HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point Rockers on Thursday announced the return of three key players from the 2022 club that won the Atlantic League South Division championship. Catcher Mike Gulino, lefthanded reliever Gabriel Castellanos and righthanded starter Ivan Pineyro are each under contract for the 2023 season.

The Rockers reached the Atlantic League Championship Series last year after taking the South Division title series from Gastonia in five games.

Gulino, a catcher, will be back for his third season with the Rockers after joining the club in June 2021. He split the catching duties in 2022 and hit .221 in 71 games while adding two home runs and 24 RBI. Gulino posted a sterling .990 fielding percentage, committing just five errors in nearly 500 chances.

The lefthanded Castellanos signed with the Rockers in July 2022 after having been out of professional baseball for three seasons. He had played in the Miami Marlins’ farm system including a stint in Greensboro in 2015. Castellanos was a key lefthanded arm out of the Rockers’ bullpen, appearing in 18 games and recording a 2.57 ERA.

Pineyro joined the Rockers’ starting rotation in June and won five games, tied for the second-most among starters. He was 5-3 on the year with a 3.76 ERA with 58 strikeouts in 67 innings pitched. Pineyro won two of his first three starts and posted a pair of wins each over Southern Maryland and Charleston.

“All three of these guys played a key role for us last year,” said Rockers manager Jamie Keefe. “Mike has a lot of experience in our system and is great with our pitchers. Gabriel gave us a solid lefthanded option out of the bullpen and was successful in getting us out of a lot of jams. Ivan was a strong addition to our starting rotation, and we expect him to return to that role again this year.”

The Rockers will open the 2023 season at home on April 28 with the Long Island Ducks. High Point will play its first 10 games at Truist Point through May 8.  Individual game tickets will go on sale starting March 31.

About High Point Baseball, Inc.

The High Point Rockers, operated by the non-profit High Point Baseball, play their home games at Truist Point, a state-of-the-art $36 million ballpark which serves as a catalyst to the rejuvenation of downtown High Point. In 2022, the Rockers reached the League Championship Series of the 10-team Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an MLB Partner League with clubs from New York to North Carolina.

About the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB)

Celebrating its 25th Anniversary season in 2023, the Atlantic League is Major League Baseball’s first Professional Partner League, a player gateway to the major leagues, and a leader in baseball innovation. ALPB has sent over 1,200 players to MLB organizations while drawing more than 45 million fans to its family-friendly ballparks throughout its 25-year history. Please visit www.AtlanticLeague.com.

Editor’s Note:  Birthname is Dai-Kang Yang, born in Taiwan. Attended high school in Japan where his “nickname” was Daikan Yoh. Yoh is a preferred usage. Pronounced DYE-gong Yang (Yo).

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point Rockers have landed the first Taiwanese player in franchise history with the signing of Dai-Kang Yang. The outfielder and first baseman spent 16 seasons in the Japanese major leagues and was a teammate of the Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani for five seasons with the Nippon Ham Fighters.

During his 15 years in the Japanese Professional Leagues, Yoh, 36, hit 142 home runs and drove in nearly 600 runs while posting a .275 career batting average. He was twice named the MVP of the Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star Series in 2012 and 2014. He won the league’s Gold Glove award in 2012 and 2013. Yoh’s top season in Japan came in 2014 when he hit .293 with 25 home runs and 85 RBI while adding 20 stolen bases. In 2016, Yoh led the Ham Fighters to the Pacific League and Japan Series championships.

In 2017, Yoh became a free agent and signed with the Yomiuri Giants, spending five seasons with the Japanese Central League club.

“We have never signed a player with as much experience as Dai-Kang,” said Rockers manager Jamie Keefe. “He spent 16 years in Japan’s top professional league and there’s still plenty left in his tank. He’ll be a good addition to our club this season.”

During his illustrious career, Yoh has represented the Chinese Taipei national team at multiple international tournaments including the World Baseball Classic (2006, 2013), the Asia Games and the Premier 12.

Yoh played his first season in the United States in 2022, hitting .260 with nine home runs and 35 RBI in 79 games with Lake Country of the American Association. He spent the most recent offseason playing in Australia with the Brisbane Bandits and helping the club to the Northeast Division title.

The Rockers will open the 2023 season at home on April 28 with the Long Island Ducks. High Point will play its first 10 games at Truist Point through May 8.

About High Point Baseball, Inc.

The High Point Rockers, operated by the non-profit High Point Baseball, play their home games at Truist Point, a state-of-the-art $36 million ballpark which serves as a catalyst to the rejuvenation of downtown High Point. In 2022, the Rockers reached the League Championship Series of the 10-team Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an MLB Partner League with clubs from New York to North Carolina.

About the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB)

Celebrating its 25th Anniversary season in 2023, the Atlantic League is Major League Baseball’s first Professional Partner League, a player gateway to the major leagues, and a leader in baseball innovation. ALPB has sent over 1,200 players to MLB organizations while drawing more than 45 million fans to its family-friendly ballparks throughout its 25-year history. Please visit www.AtlanticLeague.com.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – T.J. Bennett, an infielder who drove in a career-best 56 RBI last year in the American Association, has signed a contract with the High Point Rockers for the 2023 season.

Bennett spent the 2022 season at Lake Country (Oconomowoc, WI) of the American Association where he drove in a career-best 56 RBI while hitting .275 with 17 homers in 96 games. During the recently-completed Australian League season, Bennett led the league with 17 homers and 42 RBI in just 40 games while ranking among the top 10 hitters in the league with a .315 batting average.

“T.J. is a great addition to our club,” said Rockers manager Jamie Keefe. “He has had a couple of really good seasons in the American Association and had a fantastic winter in Australia.  T.J. will help solidify us both at third base and offensively. I’m looking forward to him having a really good year.”

Bennett, 30, played at Oral Roberts as a freshman then spent two seasons at the University of Utah before embarking on his professional career. He played in the Frontier League and also spent five seasons with Brisbane in the Australian League. He was signed as a free agent by the San Francisco Giants in 2016 and spent three seasons in the farm system, reaching Class AAA. Bennett’s last four seasons have been spent in the American Association.

The Rockers will open the 2023 season on Friday, April 28 at Truist Point when they host the Long Island Ducks in the first of a three-game weekend series.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – High Point Rockers third baseman Michael Russell on Tuesday was named to the Atlantic League’s Red, White and Blue All-Defensive team in voting by the league’s managers and coaches.

Russell started 98 games for the Rockers this year, including 47 at second base and 47 at third base. He made only eight errors on 314 total chances for a fielding percentage of .975.

“Russ is deserving to be on the all-defensive team because of his body of work throughout the season,” said Rockers manager Jamie Keefe. “No matter where he is playing, he is able to make the adjustment from position to position. He puts in the work to be a great defensive player and he is second to none in his work ethic.”

Offensively, Russell is hitting .392 this season with nine home runs and 53 RBI.

The Rockers open the Atlantic League Championship Series on Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. at Truist Point against the Lancaster Barnstormers.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – High Point Rockers outfielder Ben Aklinski and outfielder Zander Wiel have been named to the 2022 Atlantic League-Ballpark Digest Mid-Season All-Star team. Sponsored by Ballpark Digest, the club was assembled by a vote of the 10 Atlantic League managers.

“Both Ben and Zander have been battling injuries but when they are healthy, they are both among the top players in the Atlantic League and well-deserving of this honor,” said Rockers manager Jamie Keefe.  “Both are elite players who are putting up great numbers despite having to play through these injuries. I can’t thank either one of them enough for all that they are doing for our ball club and the league.”

Aklinski has spent most of his time in the Rockers’ outfield but has filled in a third base on occasion. Aklinski ranks third in the league with 20 doubles and fifth with 33 extra base hits while posting a .289 average with 11 homers and 41 RBI. Aklinski, a former University of Kentucky player, spent the 2021 season in Lexington before joining the Rockers prior to the 2022 season.

Wiel is hitting .277 with 56 RBI and 17 homers including four multi-homer games. He has started games at first base, third, left and right field this season while also serving as the designated hitter. Wiel’s .638 slugging percentage is the fourth-best in the Atlantic League this season. A member of Vanderbilt’s 2014 College World Series championship team, Wiel was with the Minnesota Twins organization until joining the Rockers this season.

2022 Ballpark Digest-Atlantic League Mid-Season All-Star Team

C             Colton Shaver, Lancaster
1B          Kelly Dugan, Lancaster
2B          Joseph Rosa, Gastonia
SS           Elmer Reyes, York
3B          Carlos Franco, York
OF          Courtney Hawkins, Lexington
OF          Ben Aklinski, High Point
OF          David Harris, Southern Maryland
DH          Zander Wiel, High Point
SP           McKenzie Mills, Southern Maryland
SP           Marcus Walden, Gastonia
RP          Endrys Briceno, Southern Maryland
RP          Tyler Wilson, Charleston
Managers: Stan Cliburn, So. Maryland; Mauro “Goose” Gozzo, Gastonia

HIGH POINT, N.C. – High Point Rockers starting pitcher Justin Nicolino had his contract purchased by the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday. Nicolino will report to Cincinnati’s Class AAA club in Louisville, Ky.

Nicolino was High Point’s Opening Day starter and has made six starts this season, posting a 4-1 record with a 2.06 ERA. He won his first three starts against Lancaster (4/27), Long Island (5/3) and York (5/8) before suffering a loss at Long Island in a 1-0, fog-shortened six inning game. Nicolino won his most recent start against Lexington on May 19, striking out seven in 5.1 innings.

“We couldn’t be happier for Justin,” said High Point manager Jamie Keefe. “He has been absolutely dominant this season. He’s fully healthy for the first time in six or seven years and he has been such a valuable part of this team. We couldn’t ask for any more than what Justin provided our club.”

Nicolino ranks second in the Atlantic League with four wins, tied for first with one complete game, fifth in innings pitched (35), fourth in WHIP (0.91) and sixth in opponent’s batting average (.198).

Drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays out of high school in the second round of the 2010 draft, Nicolino made his Major League debut with the Miami Marlins on June 20, 2015. The Orlando, Fla. native has won 10 MLB games over three seasons with the Marlins from 2015-17.

Nicolino is the second Rocker this year to have his contract purchased by a Major League organization and the 18^th player in club history. Most recently, RHP Brady Lail was acquired by the Toronto Blue Jays on May 9.

About High Point Baseball, Inc.

High Point Baseball, AKA The High Point Rockers, will begin their third season in the Atlantic League in 2022 in a state-of-the-art, $36M downtown ballpark, Truist Point. High Point Baseball is part of the fastest growing family sport in America and is committed to providing superior customer service and quality, affordable family entertainment for the Triad of North Carolina. The Rockers have built a fun and competitive atmosphere in both High Point and the Atlantic League while playing in the 2019 Ballpark of the Year.

About the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB)

With teams throughout the Mid-Atlantic, the ALPB is a leader in baseball innovation and a player gateway to Major League Baseball. Through its exclusive partnership with MLB, the Atlantic League tests Major League Baseball rules and equipment initiatives. The Atlantic League has sent over 1,000 players to MLB organizations while drawing more than 44 million fans to its affordable, family-friendly ballparks throughout its 24-year history. For more information, please visit www.AtlanticLeague.com.