Familiar faces dot 2024 Montgomery Biscuits roster

Biscuits catcher Kenny Piper is one of several players returning for the 2024 season. (File Photo)

By GRAHAM DUNN

Shortstop Carson Williams joins a large contingent of players who spent some part of the 2023 season with the Montgomery Biscuits on the released 2024 roster.

The Tampa Bay Rays announced the 2024 opening day roster for their Double-A Affiliate, with the season set to open on Friday with a three-game road series against the Biloxi Shuckers (Brewers) ahead of the club’s home opener on Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. CT at Riverwalk Stadium.

The roster features five MLB Pipeline Top 30 prospects and 17 players who made at least one appearance for the Biscuits last season.

The Top 30 prospects include Williams (No. 2), catcher Dominic Keegan (No. 6), pitcher Cole Wilcox (No. 13), infielder Willy Vasquez (No. 17), and left-hander Ian Seymour (No. 20).

Williams opens the season ranked No. 19 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospect list. The shortstop played in six games for the Biscuits during the last week of the regular season in 2023 and batted 9-for-21 with two doubles and four RBI. The 20-year-old played in 105 games for High-A Bowling Green last season. He slashed .254/.351/.506 with 23 homers, 18 doubles, seven triples, and 77 RBI for the High-A club.

2017 fourth overall pick Brendan McKay returns to Montgomery for the first time since 2021 after missing most of the last two seasons due to injury. The left-hander pitched for the first time since Aug. 18, 2022 in spring training. He made 13 MLB appearances for Tampa Bay in 2019.

Cole Wilcox returns to the pitching staff after making a team-leading 25 starts in 2023. Tampa Bay acquired Wilcox in a trade that sent LHP Blake Snell to San Diego in 2020.

The roster is led by new manager Kevin Boles. He brings 21 years of managerial experience, having last managed the Princeton Whistlepigs in the Appalachian League in 2023 and the Triple-A Syracuse Mets in the New York Mets organization in 2022. Boles spent 11 seasons in the Boston Red Sox organization and managed Triple-A Pawtucket for five seasons from 2014 to 2018.

Hitting coach Paul Rozzelle, pitching coach Steve Merriman, and bench coach German Melendez all return for their second season with the Biscuits.

The Biscuits will battle for a club-record eight consecutive playoff appearances after bowing out in the 2023 South Division championship series to Pensacola for the second-straight year. Montgomery last won the Southern League title in 2007.

2024 Montgomery Biscuits Opening Day Roster

Pitchers (16): Nelson Alvarez, Keyshawn Askew, Jeff Belge, Sean Hunley, Antonio Jimenez, Adam Leverett, Brendan McKay, Antonio Menendez, Ben Peoples, Evan Reifert, Ian Seymour, Austin Vernon, Patrick Wicklander, Cole Wilcox, Logan Workman, Alfredo Zarraga

Catchers (3): Ricardo Genoves, Dominic Keegan, Kenny Piper

Infielders (5): Tanner Murray, Bob Seymour, Gionti Turner, Willy Vasquez, Carson Williams

Outfielders (4): Dru Baker, Matt Dyer, Heriberto Hernandez, Nick Schnell