Moore and Gulino are both catchers and will provide the Rockers with a solid backstop corps. Gonzalez and Latimore are eachj outfielders while DiSarcina is a versatile infielder and Casad was one of the mainstays of High Point’s starting rotation in 2021.
Casad went 7-4 in 2021 and led the Rockers pitching staff with a 4.73 ERA while being named the Atlantic League Pitcher of the Month in July. Moore was High Point’s starting catcher prior to having his contract was purchased by the Philadelphia Phillies in June but he returned to the club later in the season. Gulino was signed to fill Moore’s vacancy and proved to be a solid defensive catcher. Latimore is an original Rocker, having been with the club since its on-field inception in April 2019. The Rockers traded for Gonzalez in August 2021 and he helped solidify the outfield through the remainder of the 2021 campaign. DiSarcina was a professional rookie last year and developed into a quality utility infielder over the course of the season.
Cooper Casad
Casad returns for his second year as a Rocker after leading the team in ERA and finishing second in wins in 2021. Casad, 25, was 7-4 last season with a 4.73 ERA. He made 19 starts and was named the Atlantic League Pitcher of the Month in July after going 4-0 with a 2.89 ERA that month.
Jamie Keefe on Casad:
“Cooper came into last year wanting to make the team as a starter and he did just that. He came in at the back end of the rotation at the start of the year and wound up being one of the top arms on the team. He had a great first year with us and I think he learned a lot. I’ve been able to watch him all winter (in Florida) as he gets ready for this season. He is really throwing the ball well right now and I look forward to getting him back in a Rockers uniform.”
J.R. DiSarcina
DiSarcina joined the Rockers at the start of training camp after completing his collegiate career at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth. Throughout the year, he proved to be a versatile middle infielder who saw action at both second base and shortstop while filling in on occasion at third base. DiSarcina hit .257 on the year with five home runs and 57 RBI. He became a starter after Michael Russell suffered a broken jaw on July 28.
Jamie Keefe on DiSarcina:
“J.R. was a bit green when he got here last year but his eyes were wide open. He didn’t know the competition would be as good as it was. He proved us correct by going out there each and every day and competing the way he did. To come in as a true rookie from a Division III (UMass-Dartmouth) school and go out there and hit .257 with five homers and 28 RBI, and get the job done defensively, was a credit to him. He was just fantastic as a utility guy for us. Any time he was called on offensively, he was able to get the job done. I’m excited to see what he can bring to us this year.”
Jay Gonzalez
The Rockers acquired Gonzalez in a trade from Winnipeg of the American Association on August 6. The lefthanded-hitting outfielder batted .267 over the final 46 games of the season while hitting two home runs and driving in 12. He had a season-best four hits on Aug. 22 in an 8-5 win over Lexington. He tied for the team lead with three sacrifices and stole seven bases.
Jamie Keefe on Gonzalez:
“Jay didn’t get a chance to play every day with us last year until towards the end of the year. Players put up good numbers when they get a chance to play every day and Jay did just that. I think the world of him, he can play center field and left field as well as anybody. He runs really well, and he is one of the best teammates you will ever have. Whenever he was called on, he was ready to play and he produced. You can’t replace a guy like Jay.”
Mike Gulino
Gulino signed with the Rockers on June 22, 2021 and hit .229 in 40 games with two home runs and 17 RBI. A solid defensive catcher, Gulino made his Atlantic League debut last season after playing parts of three seasons in the Frontier League and the American Association. The 2021 season was a comeback year for Gulino who missed the 2020 campaign while rehabbing from a traumatic injury suffered in a baseline collision in 2019.
Jamie Keefe on Gulino:
“Michael did everything and more of what we asked him to do last year. He continually got better throughout the year and learned a lot from Logan (Moore) when he came back late in the year. Michael knows he’s going to catch a couple times a week and anytime there is a doubleheader, he’s going to catch one of those games as well. He’s going to get some playing time and he’s going to get leaned on quite a bit. He had some big hits for us last year and he just kept getting better every time he went out on the field.”
Quincy Latimore
Latimore is an original Rocker, having started in left field on the franchise’s Opening Night on April 26, 2019. He hit .264 in 111 games in his first season with 21 home runs and 72 RBI. In 2021, Latimore signed with an Italian professional team and did not return to the Rockers until August 27. He hit .297 with six home runs and 21 RBI over the final 39 games of the year. Over the course of his 14-year professional career, Latimore has hit 225 home runs and driven in 957 runs.
Jamie Keefe on Latimore:
“The 2019 season was a fantastic year for Quincy. The first half of last year he spent playing in Italy and was excited to come back. He just didn’t have what he felt was his best swing when he came back but that has driven him to go back and put in the work this offseason. He will report to camp in in the best shape of his life and I am looking for big things from Q this year. We’re going to lean on him a lot. He’s coming up on 250 career home runs and 1,000 RBI and I’m glad he’s going to do it in a Rockers uniform. He may be one of those guys who slides into an organization as well and puts some numbers up.”
Logan Moore
Moore was the Rockers’ opening day catcher in 2021 and remained the starter until his contract was purchased by the Philadelphia Phillies on June 20. He returned to the Rockers on Sept. 23 and hit .257 over his final 11 games of the season. He ended the season with seven RBI in his final four games and homered in two of the last three games of the year. Moore was a standout at New Britain in the Atlantic League before joining the Rockers, earning 2019 ALPB All-Defensive honors at catcher.
Jamie Keefe on Moore:
“We know what Logan can do behind the plate and that is call the best game of any catcher in an MLB Partner league. It doesn’t get any better than what he can do behind the plate. He has proven himself at the AAA level for six years and we look forward to having him take this staff to where it needs to be. He didn’t have a great year offensively in 2021 but this year, with him in the lineup regularly, we’ll see his offense come back to what it was in 2019.”
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.
