Season Preview: Richmond Flying Squirrels

A dynamic group tries to push upwards

The Richmond Flying Squirrels will balance old and new this year, bringing back nearly two-thirds of the roster that participated in last year’s Eastern League playoffs, while adding a lot of high profile new talent as well.

When asked to describe the team he’s fielding on Opening Night, third-year Manager Dennis Pelfrey kept referring back to the word “dynamic,” which is a pretty good descriptor for a roster that may be one of the fastest teams in franchise history, while also including some of the organization’s biggest arms. There’s some big power potential sprinkled around the roster as well. “The crew that we have,” Pelfrey said yesterday at The Diamond, “we’re going to be able to do a lot of different things, and we’re going to do them really well.” One of the real strengths of this team looks to be speed in the outfield, where the Squirrels will field a virtual track squad running down fly balls. “We don’t have to worry about fly balls hitting the grass,” Pelfrey agreed. “I think they’re all going to be caught.”

It’s a mix of talents that should fare well in the competitive gauntlet of the Eastern League.