GREENSBORO -- The South Atlantic League season opens Thursday for the Greensboro Grasshoppers, and it marks a season of “new” for the Triad team.
- Thursday is the start of the Greensboro Grasshoppers' 2019 season
- This year is their first season as a Class A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates
- This is also the first season Miguel Perez is manager for the full 140 game schedule
The year 2019 is their first season as a Class A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and it marks the first season for Miguel Perez as a manager for a full 140 game schedule.
The team has been working together as a group throughout most of spring training, and as they get set to open the season, shortstop Connor Kaiser feels this group has the potential to be solid this season.
“It seems like there’s going to be a good balance,” Kaiser said. "We’ve got some good hitters, guys that can really pitch, guys that can run the bases well, so I think we’re going to have a balanced team.”
One face the should be familiar to ACC baseball fans is Brett Kinneman. The former NC State standout enters his first full season in minor league baseball, after playing last year with the West Virginia Black Bears in the NY-Penn League.
In 2018, the Hoppers posted a season-long mark of 60-76 and will open 2019 at home as they host the Hagerstown Suns.
