Local baseball players have chance to go pro at tryouts for newly-formed Yolo High Wheelers
Baseball players in Northern California can go pro. First, you gotta show up.
The newly-formed Yolo High Wheelers, a team debuting in the independent Pioneer League next month, are hosting open tryouts on Saturday at Dobbins Stadium on the campus of UC Davis. They’ll give prospects an opportunity to showcase skills on the diamond and possibly earn a professional contract through an invitation to spring training.
“What’s beautiful with what we’re doing with the High Wheelers is that we’re bringing the newest professional baseball team to Yolo County, playing at Dobbins Stadium,” general manager Troy Loparco said. “So not only for the fans, the community, the school, the city of Davis and beyond, it’s also opening up an opportunity where there’s hopefully a diamond in the rough in this greater Sacramento area. There’s a ton of baseball talent in this region already.”
Loparco says there may be room for one or two players from the tryouts to earn one of the 30 to 32 spots on the spring training roster before the regular season roster gets trimmed to 26. Nothing is guaranteed, however.
The High Wheelers will play their first game May 21 against the Rocky Mountain Vibes, kicking off their 96-game schedule that runs through the first weekend of September. They’re joining the 12-team league under the same ownership group as the Oakland Ballers in hopes to create a Northern California rivalry. The two teams will play 36 times during their regular season and are the league’s only California teams.
The Pioneer League features two six-team divisions. Along with the Vibes and Ballers, the other teams in Yolo’s division are the Boise Hawks, Grand Junction Jackalopes, Northern Colorado Owlz and Idaho Falls Chukars. The league’s history dates back to the start of the 20th century, according to the league.
The independent league is designed for professional prospects who slip through the cracks of the traditional major- and minor-league systems. It’s for players with three or fewer years of professional experience to showcase themselves. Loparco said that while the team is not an official Major League affiliate, scouts could be on hand to watch players.
“As MLB has cut their draft rounds from 50 rounds to 40, to now 20 rounds, there’s so much talent from rounds 21 through 50 that still need a place to play,” Loparco said. “The Pioneer League is a great spot to get noticed and signed.”
Loparco noted that left-handed pitcher Michael Sansone was recently signed by the Boston Red Sox after joining the High Wheelers this spring. Sansone played last season in the Tampa Bay Rays’ farm system for its Low-A affiliate after a college career at Fairfield University in Connecticut.
The Pioneer League has some differences from a regular baseball game. For example, instead of extra innings, home runs derbies are used to decide the outcome of tie games.
The High Wheelers is managed by Billy Horton, a former minor league manager and coach in the San Francisco Giants system. Former Giants hurler Jerome Williams will serve as pitching coach and Giants minor league infielder Gary Davenport will be a bench coach.
The tryouts will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Dobbins Stadium. Check-in begins at 8 a.m.
The team is also hiring ticket sellers, ushers, merchandise assistants, an in-game emcee, public address announcer, scoreboard and camera operators, and staff for their promotional team. Anyone interested can contact info@highwheelers.com.
