Asheville Tourists baseball 2022: What to know as team returns home Tuesday
Play ball.
Two words that Asheville Tourists fans have been looking forward to since last fall. The minor-league baseball franchise opened its season over the weekend in Kentucky and will play the first of 66 home games Tuesday at McCormick Field vs. the Greenville Drive. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.
Here's what you need to know about the team heading into the early part of the 2022 season.
No restrictions
For the first time since the 2019 campaign, the Asheville Tourists will play a full season with 66 home games.
Due to the pandemic, the 2020 season was cancelled, while the 2021 season started in May and there were attendance limits for part of the year. This year there are no attendance limits and no requirements of wearing a mask to games.
Tickets and promotions
General Admission tickets will be $10 for adults, $9 for senior citizens and military, and $8 for children. The Tourists will offer several options for box seats, with prices going from $13-18 for adults, $12-17 for seniors/military and $11-16 for children. Suites can be purchased for $35 per person. Tickets for the 2022 season can be purchased online at TouristsTickets.com.
There will be 11 Thirsty Thursdays, with the first coming on April 14 vs. Greenville. Firework Nights will come at every Friday home game, as well as July 3 and Sept. 4. For a complete list of promotions, go to theashevilletourists.com.
The Tourists will again have six-game weekly schedules, Tuesday through Sunday, all in the same location.
Who's in Asheville's League?
The Tourists will be affiliated with the Houston Astros for the second year in a row after being a farm club of the Colorado Rockies for 26 years (1994-2019).
The former High-A East league has returned to its more-familiar, historic name in 2022: The South Atlantic League. There are 12 teams in the league, split into two divisions.
North Division: Aberdeen, Md. IronBirds (Orioles); Brooklyn Cyclones (Mets); Hudson Valley Renegades (Yankees); Jersey Shore BlueClaws (Phillies); Wilmington, Del., Blue Rocks (Nationals).
South Division: Asheville Tourists (Astros); Bowling Green, Ky., Hot Rods (Rays); Greensboro Grasshopper (Pirates); Greenville, S.C., Drive (Red Sox); Hickory Crawdads (Rangers); Rome, Ga., Braves; Winston-Salem Dash (White Sox).
Who will start the season with the Tourists?
Just before the season, the Astros announced the 29-man roster that will start the year in Asheville. There will be roster changes throughout the season.
Asheville returns 16 players who played at least one game for the Tourists in 2021: P Danny Cody, P Tommy DeJuneas, P Ray Gaither, P Cesar Gomez, P Kyle Gruller, P Alfredi Jimenez, P Juan Pablo Lopez, P Cole McDonald, P Diosmerky Taveras, P Derek West, C/INF JC Correa, INF Deury Carrasco, INF A.J. Lee, INF Luis Santana, OF Colin Barber, OF Zach Daniels.
Five of the Astros’ top 30 prospects will begin the season with the Tourists. They include OF Colin Barber (6), INF Cristian Gonzalez (12), P Chayce McDermott (13), OF Jordan Brewer (21), and P Spencer Arrighetti (30).
Barber and McDermott were both fourth-round selections by the Astros; Brewer was selected in the third round, and Arrighetti was a sixth-round selection. The roster also features three additional players selected in the top 10 rounds of the draft: P Aaron Brown and OF Zach Daniels and Michael Sandle.
Nate Shaver will return for his second year as a manager for the Tourists after going 54-62 with Asheville in 2021. He will be joined by pitching coach Jose Rada, hitting coach Rene Rojas, development coach Mike Ramazzotti, bullpen catcher/coach Rob Collison, trainer A.J. Smith, and strength coach Sam Knox.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville Tourists baseball roster, ticket information for 2022
