{"id":158302,"date":"2026-04-06T07:43:50","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T07:43:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/158302\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T07:43:50","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T07:43:50","slug":"erie-seawolves-have-experience-and-new-faces-on-the-opening-day-roster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/158302\/","title":{"rendered":"Erie SeaWolves have experience and new faces on the Opening Day roster"},"content":{"rendered":"

The SeaWolves<\/a> are in an interesting situation with the active roster as the season begins on April 3.<\/p>\n

Usually, a team loses top 30 prospects<\/a> throughout the year as they move up to Triple-A Toledo and Detroit. The ‘Wolves might end the season with more prospects than they start the season with.The top 30 lists for each organization are developed and updated by MLB.com<\/a>. The SeaWolves have just two top 30 prospects to start the season, with shortstop John Peck and corner infielder Izaac Pacheco. Peck is the No. 15 prospect for Detroit and Pacheco is No. 21.<\/p>\n

Peck was a seventh-round pick by the Tigers in 2021 out of Pepperdine, while Pacheco was Detroit’s second-round pick in the 2021 draft out of high school.<\/p>\n

Season preview: The SeaWolves look for five straight division titles this season<\/a><\/p>\n

There are four top 30 prospects on the Double-A injured list. Infielder Josue Briceno (No. 4) is on the 60-day injured list, while infielder Thayron Liranzo (7), pitcher Andrew Sears (10) and pitcher Jaden Hamm (22) are all on the 7-day injured list. The SeaWolves also have pitcher Garrett Burhenn on the full-season injured list.<\/p>\n

The lack of top 30 prospects comes from an interesting situation in the Detroit system. There are seven prospects in Toledo and Kevin McGonigle is still considered the top prospect despite his fast start in Detroit. Once he graduates from the list, a new prospect will join the top 30.<\/p>\n

There are also 12 prospects between the two Class A teams, which means the ‘Wolves could see several top 30 players come to Erie at some point this season.<\/p>\n

Peck and Pacheco lead an impressive infield, including Detroit draft picks Andrew Jenkins (ninth round, 2022) and Peyton Graham (second round, 2022) and free agent signing E.J. Esposito, a former minor leaguer in the Braves’ system.<\/p>\n

The outfield will be familiar to SeaWolves’ fans as it includes Justice Bigbie, Seth Stephenson, Brett Callahan and Erie postseason hero Chris Meyers. All four are Detroit draft picks since 2021.<\/p>\n

\"Erie<\/p>\n

Erie SeaWolves batter Justice Bigbie fouls off a pitch against the Harrisburg Senators on opening day at UPMC Park in Erie on April 4, 2025. Bigbie returns as an Erie outfielder in 2026.<\/p>\n

The SeaWolves have three catchers to start the season, with Bennett Lee, a sixth-round pick in 2023 by the Tigers, while Aaron Antonini and Joey Campagna are free agent signings. Campagna is from nearby Beaver Falls and is a former standout at Slippery Rock University.<\/p>\n

Hot tickets: Catch an Erie SeaWolves game this year for one of these promotions<\/a><\/p>\n

Pitching staff<\/p>\n

The SeaWolves have 16 pitchers on the break camp roster with several familiar faces. Tanner Kohlhepp is back for Erie along with Colin Fields, Trevin Michael, Carlos Pena, Yosber Sanchez, Kenny Serwa and Eric Silva.<\/p>\n

The other nine pitchers have come to the Tigers in various ways. Wandisson Charles, 29, signed with the Tigers in December. He is a former farmhand for Oakland and Baltimore, including pitching for Bowie in 2023 and 2024. Dylan File, 29, is another free-agent signing in December. He has pitched in three organizations and has reached the Triple-A level several times.<\/p>\n

Dariel Fregio, 25, and Sean Hunley, 26, both signed with the Tigers over the past year. Fregio ended last season in West Michigan and Hunley signed last month. Moises Rodriguez, 24, was an international signing for the Tigers in 2019 and reached West Michigan last season.<\/p>\n

Joe Miller, 26, is one of the top arms on the roster and was an 11th-round pick by the Tigers in 2022 out of Penn, while Johan Simon, 24, came over in a trade with Toronto for Chase Lee in December.<\/p>\n

The final two pitchers, John Stankiewicz, 27, and Luke Taggart, 28, were taken in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft. Stankiewicz was claimed from the Twins and Taggart was claimed from the Rockies.<\/p>\n

Contact Tom Reisenweber at\u00a0treisenweber@timesnews.com<\/a>. Follow him on X\u00a0@ETNreisenweber<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie SeaWolves open Double-A season with a roster full of experience<\/a><\/p>\n