Goldeyes Protect 22 , Release 2017 Schedule

By Scott Taylor , Photos by Jeff and Tara Miller

For Winnipeg Goldeyes manager Rick Forney , there are certain deadlines that must be met during the off-season . In mid-October , Forney has to file his list of protected players with the American Association office by mid-October or he won ’ t have a place to start when it comes to building his new team during the winter .

Late last month , Forney announced his protected list for 2017 and fans of the American Association champions will be pleased . Granted , by exercising the options , the Goldeyes simply retain the rights to these players for the 2017 off-season . Each player must still be signed to a new contract , so fans shouldn ’ t get too far ahead of themselves .

However , for the people who follow the Goldeyes religiously , and there are many , the names on the protected list will be a welcome sight . After all , these were the core players who brought the league championship back to Winnipeg in September .

2017 Goldeyes Player Options *( in alphabetical order )

OF Reggie Abercrombie RHP Winston Abreu OF Willie Cabrera RHP Victor Capellan RHP Edwin Carl LHP Ethan Carnes 3B Wes Darvill LHP Eric Eadington SS Maikol Gonzalez OF Adam Heisler IF Ridge Hoopii-Haslam

LHP Kevin McGovern RHP Cameron McVey C Tanner Murphy RHP Mikey O ’ Brien 1B Jacob Rogers OF David Rohm OF Josh Romanski RHP Brandon Shimo C Carlton Tanabe RHP Robert Tasin RHP Duke von Schamann

A number of players on the list told SportsLife after the season that they very much wanted to return next season . Abercrombie , McGovern , Romanski , O ’ Brien , Cabrera , Capellan and Tanabe all indicated they would like to return providing they were not signed by a Major League organization . A number of the younger players , such as Tasin , Shimo , McVey and Hoopii-Haslam indicated the same thing .

However , prior to the 2016 season , second baseman Casio Grider and left-handed pitcher Kyle Anderson chose to play our their options and are now free agents .

Meanwhile , in a separate transaction , the Goldeyes claimed right-handed pitcher Victor Ramirez , 21 , off waivers from the Joplin Blasters on October 13th . Ramirez was 2-0 with a 4.84 ERA in two starts and nine relief appearances for Joplin . A product of Zulia , Venezuela , Ramirez struck out 20 and walked six during the 22.1 innings that he pitched . Ramirez has a 1.68 ERA in five professional seasons and retains rookie classification in the American Association . He originally signed with the Boston Red Sox as an international free agent in 2011 and also has experience in the Baltimore Orioles ’ organization .

Earlier this month , the Goldeyes released their 2017 schedule and the 24th season of Goldeyes baseball will have some rare and interesting elements . In fact , the Fish will start the season on the road – as they always do – with a long trip through Kansas and Texas , beginning with a series against the newest team in the American Association – the expansion Cleburne Railroaders .

Located within the Dallas metro area , the Railroaders replace the Joplin Blasters in the American Association ’ s South

SportsLife issue 6 2016 | Page 14

Goldeyes Protect 22 , Release 2017 Schedule

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