball locker rooms and clubhouses have brought together people from all walks of life, backgrounds, and ethnicities. They all have the same dream and same goal; to win and make it to the big leagues. Baseball always has and always will be the universal language.

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BOWLING GREEN HOT RODS Manager: Jeff Smith Coaches: Skeeter Barnes, Alberto Bastardo, Paul Rozzelle, Tsutomu Kami- ya, Jordan Brown

PITCHERS Brecht, Ben

NO.

B/T L/L L/L

HT

WT 215 162 205 205 160 170

DOB

31

6' 7" 5' 11"

01/07/98 02/27/00 08/18/98 07/26/99 10/29/98 01/12/02 06/17/00 09/18/99 12/25/00 05/14/99 03/30/01 08/06/97 02/08/99 09/22/98 12/31/99 07/02/98 12/06/98

Dacosta, Franklin

38 22 37 30 24

Dryer, Conor

L/R 6' 3" R/R 6' 4" R/R 5' 11" R/R 6' 1"

Leonard, Cameron

Lugo, Audry

Molina, Anthony

Montgomery, Mason

10 18

L/L

6' 2"

195

Mullen, Sean Munoz, Victor Reifert, Evan Rojas, Nomar Stinson, Graeme Vernon, Austin

R/R 6' 1" R/R 6' 3" R/R 6' 4" R/R 6' 4"

205 160 190 168 250 265 190 205 228 215

34

4

25

41

L/L

6' 5"

36

R/R 6' 8" R/R 6' 3"

Whitten, Kyle

17 16

Wicklander, Patrick

R/L

6' 1"

Wiles, Nathan

35

R/R 6' 4" R/R 6' 4"

Workman, Logan

11

CATCHERS

NO.

B/T

HT

WT 175 175 175

DOB

Berglund, Michael

27

L/R 6' 2" S/R 6' 0" R/R 5' 10"

07/18/97 09/10/98 11/24/95

Leon, Luis Soria, Nate

15

5

INFIELDERS Lopez, Johan

NO.

B/T

HT

WT 167

DOB

32

R/R 5' 10" L/R 6' 1" S/R 5' 11" S/R 5' 9" R/R 6' 2"

07/28/00 07/18/00 01/26/00 04/17/00 03/12/99

Manzardo, Kyle Ramirez, Abiezel Simon, Ronny Williams, Alika

21

205 160 150 180 WT 210 195 184

3

13

2

OUTFIELDERS

NO.

B/T

HT

DOB

Auer, Mason

8

R/R 6' 1" R/R 6' 1"

03/01/01 12/16/99 10/6/00

Hernandez, Heriberto Ovalles, Alexander

19

6

L/L

6' 0"

Roster as of 07/12/2022

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ROME BRAVES Manager: Kanekoa Texeira Coaches: Wes McGuire, Danny Santiesteban, Bobby Moore, Jesus Aviles, Joe Powell

PITCHERS Barger, Alec De Avila, Luis

NO.

B/T

HT

WT 201 215 175 215 210 215 235 210 185 205 205 230 210 205

DOB

30 34 22 59 58 26 52 45 36 20 56 37

R/R 6' 2"

03/24/98 05/29/01 06/15/97 09/30/96 07/06/97 03/12/96 06/04/98 04/14/00 01/28/98 04/21/98 04/10/01 01/27/97 06/22/99 06/21/98 07/05/98

L/L

5' 9"

De La Cruz, Isrrael

S/R 5' 11" L/R 6' 0" R/R 6' 1"

Dum, Benjamin

Freure, R.J.

McSteen, Jake Montilla, Jose Munoz, Roddery

R/L

6' 0"

R/R 6' 1" R/R 6' 2" R/R 6' 0" L/R 6' 3" R/R 6' 3"

Niekro, J.J. Riley, Trey

Salinas, Royber Schwab, Davis Smith, Austin Spain, Dylan

L/L

6' 4"

12

R/R 6' 4" R/R 6' 6" R/R 6' 4"

7

Van Buren, Malcolm

23

185

CATCHERS Tolve, Tyler Valdes, Javier

NO.

B/T

HT

WT

DOB

55

L/R 6' 1" R/R 5' 10"

200 205

07/16/00 11/19/98

16

INFIELDERS Bunnell, Cade

NO.

B/T

HT

WT 190 185 220 200 204 WT 180 215 185

DOB

4 2 9 8

L/R 6' 0" S/R 5' 10" L/R 6' 3" R/R 6' 0" R/R 6' 2"

05/14/97 07/17/99 03/06/99 10/23/98 03/15/98

Conley, Cal

Horne, Bryson

Philip, Beau

Stephens, Landon

18

OUTFIELDERS Campbell, Drew

NO.

B/T L/L

HT

DOB

11

5' 11"

11/10/97

Carter, Willie

14 19

R/R 6' 0" L/R 6' 1"

04/08/97 06/01/98 11/23/99

Pearson, Jacob

Robinson, Christian

25

L/L

6' 2"

211

Roster as of 07/12/2022

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ROME BRAVES COACHES

13

28

1

Wes McGuire Pitching Coach

Danny Santiesteban Hitting Coach

Bobby Moore Assistant Coach

50

Kanekoa Texeira Manager

Jesus Aviles Athletic Trainer

Joe Powell Strength + Conditioning

Angel Piva Clubhouse Manager

ROME BRAVES ROSTER as of 07/12/22

2

4

7

8

9

Cal Conley Infielder

Cade Bunnell Infielder

Dylan Spain Pitcher

Beau Philip Infielder

Bryson Horne Infielder

10

ROME BRAVES ROSTER as of 07/12/22

11

12

14

15

16

Drew Campbell Outfielder

Austin Smith Pitcher

Willie Carter Outfielder

Jordan Cowan Infielder

Javier Valdes Pitcher

18

19

20

22

23

Landon Stephens Pitcher

Jacob Pearson Outfielder

Trey Riley Pitcher

Isrrael De La Cruz Pitcher

Malcolm Van Buren Pitcher

25

26

30

34

36

Christian Robinson Outfielder

Jake McSteen Pitcher

Alec Barger Pitcher

Luis De Avila Pitcher

J.J. Niekro Pitcher

37

45

52

55

56

Davis Schwab Pitcher

Roddery Muñoz Pitcher

Jose Montilla Pitcher

Tyler Tolve Catcher

Royber Salinas Pitcher

58

59

R.J. Fruere Pitcher

Ben Dum Pitcher

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GROUP TICKETS

308

307 306

Pressbox

310 309

305

304 Jumbo Suite

311

Boardroom Suite

Terrace

314

301

201

200 202

203

204

206

205

208

207

100 102

210

101

209

103

104

106

105

Gate 6

108

t

107

gou

Du

ay

110

Aw

109

112

Bubba’s BBQ Barn

111

113

Marina

115

117

Picnic Pavilion

Kids Zone

Suzuki Showcase

The Terrace

Suites

The newly renovated Terrace is set to debut for the 2022 season. The Terrace is the most exclusive area at the stadium. Terrace parties include a 90-minute pre-game buffet inside a climate-controlled area with full bar service available. The Terrace also offers your guests one of the best views in the stadium.

An evening in a Rome Braves luxury suite is the perfect way to watch the Rome Braves at AdventHealth Stadium. In fact, a luxury suite is much more than a night of exciting ac- tion-packed entertainment. It’s Rome’s most exclusive opportunity to entertain your clients, employees, family and friends.

Picnics

Parade of Champions

Perfect for large company outings, Picnics in- clude a 90-minute pre-game buffet and a re- served Box Level ticket for each guest. Unique compared to other group areas, there’s no limit on how big your party may be.

Any group reaching one of three reward tiers will be invited to parade around the warning track during pre-game festivities and the Rome Braves will make a donation per the reward program back to your organization.

Suzuki Showcase

Birthday Parties

A covered private party area in Right Field is the perfect place to celebrate little league team parties or birthday parties! With picnic table seating and a grassy-berm area, it’s the perfect area for all to play. Reserve your date today and let the children celebrate.

Celebrate your birthday with the Rome Braves! Enjoy the game with three reserved picnic ta- bles, cake, and the opportunity to eat it too! We’ll even get the entire crowd to sing happy birthday on your special day. National Anthem Packages Does your choir, class, or church group want to perform the national anthem? Groups of 50 or more will receive a discount when booking through our group line!

Picnics

Perfect for large groups who don’t need the amenities of a group area. Discounts are based on how many tickets are purchased.

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15% OFF THIS HOMESTAND ONLY

108 STITCHES NAVY STATE TEE

The newly renovated Terrace is set to debut for the 2022 season. The Terrace is the most exclusive area at the stadium. Terrace parties include a 90-minute pre-game buffet inside a climate-controlled area with full bar service available. The Terrace also offers your guests one of the best views in the stadium.