Avalanche Set 2008 Opening Day Roster With Twelve Returnees
Carolina League
Salem, VA - The Salem Avalanche, Advanced Class-A affiliate of the Houston Astros, has locked in its 2008 Opening Day roster. The 2008 lineup includes a dozen former Salem players and 13 newcomers.
Outfielder Orlando Rosales returns to Salem after hitting .283 in his Advanced Class-A debut season. Rosales also finished with 20 doubles in 111 games with the Avalanche. He's joined by Ryan Reed, who played in 87 games last season despite a shoulder injury.
On the infield, Mark Ori is back to man first base. Ori finished third on the '07 Avalanche with nine home runs and hit .272 in his initial Advanced-A campaign. Middle-infielder Wladimir Sutil also returns to the Salem infield. He led the Avs in stolen bases with 35 in 2007. In addition, switch-hitter Tim Torres begins the season with Salem. The Oral Roberts product hit .262 in three stints with the Avalanche in 2007.
The list of returnees in the pitching staff includes left-hander Chris Salamida and righty Raymar Diaz, each of whom won eight games last season. Also, lefty Polin Trinidad, who joined the Avs for the playoff run last year, will be in the starting rotation.
The new faces include substantial power from the 2007 Lexington Legends. The South Atlantic League affiliate's top two home run men from last season, Koby Clemens and Jordan Parraz, dot the Salem roster.
Clemens, the son of former Major League right-hander Roger, moves from the hot corner to catcher for the 2008 season. In 2007, he hit .252 with 15 home runs and 56 RBI.
Jordan Parraz finished second to Clemens in Lexington home runs and led the Legends with 76 RBI. The Astros chose the 23-year-old from Nevada in the third round of the 2004 entry draft.
On the mound, the Salem starting rotation will contain the Lexington wins leader from a year ago, David Qualben. The lefty went 11-8 with a 3.94 ERA in the South Atlantic League last year.
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