RoughRiders - April 2020 Digital Game Program

WELCOME

roughriders fans OFFICIAL PROGRAM OF YOUR FRISCO ROUGHRIDERS

During the 2020 season, students will have the opportunity to submit artwork to be featured on the cover of select Riders game program covers through the Whataburger Art contest.

Our first winner of the season is 8 year old Brinley from Van ISD.

for more info on the whataburger art contest visit

LEADING OFF | PAGE 1

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riders fun facts THE 2020 SEASON WILL MARK THE 18TH SEASON IN RIDERS HISTORY. 162 FORMER ROUGHRIDERS HAVE PLAYED MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL. THE ROUGHRIDERS HAVE TOPPED DOUBLE-A IN ATTENDANCE EACH OF THE LAST 15 SEASONS. THE RIDERS TOOK HOME THE 2004 TEXAS LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP, LED BY FUTURE RANGER IAN KINSLER. FRISCO HAS THROWN FIVE NO-HITTERS IN FRANCHISE HISTORY, MOST RECENTLY BY JOE WIELAND IN 2011.

RIDERS FUN FACTS | PAGE 6

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RIDERS COACHING STAFF

BOBBY WILSON MANAGER

RESIDES: LARGO, FL SEASON WITH RIDERS: 1st

OUTSIDE COACHING THESTAFF LINES| |PAGE PAGE14 12

JEFF ANDREWS PITCHING COACH

RESIDES: YANKTON, SD SEASON WITH RIDERS: 8th*

JONATHAN GELNAR

JOSUE PEREZ HITTING COACH

RESIDES: LEWISVILLE, TX SEASON WITH RIDERS: 1st

WADE LAMONT STRENGTH & CONDITIONING RESIDES: SARASOTA, FL SEASON WITH RIDERS: 4th

COACH

RESIDES: TULSA, OK SEASON WITH RIDERS: 1st

ALEX RODRIGUEZ ATHLETIC TRAINER

RESIDES: CLINTON, MA SEASON WITH RIDERS: 2nd

*This is Andrews’ first season with the Riders since he was Frisco’s pitching coach from 2009-2015.

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PHOTO: MATTHEW EDWARDS, DOWN EAST WOOD DUCKS

RANGERS PROSPECTS

PROSPECT BIOS: SAM HUFF The catcher was picked up by the Rangers in the seventh round of the 2016 draft out of Arcadia High School in Phoenix, Arizona. Entering the 2020 season, Huff is No. 74 on MLB.com’s Top 100 Prospect List and No. 2 in the Rangers system.

Huff started to get recognized for his talent after hitting 18 home runs for Low-A Hickory in 2018, but really burst onto the scene when he blasted an astounding 15 home runs in 30 games for Hickory to start 2019, recording a 1.165 OPS. He was then promoted to High-A Down East, where he slashed a respectable .262/.326/.425 over 97 games as a 21-year-old. Between the two levels, he showed off defensively as well, gunning down an impressive 47.6 percent (30-of-63) of potential base stealers.

Huff truly announced his presence on a national stage, though, when he homered in the All-Star Futures Game in July and was named the game’s MVP. Huff joined Joey Gallo (2014) as the only other Rangers farm hand to *Players are projected to be on the win the Futures Game MVP. RoughRiders 2020 roster, not confirmed.

for more info on the riders, visit

PHOTO: HICKORY CRAWDADS

RANGERS PROSPECTS

PROSPECT BIOS: JOSH JUNG RANGERS PROSPECTS

Jung (pronounced “young”) was selected by the Rangers as the eighthoverall pick in the 2019 MLB draft out of Texas Tech.

The 22-year-old was described as one of the most polished hitters in the draft class, hitting .343/.455/.636 with 23 doubles, 15 home runs and 58 RBIs over 64 games during his final season with the Raiders. In 191 career games at Texas Tech, Jung hit .348/.491/.577 (1.068 OPS) with 54 doubles, 33 home runs and 181 RBIs. Born in San Antonio, the All-American graduated from MacArther High School, where he was a three-time All-State selection on the diamond under the tutelage of his father and coach, Jeff.

Entering 2020, MLB.com ranks him as the 55th-best prospect in baseball and the top Rangers prospect.

As a young shortstop himself, Jung idolized Alex Rodriguez, switching his allegiances from the Mariners to the Rangers, and then to the Yankees along with A-Rod’s movement to those franchises.

*Players are projected to be on the RoughRiders 2020 roster, not confirmed.

for more info on the riders, visit

PHOTO: SCOTT KINSER, WINSTON-SALEM DASH

RANGERS PROSPECTS

PROSPECT BIOS: STEELE WALKER RANGERS PROSPECTS

Acquired from the White Sox over the offseason in a trade for outfielder Nomar Mazara, Steele Walker is rated as the 12th-best prospect in the Rangers organization by MLB.com.

A native of Prosper, Texas (about 13 miles from Dr Pepper Ballpark), the former Oklahoma Sooner was picked by the White Sox in the second round of the 2018 draft. With the Sooners, Walker was named the District 6 Player of the Year his junior season after he hit .352/.441/.606 in 54 games with 13 home runs and 53 RBIs. He was the second Oklahoma player to be selected in the draft that year, behind Kyler Murray, who was taken ninth overall by Oakland, but elected to play in the NFL. In his first full season in the minor leagues, Walker started the year in Low-A Kannapolis, hitting .365/.437/.581 over 20 games, leading to a promotion to High-A Winston-Salem. With the Dash, he bashed 10 homers and posted a .771 OPS in 100 games. The outfielder was named a Carolina League *Players are projected to be on the Postseason All-Star for his efforts.

RoughRiders 2020 roster, not confirmed.

for more info on the riders, visit

UTSW

PHOTO: SPORTS ILLUSTRATED

BOB AND BOBBY WILSON Bob Wilson always found time for his son.

Divorced when Bobby Wilson was just 12, Bob provided for his boy in more ways than just putting a roof over his head.

Baseball was a huge part of Bobby’s life while growing up in Florida, and no one contributed to that more than his dad.

“He’s been there since day one,” Bobby said. “He was there for everything and anything baseball, but more importantly: life. He has probably been the most influential person in my life, especially in baseball.”

Along with working as a cop locally, Bob coached Bobby’s Little League teams and would always throw batting practice after school. If there was a way to help Bobby get better, Bob was there for him, and he pushed Bobby to be the best.

BOBBY WILSON FEATURE | PAGE 20

“He showed me the work ethic that it takes to make it, how to be a good person, treat people the right way and earn respect and give it,” Bobby said.

Once he got to high school, being the best was not easy. Seminole High School had one of the best high school baseball teams imaginable, with future big-league first baseman Casey Kotchman (13th overall) leading five players, not including Wilson, who were picked from that Seminole High School team in the 2001 MLB draft.

Wilson was the final player drafted from the Warhawks, in the 26th round, giving the team an unimaginable six draft picks in the same senior class, but he did not sign. Later, after making the majors in 2008, he joined Kotchman as the only two of the six draft picks to make The Show.

After choosing to attend junior college in 2002, he was selected again in the draft, but fell to the 48th round, where he was picked up by the Angels.

“

He has probably been the most influential person in my life bobby wilson

*STORY CONTINUED ON PAGE 23 FEATURE | PAGE 21

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There are few who would sign after such a drop in draft status, but Tom Kotchman, Casey’s dad and a close family friend, was the manager for the Rookie-Level Provo Angels. Wilson could not pass up the opportunity to play under Kotchman and signed with the Halos.

Where Wilson went in baseball, his father followed from afar, but he flew out Bob – along with other family and friends – to Anaheim for his major league debut in April of 2008. In his first at-bat, Wilson picked up his first big league hit: a ground ball single to center off of the A’s Dallas Braden.

Throughout his professional career, Wilson played for many managers – he played in nine different organizations - and he always had the thought of managing in the back of his mind. As he got older, and the injuries that he had sustained during his time behind the plate caught up with him, the prospect of filling out the lineup card became more interesting.

“I was fortunate to play for a while and I was kind of grooming myself for this position over the last five or six years; I was just trying to understand the other side of the game other than just playing.” Wilson said.

While he was preparing himself, his dad certainly wanted a hand in his coaching career as well.

“I said, ‘Dad, you’re not allowed to make up lineups, I’ll listen to you, but you cannot run this team,’” Wilson said while laughing. “He wants to be there and be the fifth coach because we got four already.”

The further Wilson goes into his career from outside the white lines, not on the field, his dad will always be there right along with him – even if he would like to literally be in the dugout with his son.

STORY BY ZACH BIGLEY

FEATURE | PAGE 23

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