FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE on Tuesday 4/4/2017 Potomac Nationals Media Relations Contacts: Mike Weisman 703-590-2311 ext. 219 (Office) 781-929-2755 (Mobile) [email protected] POTOMAC NATIONALS ANNOUNCE 2017 OPENING DAY ROSTER P-Nats Roster Set to Feature Five Baseball America Top 30 Washington Nationals Prospects Woodbridge, VA—The Washington Nationals have released the 25-man Opening Day Roster for their Carolina League affiliate Potomac Nationals. The 2017 P-Nats’ Roster to begin the 40th campaign of Potomac Baseball features five players among Baseball America’s Top 30 Washington Nationals Prospects, and 12 players who have previously donned The Red, White, & Blue. Tripp Keister returns for his fourth season at the helm. The manager of the P-Nats for the 2014 League Championship led the club to a second place finish overall in the Northern Division (73- 65) in 2016. Keister led the P-Nats to a second playoff appearance since he took over the team in 2014. Potomac fell one game short of a Mills Cup appearance, as the P-Nats dropped the final two games in the Northern Division Championship Series to Lynchburg. Keister enters the 2017 season with a career (323-287) MiLB managing record after stints with the Gulf Coast League Nationals (2012), Class-A Hagerstown Suns (2013) and with Potomac (2014-current). The consensus top ranked prospect on Potomac’s Opening Day Roster according to both Baseball America and MiLB.com is OF Victor Robles (#1). At only 17 years old, Robles signed as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2013. Despite his youth, Robles dazzled in his first season in the Dominican Summer League batting .313 with 21 extra base hits and 25 runs batted in. From there, Robles impressed Nationals scouts at extended spring training and advanced to the Auburn Doubledays by the end of the 2015 season. He began 2016 with Hagerstown and ended up in the Carolina League by July. Robles finished with a .262 batting average with Potomac last year, but really performed well late in the season. Over his last 10 games, he hit .391 and collected 15 hits over his final seven games. Robles is a five-tool player and at 19 years old, is ranked as the best hitter for average, best athlete, best defensive outfielder and best outfield arm in the Nationals system by Baseball America in 2017. 1 3B Kelvin Gutierrez (#16) signed with the Nationals out of the Dominican Republic as a shortstop back in 2013. However, scouts felt Gutierrez was better suited at third base due to his superior arm. This season, the 22-year-old was voted the best infield arm in the Nationals organization by Baseball America. Gutierrez holds a .288 Minor League batting average over his three-year career. Last season, he spent the beginning of the season with Auburn and Hagerstown. He hit .301 over 105 games before his promotion to the P-Nats. In 10 games for The Red, White and Blue, Gutierrez went 9-38 (.237) with two extra base hits and two RBIs. SS Edwin Lora (#23) signed with the Nationals out of the Dominican Republic in 2012, the same year as last season’s P-Nats starting shortstop Osvaldo Abreu. Lora has consistently advanced levels since his professional debut for the GCL Nationals in 2014. He reached full season baseball for the first time last season, where he played in 118 games for Hagerstown. Lora’s quick bat speed gave him 41 extra base hits out of his 89 total hits on the season. The 22- year old hit .231 for the Suns in 2016, stole 23 bases and drove in 42. OF Telmito Agustin (#28) is another Dominican-born prospect from the Nationals’ 2013 international class. Agustin is one of 10 players on the roster from the Dominican Republic to begin the 2017 season. His impressive .344 batting average in 2015 between the GCL Nationals and the Auburn Doubledays awarded him his first full season call up last year. Although the 20- year old was limited to just 76 games last season due to injuries, he hit .265 for Hagerstown and knocked in 30 runs. Agustin, Gutierrez and Robles continue to move up the ladder together in the Nats’ system and that does not change in 2017 as all three players begin the season with the P- Nats. RHP Joan Baez (#29) is a flamethrower from the Dominican Republic who signed with Washington in 2014. At just 22 year of age, Baez can reach 100 mph on his fastball. He first reached 100 on the gun in 2015. Last year, he spent the entire season with Hagerstown. Baez started 27 games in the South Atlantic League and pitched to a 9-7 record with a 3.94 earned run average. He accumulated 126 innings pitched and allowed only 120 hits during that span while he struck out 119 hitters. In addition to Baez, the P-Nats will welcome five other new arms to the rotation and bullpen. RHP Jefry Rodriguez, LHP Taylor Guilbeau, LHP Grant Borne, RHP Mariano Rivera III, and RHP Kyle Schepel. Returners to the P-Nats include LHP Hector Silvestre, RHP Luis Reyes, RHP Wirkin Estevez, LHP Matt Crownover, LHP R.C. Orlan, RHP Ronald Pena, and RHP Dakota Bacus. Rodriguez (International Free Agent, Signed by Washington 2012) makes his P-Nats debut this season as one of five Dominican-born pitchers on the staff. After spectacular seasons in 2013 with the GCL Nationals and 2014 with the Auburn Doubledays, Rodriguez advanced to full- season baseball with Hagerstown in 2014. The 23-year-old spent the last three seasons with the 2 Suns. Last year, the 6’5 righty made 25 starts, held a 7-11 record, and posted a 4.96 ERA. Rodriguez allowed only 110 hits in 123.1 innings while he struck out 96 hitters. Guilbeau (10th round, 2015 by Washington; University of Alabama) spent the entirety of the 2016 season with Hagerstown, where he split time as a starter and reliever. The 23-year-old held an overall record of 5-2 with a 3.61 ERA. Over 13 starts, 28 total appearances, and 107.1 accumulated innings, Guilbeau allowed 126 hits walked just 27, and struck out 99 in his second professional season in baseball. Borne (7th round, 2015 by Washington; Nicholls State) moved from Short-Season Auburn in 2015 to the Hagerstown Suns in 2016. In both years of his professional career, the 22-year old has been impressive. Last year in Hagerstown, Borne went 5-2, where he made 19 appearances out of the bullpen for the Suns. In 59.1 innings, he held a 3.34 ERA, allowed only 60 hits and struck out 46 hitters. Borne has great control, as he’s only walked 18 batters in two professional seasons. Rivera III (4th round, 2015 by Washington; Iona College) pitched in 39 games for the Hagerstown Suns in 2016. All bullpen appearances, the righty went (5-1) with a 4.04 ERA. The son of the great Mariano Rivera converted eight saves last season. He struck out 52 in 69 innings of work. Schepel (Minor League Free Agent, 2012 by Arizona; Grand Valley State) signed with the Nationals as a free agent over the off-season. The 26-year old spent the first four years of his career in the Diamondbacks organization. Schepel pitched a seven-inning no-hitter for Class-A South Bend against Lansing back in 2013. Last season, he spent 20 games in the California League before his promotion to Double-A Jackson, where he posted a 2.13 ERA in 23 games for the Generals. Silvestre (International Free Agent, 2011 by Washington) returns to Potomac to begin the 2017 season. After battling injuries most of 2016, the native of the Dominican Republic finished with 31.2 innings last year. Over his final three starts with the P-Nats, the 24-year old allowed 12 hits in 13 innings and netted a 2.08 ERA. Reyes (International Free Agent, 2013) made 14 starts for the P-Nats last season finishing (4-8) with a 5.60 ERA. The Dominican born prospect threw a total of 70.2 innings in the Carolina League and allowed 69 hits, walked 46, and struck out 46 batters. Estevez (International Free Agent, 2010 by Washington) began his career with the Nationals as a top prospect in the organization from the Dominican Republic but has had to work his way back from two Tommy John surgeries over his career. The 25-year-old spent 2016 in Woodbridge and pitched to a (2-4) record with a 5.03 ERA. Estevez made half of his appearances as a starter and half out of the bullpen. He will begin this year as a reliever for the P-Nats. 3 Crownover (6th round, 2015 by Washington, Clemson University) split time between the Carolina and South Atlantic League in 2016. The 24-year-old made 17 starts for Potomac last year, posting a 4.28 ERA in 90.1 innings. He walked 31 and struck out 76 hitters as a starter. He threw seven games out of the bullpen in Hagerstown and will switch to a relief pitcher role this season for the P-Nats. Orlan (30th round, 2012 by Washington, University of North Carolina) starts his second consecutive season in Woodbridge in the bullpen for the P-Nats. Last season, Orlan led the Carolina League with eight holds, going 5-6 with a 3.93 ERA in 41 relief appearances. His 41 appearances were 4th in the league.