2008 Fort Wayne Wizards Opening Day Roster
Midwest League
Fort Wayne, IN - The official opening day roster for the 2008 Fort Wayne Wizards was announced today by members of the San Diego Padres, the major league affiliate of the Wizards.
Seven players who appeared with Fort Wayne last season will open the year with the Wizards and 16 players who were drafted by the Padres organization last summer will be a part of the club.
The outfield is led by Luis Durango, who won the Arizona League batting title in 2006 and the Northwest League batting title last season. Durango was also named the 2007 Topps Northwest League Player of the Year, hitting .367 with a league-best 110 hits and eight triples.
Also leading the outfield will be Brad Chalk, a second round pick from Clemson. He split the 2007 season between Peoria and Eugene, hitting a combined .276 in 34 games.
The infield will be anchored by Drew Cumberland, a supplemental first round selection by San Diego in the 2007 June Amateur Draft. He split time between Peoria and Eugene last year, combining to hit .320 over the span of 25 games between the two leagues.
The pitching staff consists of six players who spent time in Fort Wayne, including left-hander Allen Harrington, the Padres 13th round pick out of Lamar University.
Opening day for the Wizards is set for Thursday, April 3 at 6:00 p.m. when they play host to the Lansing Lugnuts, the Midwest League affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays.
The annual Meet the Team Night will be held Wednesday, April 2nd at Memorial Stadium from 6:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Fans are invited to meet the players, get autographs, and purchase new merchandise and souvenirs at the team store.
Former major leaguer Doug Dascenzo returns for his second season at the helm of the Wizards. He will be joined by hitting coach Tom Tornincasa and pitching coach Tom Bradley. Both Tornincasa and Bradley are familiar with Fort Wayne, having served in the same capacities for the Wizards in previous seasons. Tornincasa was the hitting coach from 2001-2004 and Bradley served as the pitching coach in 2006.
An updated roster follows this release and an updated roster with uniform numbers will be released later this week.
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