2023 Way Too Early Roster Previews: Richmond Flying Squirrels
Squirrels finally take center stage!
This is the third in a series of roster previews for 2023. So far, we’ve covered:
It’s the Squirrels’ time to shine! Or maybe to fly? Whatever your preferred metaphorical superlative, this is finally the year! While the west coast affiliates in the Giants’ system have taken center stage year after year, hoarding the core group of top prospects, picking up championships and post-season appearances, the Squirrels have had reason to feel like the ugly step-sister, shipwrecked on a far shore.
Over the last six years, the Richmond team has had just one winning season — and just that, at 57-56 in 2021. They’ve had just one post-season appearance — and it didn’t even come in their non-losing season! Cumulatively, the franchise has been 367-441 over those six years, nearly 75 games below .500. And there hasn’t exactly been a lot of star power prospect shine to console for the losing. Joey Bart, the 2nd overall pick and the org’s top prospect prior to Marco Luciano, breezed through in 22 games at the very end of 2019. Heliot Ramos played there about a half season split between the end of 2019 and the start of 2021.
But the worm started to turn in the Squirrels’ favor last year, when Kyle Harrison showed up and delivered one of the real star performances in franchise history (a franchise that showed up just too late to see the Buster Poseys, Madison Bumgarners, or Tim Lincecums of history). While Richmond’s first post-season appearance in eight years didn’t last long, it came with a lineup featuring Harrison, Luciano, and Casey Schmitt giving off a full-volume buzz of prospect punch (I don’t want to spoil the climax of the forthcoming There R Giants’ Top 50, but I can say that all three of those guys will appear in the top 5!).
That fresh spring prefaced a bursting dam of prospect talent that should arrive in 2021, as the group that has garnered championships in San Jose and Eugene over the last two years should arrive on the East Coast and join up with a starting rotation that has a chance to be the deepest Richmond has ever fielded.
Feel the excitement Richmond, your turn to be the focal-point of the system has come at long last!
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