WAPPINGERS FALLS- The Hudson Valley Renegades, the High-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, are well-represented on Opening Day rosters of Major League Baseball teams in 2024, with 24 alumni players appearing on the rosters of 16 MLB franchises to begin the season.
There are more Renegades alumni on the Texas Rangers (4: LHP Brock Burke, INF Ezequiel Duran, INF Nathaniel Lowe and INF Josh Smith) than any other team, followed closely by the New York Yankees (3: C Austin Wells, INF Oswald Peraza and INF Anthony Volpe). The Rangers are setting off on a quest to defend their 2023 World Series Championship.
While most of the players on these Opening Day rosters have previously spent time in the big leagues, Kansas City Royals RHP Matt Sauer and Oakland Athletics RHP Mitch Spence will make their MLB debuts in 2024. Sauer spent parts of the 2021 and 2022 seasons with the Renegades, and made a minor league rehab appearance with the team in 2023. He is the team’s career strikeouts leader with 156. Spence spent the entire 2021 season with the Renegades, and struck out a then-team record 118 batters, since surpassed by Drew Thorpe’s 138 punchouts in 2023.
Since the team’s inception 117 former Renegades players have gone on to appear in a Major League Baseball game, with the club producing two AL Rookies of the Year, an AL MVP and countless Gold Glovers, Silver Sluggers and All-Stars.
The full list of Renegades alumni appearing on MLB 26-man rosters for Opening Day is as follows:
Texas Rangers – LHP Brock Burke, INF Ezequiel Duran, INF Nathaniel Lowe, INF Josh Smith
New York Yankees – C Austin Wells, INF Oswald Peraza, INF Anthony Volpe
Oakland Athletics – RHP Luis Medina, RHP Mitch Spence
Tampa Bay Rays – INF Jonathan Aranda, INF Taylor Walls
San Diego Padres – RHP Jhony Brito, INF Jake Cronenworth
Arizona Diamondbacks – RHP Merrill Kelly
Chicago Cubs – INF Miles Mastrobuoni
Cincinnati Reds – C Luke Maile, OF Jake Fraley
Kansas City Royals – RHP Matt Sauer
Miami Marlins – OF Vidal Brujan
Minnesota Twins – RHP Joe Ryan
New York Mets – C Omar Narvaez
Philadelphia Phillies – LHP Cristopher Sanchez
San Francisco Giants – RHP Alex Cobb
Washington Nationals – RHP Dylan Floro
The first Hudson Valley Renegades alumni to make his MLB debut was catcher Kevin Brown, a member of the inaugural 1994 Renegades who debuted on September 12, 1996 with the Texas Rangers and played parts of seven seasons in the majors. In 2023, 10 former Renegades made their MLB debuts, including Volpe and Jasson Dominguez.
Additionally, former Renegades manager Matt Quatraro begins his second season as the manager of the Kansas City Royals, and ex-Renegades catcher Stephen Vogt embarks on his first season as the manager of the Cleveland Guardians.
